Brands
Stanley Lifestyles appoints Venkat Gorti as joint managing director
MUMBAI : Stanley Lifestyles has tapped Venkat Gorti as joint managing director, betting on a seasoned global operator to sharpen execution and steer its next phase of growth.
Gorti joins the Bengaluru-based luxury furniture maker with more than three decades of leadership experience across manufacturing, technology and supply-chain–led businesses. Known for blending strategy with rigour on the factory floor, he has built a reputation for transforming complex operations into profitable, scalable engines.
At Stanley Lifestyles, Gorti will focus on tightening manufacturing excellence, securing the supply chain through deeper vertical integration and pushing digitalisation to deliver consistent customer delight. Expansion, including potential mergers, acquisitions or divestments, will also be firmly on the agenda as the company balances long-term brand building with the demands of the public markets.
Founder of Stanley Lifestyles, Sunil Suresh, added that Gorti’s global exposure and people-led style equip him to lead the company’s next chapter, marrying scale with luxury ambition.
A mechanical engineer and EGMP alumnus from IIM Bangalore, Gorti has held senior roles at ABB, Oracle, GE, Flextronics, Wipro Hydraulics, Honeywell and Homag, with assignments spanning the Middle East, Europe, the Americas and Asia. His career cuts across electricals, electronics, aerospace, hydraulics and woodworking, giving him a rare, cross-industry lens.
Recognised among Asia’s top 100 inspirational leaders in 2022 and former chairperson of the Furniture Fittings Skill Council, Gorti arrives as Stanley Lifestyles accelerates its retail and manufacturing ambitions.
The message from the boardroom is clear: Indian luxury furniture wants to think bigger, move faster and play on a global stage.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
