CEO
Arrow
Amitabh Suri has been appointed Chief Executive Officer – Arrow, a part of Arvind Ltd.
To say that Amitabh Suri has a passion for fashion would be a cliché; that the fashion business is a way of life for him is possibly closer to the real thing.
Armed with a BA (Honors) degree in History from Delhi University, Suri has a post graduate degree in Garment Manufacturing Technology from National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Chennai. And it was there that his future his career path would etched. “I am passionate about the apparel industry and fashion,” he says. “The environment is fast-paced and allows for quick fire validation. Change is the only constant and this keeps me consistently engaged.”
Beginning from handling retail operations for Celebrity Fashions, he joined Indian Terrain Fashions Limited over 14 years ago, and has continued to drive the publicly-listed company’s growth since then, though he humbly asserts that his biggest professional accomplishments are yet to come.
Indian Terrain Fashions Ltd. [BSE: 533329 | NSE: INDTERRAIN] is currently one of India’s leading menswear brands offering a complete range of casual wear and sportswear, with special emphasis on deconstructed work-wear and business-casual clothing. Having opened its first store in September 2000, the company was listed in 2011, following a demerger from its parent company.
The offspring of a manufacturing company, Indian Terrain initially retailed only shirts and trousers. The portfolio has expanded several times over since then; the current range of men’s apparel sold includes shirts, trousers, T- shirts, shorts, mufflers, knitwear, jackets, denims, boxers, and socks.
“We have a fabulous team dedicated to delivering the very best and I drive them hard to ensure that we beat our targets each time. We’ve come a long way from our humble beginning,” Suri notes.
The company began retailing through a single store in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in 2000. The brand gradually expanded to Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai. By October 2001, the brand was present across North, South, and West markets. Consolidation of the brand at the distribution level and key accounts continued until 2006 and today, Indian Terrain has a complete retail foray across the country.
With a turnover of over Rs.370 crore, the company today retails across the country through more than 700 Multi Brand Outlets, 130 doors of Large Format Stores, over 100 Exclusive Brand Outlets, and is available through online stores as well.
While the prospects of growth remain strong for his specialist menswear brand, Suri does rue the dearth of quality human talent across the fashion value chain. “Two challenges I face are the dearth of qualified professionals in front-end retail and the lack of specialised skill sets in visual communication experts.”
“To achieve full potential, Indian retailers must : seamlessly integrate supply chain with front-end retail requirements,” he advises.
By Nupur Chakraborty
