16 June, Mumbai 2025
Sandeep Kataria, Global CEO, Bata Corporation, has resigned from his position five years after becoming the first Indian to lead the Switzerland-based footwear giant.
Kataria has quit Bata after an eight-year tenure, which include three years as Head-Bata India before taking the top global role in 2020.
He is credited with spearheading a significant transformation at the company, modernizing its brand identity, streamlining operations, and accelerating digital and design-led innovation. Under his direction, Bata sharpened its positioning in key markets across Asia, Africa, and Europe as part of its broader strategy to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive and digitally disrupted market. There was also a shift toward agile global supply chain models, with India emerging as a strategic hub for design and sourcing.
An engineer from IIT-Delhi and a postgraduate from XLRI, Kataria was previously employed with Unilever, Yum! Foods, and Vodafone before joining Bata in 2017. Under his leadership, Bata India’s business grew at a compounded annual growth rate of 20 per cent CAGR from Rs 1,707 crore in FY21 to Rs 3,554 crore in FY25.
In its recent report, brokerage firm Motilal Oswal said, following the change in management, a renewed focus on growth is evident at Bata India, characterized by a brand refresh, the introduction of new product lines, and enhancements in the backend supply chain infrastructure.
The brand is seeing early traction in the value segment despite a muted demand. Strategic inventory cleanup, curated product refreshes, and franchise-led expansion are positioning the company for improved efficiency and gradual margin recovery, though near-term pressures persist, the report added.
India’s largest footwear company by both revenue and volume, Bata has an annual turnover of Rs 3,554 crore. It sells approximately 50 million pairs each year through more than 1,960 stores.
India is expected to become Bata’s second-largest sourcing and design hub after Italy. With its four factories, Bata India is the largest shoe producer in Asia. Founded in 1894 in the Czech Republic, Bata is a family-owned business selling 150 million pairs of shoes across about 20 brands and labels, including Bata, North Star, and Power. With a population of 1.4 billion, India is among the fastest-growing and largest international markets for footwear companies.
However, in recent years, sports shoe companies have been growing faster than formal shoe brands - where Bata traditionally held a strong foothold with lower pricing - due to increased casualization in workplaces. Bata India’s sales growth remained flat during FY25.
