Brands
Ashish Vashist joins Cashify as head of commercial
Ex-HealthKart leader steps up to steer nationwide operations growth
MUMBAI:Â Ashish Vashist has taken charge as head of commercial at Cashify, adding a new chapter to a career defined by operational grit and steady leadership.Vashist joins Cashify after more than eight years at HealthKart, where he rose through the ranks from manager administration to national head administration. His journey there was less a climb and more a marathon of scale, strategy and systems. Overseeing pan-India operations, he managed everything from head office administration and warehouses to factories, retail stores, travel, events, real estate, procurement and compliance.
In his most recent role as national head administration, he led infrastructure, vendor management, brand compliance and team leadership across the country. Colleagues credit him with driving tighter cost control, sharper efficiency and a culture that balanced discipline with agility.
Before HealthKart, Vashist served as assistant vice president administration and operations at V-Konnect Associates and was part of the leadership team. His remit covered organisational structuring, recruitment process design, data-led performance improvement and change management.
His earlier career spans administration and facilities management roles at Max Life Insurance Company Limited and ICICI Lombard, where he handled branch operations, expenditure control and vendor coordination. He began his professional journey in hospitality, training as an industrial trainee at Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi and working briefly as a prep chef at TGI Fridays, experiences that laid the groundwork for his operational precision and people-first approach.
Academically, Vashist holds a PGDBA in human resources from Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies and a post graduate diploma in human rights from the Indian Institute of Human Rights.
At Cashify, Vashist is expected to bring his trademark mix of structure and scale to the commercial function, aligning growth ambitions with operational backbone. If his track record is any indication, he will not just manage the engine room but fine tune it for the long haul.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
