Embrace uncertainty and the challenges which come along with, says Aasheesh Mediratta, CEO, SSIPL Group
Education
1999-2001
Master of Fashion Management (PGDAMMM) from
NIFT, New Delhi
1995-1998
BCom (Hons) from Shri Ram College of Commerce,
New Delhi
Career history
In the retail and e-commerce industry for more than 20 years. Before joining SSIPL Group, Aasheesh was CEO at FashionAndYou.com. He joined FashionAndYou in 2010 as head of Sales, before taking over the role of CEO in 2012. Aasheesh also co-founded BehindTheRamp – India’s first inclusive business network for new-age designers, brand
entrepreneurs, and fashion professionals. Earlier in his career, Aasheesh headed businesses for international luxury brands Rosenthal and Villeroy & Boch, was Brand Manager of Guess Jeans in India. His prior experience includes working with Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, ITC Ltd, and Pantaloons.
Role and responsibilities
Heading the retail and distribution divisions at SSIPL Group.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths:
• Decision making
• Detail-oriented
• People management
Weaknesses:
• Being blunt
• Being perfectionist can be a pain sometimes
• Fussy over punctuality
Aspiration
At large, aspiration remains to create and drive longterm value for all stake holders; at the same time make organization adapt to new technologies and work on distributed leadership by onboarding and nurturing the new talent around me.
Game changing retail technologies
• Contact less stores – Grab and go technologies and its adaptations.
• AI-led Retail Video Analytics to help understand in-store customer behavior better.
• Metaverse (Still trying to understand as it unfolds)
• Any technology which can enhance in-store customer engagement and experience.
Skills that helped you succeed
• Good Communication with all stakeholders
• Strong work ethics
• Analytical skills
Lessons learned
Learnings over last 2 decades:
• One’s personal growth comes from uncomfortable environments he/she has worked in.
• There must be a fine balance between controlling and delegating; not every person is transparent and selfdriven.
• Most of challenging situations can be managed diplomatically.
On the future of industry
India retail industry will continue to be driven by two key parameters – value and convenience. ‘Value’ is embedded deep in the mind of Indian customer mind and shall continue to be one of the key parameters and second important factor which will continue to be in play is ‘convenience’ backed by adoption and optimum usage of new digital technologies. While consumption shall continue to be dynamic and unpredictable; customers shall keep experimenting with new products and categories.
Learning from your career
• Embrace uncertainty and the challenges which come along with.
• Sometimes getting the work is more important than doing it perfectly.
Life mantra
Stay hungry, stay foolish
