Managing Director
Titan Company Limited
Member:
Privilege Clubs(India Retail Forum), (India Fashion Forum) Bhaskar Bhat assumed the position of Managing Director of Titan Company Limited, one of India’s largest and most successful lifestyle retail organisations, on April 1, 2002. A B.Tech (Mechanical Engineering) degree holder of IIT Madras, and a post graduate diploma holder in Management from IIM Ahmedabad, Bhat’s primary working experience has been in Sales & Marketing.
Having started his career as a management trainee with Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. in 1983, he moved on after five years and joined the Tata Watch Project (initiated at Tata Press Ltd.)Since 1983, Bhat has been associated with the Tata Watch Project, later to become Titan Watches Ltd., and now Titan Company Ltd. At Titan, he has dealt with Sales & Marketing, HR, International Business and various general managerial assignments. His long association with Titan, and his vision have led the company’s successful diversification into several lifestyle retail verticals. His rich experience in multiple retail functions also led him to be announced as Chairman of India Retail Forum in 2006.
Titan Company is not only the largest Indian watch maker, but also the world’s fifth largest integrated watch manufacturer. Subsequent diversifications have also made Titan Company the leader in the Indian market in branded jewellery under the Tanishq brand name. With its own retail network for selling watches and jewellery, Titan is among the country’s leading retailers. It currently employs more than 7,000 people and Titan and Tanishq are among the most admired brands in their categories, while the company continues to be in Forbes Asia’s FAB 50 companies list for 2013.
The newest retail chain in the company is Helios, India’s largest premium multi-brand watch chain with 43 stores across over 20 cities.Helios, presents an array of over 30 international fashion and premium brands including Armani, Hugo Boss, Versace, Tag Heuer, Movado, Seiko, Fossil, Tommy Hilfiger.
In 2013, Titan entered the fragrances segment with SKINN. In the later part of the year, it ventured into the helmets category under its Fastrack brand.
Under Bhat’s stewardship, the company has expanded across 1,100 retail stores across a carpet area of over 1.45 million sq. ft., with India’s largest retail network spanning over 200 towns. The company has over 450+ exclusive network of watch showrooms and over 750+ after-sales-service centres, and is also the largest jewellery retailer in India with over 160 Tanishq boutiques, over 30 Gold Plus stores and over 280 Titan Eye+ stores.
Bhat’s leadership abilities have fetched innumerable laurels for Titan, Tanishq and himself, the most recent of which is the “Transformational Leader of the Year” honour bestowed in 2013 by All India Management Association (AIMA).
Bhat is a member of the Governing Council at the T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal and the SDM Institute of Management and Development, Mysore. He was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award of IIT Madras in 2008.
