MAM
Specsmakers names industry veteran S Shriram as VP, sales & marketing
Mumbai: Optical retailer Specsmakers has announced the appointment of S Shriram as vice president – sales & marketing with a deep focus on the upcoming business prospects. In his new role, Shriram will oversee store operations, business expansion and handle strategic marketing.
The company said it is expanding aggressively through a mix of company-owned as well as franchised stores and plans to have 300 operational stores by the end of FY 21-22 and subsequently reach 1,000 stores by 2025. “The new stores for the current year will come up in existing markets of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & Andhra Pradesh while rest of South India will be targeted in the next financial year,” it added.
A veteran of more than 24 years in the retail industry, Shriram has worked with companies like RPG Group, The Future Group, Café Coffee Day, and Royal Enfield (Eicher Motors). In 2006, he joined India’s first private greenfield airport at Bangalore (BIAL) where he was solely responsible for designing, conceptualizing, and operationalising the entire retail & commercial areas. In his most recent role at Levista Coffee, Shriram managed to grow its retail presence from 26,000 to 79,000 stores pan-India.
Commenting on the new appointment, Specsmakers founder & CEO, Pratik Shah said, “We are delighted to have Shriram join us. With his experience across several retail formats over the past two decades, I believe he is a great value addition to our team and I am confident that he will aid the company to scale up to 1,000 stores pan-India by 2025.”
Shriram added, “I have seen this brand grow from a single store in Chennai a decade and a half back to a 240+ strong retail chain now. I have seen their stores even in small towns like Kumbakonam and Mysore while also brushing shoulders with formidable competition in Chennai & Bangalore. I am hugely excited with this opportunity and happy to be doing what I love the most – managing large teams, opening stores, and driving memorable customer experiences.”
Brands
FSS names Anand Krishnamurthi head of global digital delivery
Tech veteran to drive AI-first, cloud-led transformation in payments globally
CHENNAI: Financial Software and Systems (FSS), an AI-first payment infrastructure company, has appointed Anand Krishnamurthi as head of global digital delivery.
In his new role, Anand Krishnamurthi will lead FSS’s global digital delivery capabilities, focusing on AI-first and cloud-led transformation while ensuring predictable, high-quality outcomes for customers worldwide. He will be based in Chennai and report to V. Balasubramanian, CEO of FSS.
Bringing 28 years of experience in technology and digital transformation across banking, capital markets, financial services, and insurance, Anand has held senior leadership positions at Cognizant and NuSummit. He is recognised for scaling multi-geography delivery teams, leading mission-critical platforms, and embedding AI-driven automation in complex, regulated environments.
“What drew me to FSS is its deep payments expertise, strong product DNA, and the scale at which its platforms power real-world financial ecosystems,” said Anand Krishnamurthi. “I aim to strengthen delivery predictability, execution rigor, and engineering quality, building empowered teams that deliver measurable customer outcomes. FSS has a unique opportunity to create real-time, AI-infused payments infrastructure that is resilient, secure, and globally scalable.”
V. Balasubramanian added, “Anand’s track record in leading multi-geography delivery programs and AI-first operating models makes him the ideal leader for FSS as we accelerate our AI-driven digital payments business. His leadership will help us raise the bar for outcomes globally.”
This appointment is part of FSS’s broader push to build an AI-powered, cloud-native delivery organisation capable of meeting the evolving needs of banks, fintechs, and financial institutions worldwide.
