ISSUE 48

DOMAIN / SECTOR (TO CAPTURE CURRENT SECTORAL TRENDS / DEVELOPMENTS / CHALLENGES)

3. What is your talent strategy? How do you draw a balance between home grown vs lateral hiring at the leadership level?

At Metro Brands Ltd, it is all about the balancing act. We aim to create a leadership team that combines the best of both worlds: leaders who have grown within the organization and have a deep understanding of Metro’s unique business context, and leaders who bring in external expertise and innovative thinking. We place a strong emphasis on nurturing homegrown talent. A good percentage of our leadership team is homegrown and they bring a lot of insights with their deep understanding of Metro’s culture, values, and operational nuances. Bringing in experienced professionals from outside the organization introduces new ideas, best practices, and diverse experiences that can drive innovation and strategic thinking.

In conclusion, our talent strategy is about creating a diverse and dynamic leadership team that can drive Metro Brands Ltd forward.

4. What is your talent strategy? How do you draw a balance between home grown vs lateral hiring at the leadership level?

• Today’s customers are highly informed and aware of global trends. They have access to the latest fashion and lifestyle updates from around the world, which creates a unique opportunity for us in India. By bringing global brands to India, we can cater to the evolving preferences of the Indian consumers who seek high-quality, trendy footwear.
• As customers increasingly expect a unified shopping experience, we are focused on integrating our physical stores with our digital presence. This includes ensuring that our online platform offers the same level of service, variety, and convenience as our physical stores. We are investing in technology to enhance our e-commerce capabilities and improve our digital customer journey, from browsing to purchase to post-sale support.
• The rapid pace of digitization is transforming the retail landscape. We are leveraging advanced data analytics to understand customer preferences better, personalize their shopping experiences, and optimize our inventory management. Technologies such as AI and machine learning are being employed to predict trends, manage supply chains more efficiently, and enhance customer interactions.

5. Have there been any recent initiatives to upskill talent at the leadership level?

One of our key recent initiatives has been to equip our leaders and workforce with the knowledge and skills required to leverage artificial intelligence effectively. We have conducted a series of workshops and training programs aimed at understanding the potential of AI in retail. These sessions cover various aspects, from predictive analytics and personalized marketing to inventory management and customer service enhancements. By integrating AI into our strategic decision-making processes, we want our leaders to drive more informed, data-driven decisions that enhance efficiency and customer satisfaction.

6. Is the pursuit of innovation a constant or a situational strategy? Please elaborate with examples.

Our commitment to constant evolution ensures that we stay relevant and competitive in a rapidly changing market. This means continuously improving our processes, products, and services. For example, one of our key differentiators was the customer service from our front-end store teams and with the same core values, our customer service has only evolved for the better. We extend the same energy to our store experiences, inculcating new retail technologies at the store, etc.

While evolution is an ongoing process, innovation tends to be more situational. It is often driven by specific challenges or opportunities that require a creative and strategic response. For instance, the rapid growth of e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic pushed us to innovate quickly. We enhanced our online platform and improved our delivery logistics to meet the sudden surge in online shopping.

Example 1 – AI Integration: A recent situational innovation is our integration of AI into various aspects of our business. As we noticed the increasing importance of data-driven decision-making, we implemented AI-driven analytics to better understand customer preferences and optimize inventory management. This situational response to the growing availability and necessity of big data has allowed us to offer more personalized experiences to our customers and improve operational efficiency.

Example 2 – Another example is our response to the rising consumer demand for sustainable products. Recognizing this trend, we launched a line of eco-friendly footwear, made from recycled materials. As an organization, we also believe in working towards a future where sustainability is engrained in the organization. For example, our core sustainability initiative will help recycle a pair for every pair we sell.

7. As an organisation’s leader, how do you prepare your teams to navigate non-linear situations / decisions.

Navigating non-linear situations and decisions requires a combination of agility, expertise, and a supportive environment that fosters innovative thinking. At Metro Brands Ltd, we prepare our teams to handle these complexities through several key strategies:

Access to Experts: One of the fundamental ways we equip our teams is by providing them access to experts in multiple disciplines. This interdisciplinary approach ensures that our teams have a well-rounded perspective and can draw on a diverse set of skills and knowledge.

Consulting Groups: We also bring in experts from renowned consulting groups to offer specialized knowledge and fresh perspectives. These consultants work closely with our teams to address specific challenges, provide strategic guidance, and introduce innovative solutions. This collaboration not only helps in tackling immediate issues but also enhances the problem-solving capabilities of our teams in the long run.

8. Are there newer financial and/or operational metrics that your business is governed by today?

The advent of the digital era has revolutionized the way we operate and measure our business performance. At Metro Brands Ltd, we now have access to a wealth of data that allows us to develop more personalized solutions and utilize more accurate and timely metrics to govern our business.

9. What are the 3 most pivotal moments in your career that you learned from and/or that got you where you are today?

There have been several pivotal moments that have shaped my professional journey and contributed to where I am today. Three key moments stand out in particular:

• Moving to a Smaller Pond to Be a Bigger Fish: I made the strategic decision to move from a larger corporation to a smaller company where I could take on multi-departmental operational responsibilities. This expanded my scope of capabilities much faster than staying with the larger organization.
• Another pivotal moment was my decision to pursue an MBA in my late 30s. Going back to school at that stage in my career was challenging, but it was also incredibly rewarding. This decision underscored the importance of continuous learning and professional development, no matter where you are in your career.
• Moving from my home country to another country was also a pivotal moment that started to expand my horizons, both operationally and from an inter-personal relationship development standpoint.

10. What message would you like to share with young professionals?

My message to young professionals is to strive to grow beyond your area of expertise and embrace a multi-dimensional, cross-departmental approach to your career. In today’s dynamic and interconnected business environment, having a broad understanding of different functions and how they interrelate is invaluable. Equally, the ability to work with people from multiple disciplines will be a big differentiator in their growth path.

11. The cost of stability is often diminished opportunities for growth. Seeking out diverse experiences is useful preparation for leadership. True or false, and why?

True. Seeking out diverse experiences is indeed useful preparation for leadership, and my personal journey is a testament to this.

Having lived and worked in six different countries, I can confidently say that these diverse experiences have consistently prepared me for the next step in my career and have made me a better leader. Each country and role presented unique challenges and opportunities, which broadened my perspective and enhanced my ability to adapt and thrive in various environments. While it comes with a lot of sacrifices from both my family and me, overall it is worth the ride.