Big Moves: Bentley, Adani Wilmar, Nykaa Fashion

Abbey Thomas to head VW Group's Bentley as Country Head

Abbey Thomas, who led Volkswagen India as chief general manager - head marketing and public relations, has been appointed by Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, as country head for their brand Bentley in India, stated an AutoCar report. It has been stated that Thomas will take charge in January, and will report to Jan Bures, executive director - sales, marketing and digital, at Skoda Auto Volkswagen India.

It was reported that Bentley Motors was planning to transition its operations in India, where the plan was to move from its importer Exclusive Motors to Skoda Volkswagen Group India's national sales office. The main motive of this move is to restructure operations improve services, and availability of parts, and expand Bentley's footprint with a new dealer in Southern India, highlighted report.

Bentley is one of the brands owned by the Volkswagen (VW) Group, whose the portfolio also includes Škoda, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini etc. In 2022, Bentley consolidated under VW's premium brand arm, Audi.

Thomas, who holds an MBA in marketing from the Department of Management Studies (PUMBA), Thomas began his career as a sales officer at Kinetic Finance and then joined Mercedes-Benz India as marketing manager. Then, in Muscat, Oman, Thomas led Saud Bahwan Group as manager - marketing and PR, and was then appointed by Honda Cars India as manager - product planning.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor appointed him as division lead - product planning, and then he worked at Nissan, in Dubai, as division lead - product.

His innings at Audi India began as general manager - product, and he was elevated to chief general manager - head product and sales planning.

Adani Wilmar names Shrikant Kanhere as the Deputy CEO

Adani Wilmar has appointed Shrikant Kanhere as the deputy chief executive officer (Dy. CEO) with immediate effect. Based in Ahmedabad, Kanhere will assume this role in addition to his current profile as the chief financial officer (CFO) of the company.

Kanhere, who joined AWL in 2013 as the CFO, brings over 25 years of experience spanning across consulting, manufacturing, services and the FMCG sector. Before his tenure at AWL, he was associated with Reliance Industries Limited and Vodafone Digilink Limited, further enriching his diverse professional background.

Following this appointment, Kanhere and Saumin Sheth, COO will work closely with MD & CEO Angshu Mallick to manage the overall operations of the company. Kanhere will be mainly responsible for business development, investor relations and financial management while Sheth will continue to lead the sourcing of raw materials, trading and manufacturing operations.
 

Nykaa Fashion CEO Nihir Parikh steps down

Nihir Parikh, who led Nykaa's NykaaFashion.com and NykaaMan as chief executive officer, has stepped down from his position and has been relieved from his duties, confirmed FSN E-Commerce Ventures, parent company on Nykaa in a regulatory filing to stock exchanges.

It read, "In compliance with Regulation 30 of the SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015, this is to inform that Mr. Nihir Parikh, CEO- Nykaa Fashion.com and a Senior Management Personnel of the Company, has tendered his resignation, on account of personal commitments. The resignation will be effective the close of business hours of December 05, 2024."

Parikh, who holds an MBA from INSEAD, began his career at Genentech as an engineer and went on to work across GE Healthcare. He started off as a bioprocess manager.

He joined Nykaa as a chief strategy officer, where he supported Nykaa’s Series B funding of $9.5M in Oct 2015, guided product and tech till June 2016 and supported HR till Nov 2017.

During his tenure of nearly a decade at Nykaa, Parikh contributed to Nykaa’s expansion into the fashion and men’s grooming categories through the launch of Nykaa Fashion and NykaaMan. He also supported initiatives in digital transformation, enhancing the platform’s technological capabilities and customer experience. His efforts helped strengthen Nykaa’s omnichannel presence and establish valuable partnerships, contributing to the company’s journey as a trusted market leader, stated the company in a statement.

Reflecting on his time at Nykaa, Parikh shared, “The past decade at Nykaa has been an extraordinary journey, filled with milestones and unforgettable moments. I am deeply grateful to Ms. Falguni Nayar for her steadfast support and trust—it has been an honour to work under such an inspiring leader. To my team and partners, your commitment, collaboration, and friendship have been invaluable, shaping every success we’ve achieved together. As I step into new opportunities, I carry immense pride in being part of Nykaa’s story and look forward to seeing the company’s continued growth and success.”

Falguni Nayar, Founder and CEO of Nykaa stated, “Nihir has been an integral part of Nykaa’s journey, contributing significantly to our growth in Nykaa Fashion and NykaaMan. We are grateful for his unwavering dedication and the lasting impact he has had on the team and business. As he embarks on new opportunities, we remain excited about the future and are confident that the team will continue to build on the momentum Mr. Parikh has helped us create. We wish him all the best and look forward to his continued support as a valued Board member.”

Nykaa recently announced the appointment of Abhijeet Dabas as Executive Vice President and Business Head - Fashion eCommerce. Dabas will focus on driving Nykaa Fashion’s online growth, expanding its global footprint, and building strategic partnerships, including alliances with retailers like Foot Locker and REVOLVE, to further strengthen Nykaa’s presence in the fashion e-commerce space.

Dabas has worked across Adobe Systems, McKinsey & Company, Myntra Jabong, Lazada Group, Swiggy and CARS24.

As the former vice president, head of business - new supply (Private Brands, Brandworks), Dabas led the expansion of the cloud kitchen network to 20+ cities and 1000+ kitchens in less than two years. He drove revenue growth through strategic partnerships, menu innovation, targeted marketing, and hyperlocal market insights. He oversaw large scale operations transformation to a centralised cooking model in the middle of COVID, while retaining quality.