Manisha Agarwal

Director of Engineering

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India27 yrs 8 mos experience

Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

Proven track record in talent acquisition and management.
Expertise in merchandising and retail strategy.
Leadership in driving HR initiatives for top brands.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a strategic leader in HR and Retail industries.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Talent AcquisitionMerchandising

Other Skills

HR StrategyExecutive SearchBudgetingInventory ControlRetailFashionApparelSourcingManagementProcurementTeam ManagementDirect SalesBrand ManagementProduct DevelopmentMarket Research

About

Specialties: Talent Acquisition; Talent Management, Employee Engagement, Training, Learning and Development. Functional expertise in HR, Retail Buying, Merchandising, Marketing, Sales and Operations; Sector expertise in Lifestyle Retail, Hospitality and ecommerce.

Experience

Puma

5 roles

Director - People and Organisation, India and Thailand

Apr 2022 – Present · 3 yrs 11 mos

Director and Head - People & Organisation and Strategic Initiatives, India

Promoted

Jan 2021 – Jun 2022 · 1 yr 5 mos

Associate Director and Head - People and Organisation, India

Mar 2020 – Jan 2021 · 10 mos

Head - Human Resources, India

Promoted

Sep 2015 – Mar 2020 · 4 yrs 6 mos

PUMA is one of the world’s leading Sports Brands, designing, developing, selling and marketing footwear, apparel and accessories. For over 65 years, PUMA has established a history of making fast product designs for the fastest athletes on the planet. PUMA offers performance and sportstyle products in categories such as Football, Running, Training and Fitness, Golf, and Motorsports. It engages in exciting collaborations with renowned design brands such as Alexander McQueen and Mihara Yasuhiro to bring innovative and fast designs to the sports world. The PUMA Group owns the brands PUMA, Cobra Golf and Dobotex. The company distributes its products in more than 120 countries, employs more than 11,000 people worldwide, and is headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany.
Puma India is headquartered in Bangalore with regional offices in Gurgaon, Mumbai and Kolkata. Within 10 years of entering the Indian market, the brand has proven its dominance by becoming the No.1 sportswear brand in the country and a force to reckon with. Puma is also amongst the top 10 Retail companies in India to work with as per the Great Place to Work Survey 2015 (http://www.greatplacetowork.in/best-companies/best-workplaces-in-india-retail).
If you would like to work in a fast paced fun environment and believe in our mantra of Forever Faster, please write to us at careers-india@puma.com

Country Merchandise Manager-Apparel/Accrs

Oct 2006 – May 2010 · 3 yrs 7 mos

Country Merchandise Manager – Apparel/Accessories -
I was responsible for driving the Apparel and Accessories business for India, with the top-line and bottom-line accountability. My job was to develop and direct consumer relevant, market leading merchandise assortments that deliver against strategic, financial, brand equity and consumer objectives of the company. My job involved:
Strategizing, Budgeting and Planning – Forecast future trends in business and prepare buy plans across channels and key business units to deliver the targeted turnover and profitability.
Range Selection and Buying - Selecting the most desirable and profitable range ensuring achievement of desired sell throughs.
Retail Merchandising and Allocation – Merchandising and Allocation for all Retail locations (80 doors) to maximize revenues per sq/ft and drive ‘right product right door’ strategy.
Trade Presentations/Sell ins – Ensuring a seamless ‘Go To Market’ process in order to maximize secured wholesale business for the company.
Inventory Control – Managing discounts and liquidation of old merchandise in retail and controlling inventory levels throughout the year ensuring less than budgeted write downs.
One of my key achievements at Puma was being part of the core startup team in India, and, building retail buying and merchandising processes, the right talent pool, and culture in the organisation.
PUMA is one of the world’s leading Sportlifestyle companies that designs and develops footwear, apparel and accessories. PUMA starts in Sport and ends in Fashion. Its Sport Performance and Lifestyle labels include categories such as Football, Running, Motorsports, Golf and Sailing

Strikeone

Founder and Lead Consultant - Recruitment

May 2010 – Sep 2015 · 5 yrs 4 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

StrikeOne Consulting is an HR consulting firm that specializes in talent acquisition, executive search, and consulting for Fashion Retail, mcommerce/ecommerce Startups, Fashion Manufacturing and Sourcing, and Advertising sectors.
As Lead Consultant, I led and directed a team of consultants to provide our clients with hiring support including executive search for senior positions; and consult startups on hiring strategy, organizational structure, effective job descriptions and interview and selection process. I have worked with successful startups in the retail and ecommerce space in their incubation and growth phases and supported them in devising HR strategies and in setting up their senior teams. My job also involved forecasting hiring trends, pitching ideas to new clients, market mapping, managing search campaigns on professional social media networks and engaging with industry influencers.

Vf arvind brands pvt. ltd.

Product Manager - Nautica

Feb 2006 – Oct 2006 · 8 mos

As a Product Manager, I was responsible for buying and merchandising for the Indian market. I managed ‘womenswear’ and ‘home‘ categories for the brand.
My job involved:
Budgeting and Planning – Planning OTBs across product divisions and preparing Merchandising plans based on store SKU capacities and business needs.
Range Selection and Buying – Selecting market relevant and most profitable merchandise assortment from international design collections that drive the brand strategy.
VF is the world’s largest supplier of branded apparel with a turnover of USD 7 billion in 2006. VF Arvind Brands is a joint venture between VF and Arvind Mills.

Gap inc.

Merchandiser

Feb 2000 – Feb 2006 · 6 yrs

As a Merchandiser, I managed the Gap womens and Gap kids business for the company. The size of the business was USD 100 million p.a. The product range was varied and included wovens and knits; bottoms, tops and outerwear.
I was responsible for
Vendor Development and Management – Developing new vendors based on business needs and growth and managing on a day to day basis in terms of right prices, on time deliveries and required quality standards.
Quality Management – Collaborating with the technical and quality teams in Gap for correct placements, style reviews and assessment of vendor capabilities.
Production Planning and Control - Planning the production cycles with vendors and production units for optimal output.
Gap was a $ 15bn clothing company with 5 brands and more than 4000 stores in USA, Canada, Europe and Japan

Fibres and fabrics international

Business Manager

Jul 1998 – Jan 2000 · 1 yr 6 mos

My job involved managing the key accounts of the company with complete responsibility of making and presenting collections, costing, order placement, planning and execution.
Fibres and Fabrics International is an export house manufacturing and exporting garments with focus on Europe. The turnover of the company for the year 1998-99 was Rs.60 crores.