Brands
DMart announces key leadership appointments
MUMBAI: Avenue Supermarts, the parent company of DMart, has announced significant leadership changes, including the appointment of Anshul Asawa as chief executive officer designate and senior managerial personnel, effective 15 March 2025. Asawa will succeed Ignatius Navil Noronha, the current managing director & CEO, when his term ends on 31 January 2026.
Reports are that Navil chose not to renew his contract after 20 years of being at the helm of the company transforming it from a five store operation to 380 stores all over India. In the process, he managed to accumulate a 1.95 per cent stake in DMart, which is valued at around Rs 5,000 crore, making him one of the richest professional CEOs in India.
Asawa will officially assume the role of MD & CEO on 1 February 2026, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.
An alumnus of IIT Roorkee and IIM Lucknow, Asawa brings a wealth of experience from his 30-year career at Unilever, where he held leadership roles in India, Asia, and Europe. Most recently, he served as country head for Unilever Thailand and general manager for the home care business in greater Asia. Known for his consumer-centric approach and focus on digital transformation, Asawa has spearheaded innovations in sales, marketing, and distribution.
Additionally, DMart has announced the following appointments and changes effective 11 January 2025:
* Hitesh Shah has been named head of the pharma business and designated senior management personnel. Shah, who joined DMart in 2007, has over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, and retail management, including a 13-year tenure at Hindustan Unilever.
* Rajeev Chandrasekharan, previously general manager – DC, will now serve as head of the centre of excellence, overseeing process audits. With 23 years of experience in supply chain and operations, Chandrasekharan has been with DMart since 2015 and has also worked at Procter & Gamble, Gillette, and Toyota (Oman).
* Ashutosh Dhar will transition to the role of head-loss prevention but will no longer be classified as senior management personnel due to a change in reporting structure.
DMart, founded by Radhakishan Damani, operates 381 stores across India, offering a wide range of home and personal products at competitive prices. Headquartered in Mumbai, the company continues to expand with new locations planned across the country.
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.
