About - The Client
- The company is one of India’s most prestigious and scaled homegrown footwear enterprises, recognised as the No. 1 Indian brand in the sports and athleisure segment by both value and volume, commanding a dominant 17% share in the market. As a publicly listed organisation, it ranks among the top 5 footwear companies in India by market capitalisation. It is globally positioned as the 22nd-largest footwear company in the world, placing it firmly among the industry’s elite.
Challenges
- This engagement was more about change management through people.
- The company needed leaders who could balance operational excellence with business scale.
- Senior leaders from other industries were risk-averse about entering footwear. Candidates feared career stagnation if the transition failed.
- The company wanted leaders who could not just simply manage but could also drive change.
- The objective was not replacement hiring, but culture building through leadership.
Objective
- Bring leadership talent from adjacent sectors to strengthen operational and commercial excellence.
- Introduce modern manufacturing culture and leadership practices.
- Build a leadership layer capable of scaling the company into a global Indian brand.
- Use leadership hiring as a tool for long-term organizational transformation.
Veda’s Approach
Industry Education over Role Selling
Positioned the mandate as a long-term career platform, highlighting India's fast-growing footwear market and the chance to build a global Indian brand — reducing risk perception and boosting commitment.
Vision-Led Candidate Engagement
Shifted conversations from transactional hiring to purpose, framing the role as an opportunity to build operations, drive change, and create lasting impact.
Leadership Capability before Domain Expertise
Prioritised mindset and change leadership over domain expertise, focusing on leaders who can scale teams, structure operations, and thrive in ambiguity for sustained transformation.
EXECUTION
- Senior leaders were mapped across manufacturing, industrial, and operations led sectors to support the professionalisation and scaling of a high growth Indian brand. Leaders with strong experience in operations, manufacturing transformation, and business scale were identified and onboarded, strengthening the organisation’s operational leadership bench and enabling leadership-driven organisational change.
IMPACT
- The engagement introduced structured leadership into the ecosystem and helped modernise the client’s plant culture and operational mindset. By de-risking leadership transitions in a non-traditional industry, this enabled the company to build stronger operational foundations and position itself for long-term manufacturing scale and global ambition.
Why This Matters for Indian MSMEs
- Most Indian MSMEs struggle due to leadership and culture gaps. This case study demonstrates how:
- Strategic hiring can drive cultural change.
- Industry education unlocks senior talent.
- Leadership forms the foundation for MSMEs pursuing global brand journeys.
