MAM
The Indus Valley onboards Khalid Kamal Rumi as CMO
Mumbai: Homegrown D2C kitchenware startup The Indus Valley has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Khalid Kamal Rumi as chief marketing officer.
Khalid has moved from Impex (KCM Appliances), where he held the P&L responsibility for India business as vice president of marketing & strategy of the company. Prior to Impex, he worked for V-Guard Industries – corporate strategy, Cognizant – management consulting, SAP Labs, and Accenture.
Founded in 2016, The Indus Valley offers a range of ‘healthy and toxin-free’ kitchenware. The brand aspires to provide compelling alternatives to health-compromising kitchenware products, made of unsafe metals, adulterated alloys, and chemically-loaded harmful coatings.
“In a post-pandemic world, we couldn’t be more grateful for the support our patronising customers have shown us,” commented The Indus Valley CEO Jagadeesh Kumar. “But, with so much support, also comes great responsibility, towards fulfilling our mission to disrupt the fragmented, heavily commoditised, and innovation stagnated kitchenware industry, with our healthy cookware range. This is why, we’re very pleased to have Khalid onboard, as he leads the brand onward while staying focused and driven to deliver success at scale.”
Khalid is an alumnus of IIM Indore with over 12 years of professional experience spanning marketing, brand & category management, corporate strategy, and management consulting. His vast exposure to businesses, clients, and teams in the US, Australia, Germany, the UK, the Philippines, and India.
“The brand has the health and well-being of its customers as its raison d’être. This resonates with my own personal values, and surely appeals to the millions in the country, who are aspiring to lead healthier and sustainable lifestyles,” said Khalid Kamal Rumi, on his decision to join the startup. “What I love most is that the brand takes inspiration from the wisdom of our ancient traditions in India and globally, while simultaneously embracing advancements in modern science & technology that protect, promote, and boost health. I am very glad and extremely honoured to have been presented this position and look forward to leading the team of brilliant minds at The Indus Valley.”
Brands
Dabur buys minority stake in Ras Beauty for Rs 60 crore
Dabur Ventures deal backs fast-growing luxury skincare brand
MUMBAI: Dabur India Limited has dipped into the world of luxury skincare, signing a definitive agreement to acquire a minority stake in Ras Beauty Private Limited for Rs 60 crore. The investment marks the first bet from Dabur Ventures, the FMCG major’s Rs 500 crore platform set up in October 2025 to back high-potential, new-age direct-to-consumer brands.
Founded in Raipur by Shubhika Jain, her sister Suramya Jain and their mother Sangeeta Jain, Ras Beauty has grown from a family-led passion project into a fast-scaling “Farm-to-Face” skincare label. Its range of face elixirs, serums and moisturisers blends essential oils with nature-derived actives, striking a balance between botanical purity and laboratory precision.
The numbers tell their own story. Ras has clocked a three-year Cagr of around 75 per cent and an annual run rate of approximately Rs 100 crore, all while maintaining strong gross margins. That growth has been fuelled by a digital-first approach, in-house R&D and manufacturing, and a sharp focus on clean, sustainable sourcing.
Dabur India executive director and group head corporate strategy Abhinav Dhall, said the company was drawn to Ras’s distinct positioning at the intersection of nature, science and luxury. He added that the premium beauty segment is poised for robust expansion over the coming decade, and that Ras is well placed to capture that opportunity.
For Ras, the partnership is as much about scale as it is about shared philosophy. Co-founder and CEO Shubhika Jain said Dabur’s 141-year legacy of building trusted, purpose-led brands makes it a natural ally. The capital infusion, she noted, will help accelerate the brand’s omnichannel footprint, deepen research capabilities and invest in team and brand building, with an eye on establishing Ras as a leading Indian luxury skincare name both domestically and overseas.
With this move, Dabur is not just investing in a skincare label. It is placing an early wager on India’s growing appetite for premium, conscious beauty, and signalling that heritage FMCG players are ready to play in the new-age D2C arena.
