MAM
Pepperfry appoints Nishant Kumar as vice president & national head of studios
Mumbai: E-commerce furniture and home goods company Pepperfry announced the appointment of Nishant Kumar as the vice president & national head of studios. Kumar will be spearheading the expansion of Pepperfry’s studio footprint across the country. His appointment is effective immediately and he will be based at the company’s office in Mumbai.
Kumar comes to Pepperfry with 21 years of experience working in sales, business strategies, financial planning, operations, and zonal planning. In his previous stint with Vodafone-Idea, Kumar was managing an ecosystem of 2700 retail stores. At Pepperfry all studio regional managers will now report to Kumar.
He is a postgraduate in marketing from Welingkar Institute of Management and holds a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from IHMCTAN, Kolkata.
On the appointment, Pepperfry co-founder & COO Ashish Shah said, “Nishant joins the team with vast experience in managing a large footprint of retail stores and has an impressive track record of leading businesses during a hyper-expansion phase. With his expertise, we aim to strengthen our omnichannel capabilities for our customers and provide them with a visual, highly engaging, and interactive shopping experience. It gives me great delight to welcome him, and l am looking forward to work with him in transforming the furniture retail landscape in India.”
On his new role, Kumar said, “I am delighted to join Pepperfry and super enthusiastic to be a part of the company’s mission – To spark a feeling called home across the world. I look forward to making significant contributions in charting a high growth path for the stellar Studio business at Pepperfry.”
Omnichannel is a very big strategy for the brand and Pepperfry Studios are a key consumer touchpoint. Pepperfry Studios operate in two formats – COCO (company owned and company operated) and FOFO (Franchise owned and Franchise operated), and are located at prominent locations across respective cities. The company has a good omnichannel footprint in India with 180+ studios in 90+ cities.
Brands
Primus Partners appoints Akasa Air co-founder Neelu Khatri as independent director
Veteran aviation and defence professional joins as independent director
NEW DELHI: Primus Partners has appointed Neelu Khatri, a founding member of Akasa Air, as an independent director, strengthening the consulting firm’s board as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
Khatri brings more than three decades of experience across defence, aviation, aerospace technology and consulting. She was part of the core team that helped build Akasa Air from concept to launch, contributing to what has been widely described as one of the fastest airline scale ups in recent aviation history.
At Primus Partners, she will provide strategic guidance on corporate governance and help steer the firm’s long term growth plans. Her experience of building a start up into a full scale organisation is expected to support the consulting firm as it expands its footprint.
Primus Partners co-founder and chairperson Davinder Sandhu, said the appointment brings valuable expertise to the board. “Neelu’s journey across defence, aviation and consulting brings a rare blend of operational insight and strategic thinking. Her experience in rapidly scaling Akasa Air will be invaluable as we continue to grow while maintaining a strong focus on corporate governance,” he said.
Primus Partners, an India headquartered management consulting and solutions firm, has emphasised governance and board oversight since its early days. The company has also taken an unconventional approach by inviting its Gen Z employees to attend board meetings so that younger perspectives can contribute to discussions.
Speaking on her appointment, Khatri said the consulting sector is entering a transformative period shaped by emerging technologies. “The industry is evolving rapidly with the rise of AI. This is an exciting moment for an Indian origin consulting firm like Primus Partners to expand its product offerings and strengthen its presence globally,” she said.
She added that as the firm pursues ambitious expansion plans, her focus will be on ensuring strong governance frameworks and effective risk management as the organisation scales.
