CHANDRA SHEKHAR K

Forbes Russia listed No.1 Fashion Retailer — US$1 Billion retail sales across 72 categories in 625 own stores (Fashion Apparel, Underwear, Hosiery, Footwear & Accessories). Gloria Jeans & Gee Jay products backed by vertical own manufacturing in Russia & 220M+ unit imports from Uzbekistan, China, Vietnam, Bangladesh & India. Provide executive leadership for PD & Technical Design team of 48 direct reports across multiple sourcing offices — key board member for supply chain strategy formation and business sourcing initiatives.

Strategic Market Expansion & Sourcing Office Build-Outs

Key member to establish Shanghai sourcing office (2011) — built Product Development setup from scratch, trained Russian colleagues, and launched PD services supporting the full supply chain

Key member in Bangladesh market development (2013) — established sourcing office, set up PD services, and trained supply chain staff

Strategic team key member in Vietnam sourcing office setup (2014) — established PD services, recruited and trained local supply chain staff

Strategic team key member in Hong Kong office setup (2015) — built PD services and trained supply chain teams for the new regional hub

Key member in Indian market development (2016) — established Indian sourcing office, built PD services, and trained supply chain teams

Technology & Systems Leadership

Strategic team key member to design PLM software workflow for Product Lifecycle Management operations (2012–2013) — architected the digital backbone connecting design, development, and production

Strategic team key member to design supply chain operations software workflow (2015) — shaped the digital infrastructure governing end-to-end supply chain execution

Forefront visionary of AI deployment in fashion (2024–present) — driving AI-powered conscious concept development, AI product development, and supply chain enhancements; leading the industry transition toward AI-integrated workflows

Strategic Transformation & Organisational Restructuring

Key member in HQ relocation from Moscow to Dubai (2025–2026, in execution) — strategising the transition, creating the migration plan, designing office layout, restructuring teams, and establishing lean communication protocols from HQ to suppliers

Key strategic team member continuously optimising operations workflow and restructuring supply chain teams throughout tenure — driving efficiency and organisational agility across all sourcing regions

Functional Leadership & Governance

Deploys Product Development strategy, governance, and goals through specific projects and targets — ensuring alignment between corporate vision and on-the-ground execution

Provides expertise, leadership, and support for resolution of Quality issues across the end-to-end supply chain within the region

Ensures PD processes for IPM Functional Excellence are implemented for all innovations — prepares innovation transfer plans and documentation for new product introductions at factory level

Initiates and supports PD improvement projects using the Product Development toolkit and available data — driving measurable gains in quality, cost, and speed

Leads crisis management for Technical and QA-related incidents — including product withdrawal, regulatory body interaction, investigation, and corrective action execution

Builds Product Development talent across the cluster — recruitment, coaching, and training — creating a pipeline of technical leaders throughout the region

Provides PD leadership to influence Quality culture through visibility and coaching of cross-functional leadership across all categories

PD design AW / garment graphics output: 15,000+ AW per annum with streamlined fashion concept communication protocols between HQ fashion designers and the Asian PD design team

Established local design submission approvals — 66% reduction in supply chain lead time; colour, fabric quality & bulk local approvals within 48 hours — reduced staffing and operational costs by 52%

Tech design services team approving FITs / PP locally within deadlines — reduced staffing and operational costs by 63%

Strategic partner of New Look UK, trading company with US$350 million annual turnover — partnered with international brands across US, UK, South Africa, Australia and China. Owner of Australian fashion label Forever New with 260 retail stores across UAE & Asia.

Led 26 employees overseeing end-to-end product development through shipment across five divisions: Formal Wear, Wovens, Outer Wear, Casual Jersey, and Denims — covering Women's, Men's, and Kids categories — for NEWLOOK (UK), Mim's (France), Woolworths & Edcon (South Africa), and Forever New (Australia).

Key Achievements

Established Pattern FIT Blocks for soft lines, reducing internal FIT sample rejection from 36% → 3%

Redefined grading rules across all departments based on UK body metrics — adopted globally for the Mother Brand New Look

Built Denim Programme from the ground up — developed and organized PD workflow across China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh with a team of 12 associates

Trained 260+ apparel manufacturing vendors on continuous product development improvement across 4 countries, accelerating PD process FIT approval adoptions from 56% → 73%

Premier manufacturing group — 15 factories, 20,000 employees, US$350 million setup producing full-spectrum fashion garments for European and US labels: Marks & Spencer, Esprit, Calvin Klein, Liz Claiborne, Jones New York, Philip Van Heusen, and Polo, among others. Managed technical operations across multiple factory locations with direct accountability for quality systems, process engineering, and buyer compliance.

Operational & Technical Achievements

Streamlined PD sample output — delivered +38.94% increase through systematic process re-engineering by Dec 2005

Re-engineered the PD workflow achieving a 55% lead time reduction — from 9 days → 5 days from proto pattern development to sample shipment

Implemented SQP (Standard Quality Procedures) across all factories with 2% target defect rate — brought rejection average down from 5.2% → 2.4% for Jan–Dec 2005

Redefined innovative pattern making standards, maintaining an error level of just 0.36% average through Dec 2005

Management & Leadership

Led technical teams across 15 factory locations — harmonised quality standards, pattern engineering protocols, and sample approval processes to deliver consistent output regardless of factory maturity level

Championed a data-driven quality culture — introduced statistical defect tracking and root-cause analysis discipline, shifting the organisation from reactive inspection to proactive prevention across all production lines

Managed direct buyer relationships with premium international labels — served as the technical authority during factory audits, quality negotiations, and compliance reviews, building buyer confidence that secured repeat business

Designed and delivered capability-building programmes for factory technical teams — upskilling pattern makers, QC inspectors, and production supervisors in modern quality methodologies, creating a self-sustaining improvement engine

Balanced competing demands of 8+ international buyers simultaneously — each with distinct quality manuals, fit standards, and approval protocols — developing the multi-stakeholder management muscle that later scaled to 72 categories at Gloria Jeans

Gokaldas Images — one of India's largest apparel exporters at the time. Joined as the founding Product Development Head to build a new division from concept to full-scale operations.

Key Achievements

Established a new Product Development department for Men's Suits entirely from the ground up — recruited, trained, and led a team of 10 professionals, architecting all workflows, SOPs, and quality benchmarks from scratch

Expanded scope to direct Men's Formal Wear and subsequently Ladies Formal Wear divisions — managing in-house manufacturing setups alongside an extended network of subcontractors

Launched 2 new product lines within the first year, demonstrating rapid execution capability and entrepreneurial drive

Directed end-to-end product lifecycle — from first prototype through to final shipment — ensuring design integrity, cost targets, and delivery timelines across all divisions

Managed budget planning and fiscal oversight for the PD division, controlling sampling costs while scaling output to meet seasonal demand cycles

Fostered cross-functional collaboration between design, sourcing, production, and quality teams — establishing the PD department as the strategic bridge between creative vision and factory-floor reality

Promoted from the shop floor into a management role, taking full ownership of the sewing floor operations — the production heart of the factory. This role marked the transition from individual technical contribution to operational leadership.

Key Achievements

Managed complete sewing floor production with direct oversight of line supervisors, operators, and daily output targets — building foundational command of workforce management at scale

Optimised production line balancing and workflow sequencing to minimise bottlenecks — improved daily throughput through systematic observation and tactical reallocation of resources

Enforced quality-at-source discipline on the floor — trained operators on in-line inspection techniques, reducing rework rates and downstream defect capture costs

Managed shift scheduling, attendance, and discipline for the sewing floor workforce — developing foundational people-management and operational leadership skills that became the bedrock of every team I've led since

Collaborated with pattern making, cutting, and finishing departments to synchronise upstream and downstream workflows — gaining holistic understanding of the garment production value chain

Delivered consistent on-time order fulfilment against tight seasonal deadlines — earning the trust to handle increasingly complex production runs for demanding buyers

The formative years — a 6-year deep-dive through four progressive roles that built an irreplaceable foundation of practical mastery. Every leadership decision I make today traces back to trade secrets learned on this floor.

Key Experience & Foundations Built

Designer — Created original garment sketches and technical flat drawings, translating creative concepts into production-ready specifications — developed an eye for proportion, silhouette, and design-to-production feasibility

Sewing Operator — Mastered every machine on the floor — single needle, overlock, flatlock, and specialised finishing equipment — internalising the rhythm, precision, and muscle memory that only comes from thousands of hours at the machine

Supervisor — Promoted within 3 years to oversee a team of operators — learned to balance production pressure with people, discovering that the best output comes from respected, motivated teams, not pushed ones

Pattern Maker — Mastered the art of translating 2D fabric into 3D garments — studied grain lines, ease allowances, and draping techniques; uncovered the trade secrets of fit that most executives never learn firsthand

Absorbed the unwritten rules of garment manufacturing — fabric behaviour under different needle tensions, how humidity affects stitching, why certain seams fail and others last — knowledge that cannot be taught in a classroom

Built an authentic credibility that no degree can confer — today, when I walk a factory floor or review a tech pack, I see what others miss because I've stood at every station along the production line

🇬🇧 English Speak & Write

🇨🇳 中文 Mandarin Speak & Write

🇮🇩 Bahasa Indonesia Speak & Write

🇲🇾 Bahasa Malaysia Speak & Write

🇮🇳 हिन्दी Hindi Speak & Write

🌏 Major South Asian Languages Speak & Write