Sandeep Kataria is the Global Chief Executive Officer at Bata, a renowned footwear fashion brand. With a career spanning over three decades, Sandeep has held various leadership positions across different industries, demonstrating his versatility and expertise.

Before joining Bata, Sandeep served as the President of Bata India Limited, where he played a pivotal role in driving growth and innovation. Prior to his tenure at Bata, he held key positions at Vodafone and Yum! Brands, where he served as the Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Marketing Officer, respectively. His experience also includes leadership roles at Pizza Hut UK & Europe, where he served as the General Manager.

Sandeep has been passionate about responsible and innovative business models throughout his career. He believes in positively impacting communities and empowering individuals for personal and professional growth. With a deep commitment to Bata’s purpose and values, Sandeep leads a global team of over 35,000 colleagues who share his passion for the footwear fashion industry. He believes in respecting diverse cultures and embracing inclusivity as essential elements of successful business operations.

Recently, during his official visit to Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sandeep Kataria spoke with Bangladesh Brand Forum about his experience in leadership roles, vision for the company and sustainable and innovative approaches of Bata. 

BBF: Can you share your experience of stepping into the role of Global CEO during the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Sandeep Kataria: It was a unique challenge with unique circumstances. I was lucky to have dealt with Bata for several years before having the chance to travel to some of the markets. However, during that time, it was not the ideal way to start because I could not travel for almost a year to most of my markets. But then technology came to the rescue here. We all became very adept at video calling. I always believe you are only as good as your team. So, it becomes even more important to be able to work through the team and make sure you have the right people in the right places in your most critical markets. As Bata, we were very lucky to have a lot of very experienced people who have been with us for several years. 

Four years in time, how would you like to reflect on the journey from the difficult time to now?
Sandeep Kataria: I think it’s been a very exciting journey and a huge learning experience. Even if you have worked elsewhere, every market teaches you something. Bata is very privileged. We have always been a global company with a multilocal presence rather than a multinational one. This is true not only in Bangladesh but also in any of our other markets- Indonesia to the East, India, or Peru. You’ll get pretty much the same answer. That is a big strength for the team because they can make innovations that are in line with customer needs, whether it’s the weather or the pricing, the style or the cultural requirements. 

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the corporate world. How does Bata incorporate sustainability into its operations and products?
Sandeep Kataria: We clearly see sustainability as a responsibility for us. We believe that we need to be part of the local communities. If you go back several years ago, the founder’s philosophy was “live, work,play” in the same place. So we always build up communities before we build up the factories so that our employees can live with us. We also build up schooling, education, and leisure. So, as an important part of our community, our role has been to ensure that the community stays around us. Bata don’t stand at the table and make bold statements. We believe we should start and do the measure as we go along. So, the joy of having establishments and factories in so many places is that we can pick good learnings and good experiences from each company and take it forward. For example, Australia leads us in recycling. They have a way for most public multi-brand outlets to collect back shoes that the consumers have used. So, 50% of the raw material is made from shoes that we have collected back. In other places, we are looking at how we can reuse things like ocean plastics in our shoes. Our range of shoes uses many raw materials taken from the oceans. There are shoes for the cappuccino range, and we use coffee pods as raw material.

Is there any plan to implement any such innovative initiatives in Bangladesh?
Sandeep Kataria: Well, the technology is always being shared to inspire all operating companies and take these practices across. Whether that’s raw materials or technology, some of these are either already in or very soon will be in Bangladesh. The coffee bean one is soon coming to Bangladesh.

What is your vision about Bangladesh as a growing market for Bata?
Sandeep Kataria: As you said, it is a growing market. It’s already in the top 10 markets for us globally, and we look forward to continuing to grow rapidly with Bangladesh. 

In what ways has social media influenced consumer behaviours in the footwear industry, and how does Bata adapt its strategies accordingly?
Sandeep Kataria: I think the important part is how you approach media today. It is not about just using the Period Box for everybody. We need to get much more adapted. The team here has done a fantastic job by using social media, reaching out to our consumers, using influencers, and using this related content to draw consumers. 

The digital platform is one of our main media strategies that we strictly maintain throughout the year. Meta is one of the key drivers of brand awareness. It is important to be aware that consumers are exposed to many other brands. Yes, when we have big campaigns, we go 360 degrees with bigger launches or bigger campaigns, just like Eid.

How do you stay relevant and contemporary throughout the year and bring news about your new arrivals to the customers? Yes’ they’ll be able to see them in the store, but how do you bring it in front of their eyes? Social media is one of the key platforms for doing that. We are continuously working on it and trying to create engaging content. It is just not about putting it out for the consumers to see. They need to engage with the content as well. So, that is something the Bata team is continuously working on. If you look at our recent content development, visuals, and creatives, I’m sure you’ll see a drastic difference happening there. In the coming years, you’ll also see that continuing. We aim to remain consistent in the future. Consistency is one of our key mantras.   

As the CEO of Bata Group, what do you envision for Bata’s future both in terms of business growth and its impact on society and the environment?

Sandeep Kataria: The idea is to grow and reach the consumers wherever they are.