Board-Level Retail & Business Strategy | Founder & Lead Advisor
Mukesh Gajra
Founder & Lead AdvisorGlobal Retail Executive · Ex-VP Reliance Retail · Ex-President, TBZ, PMJ · Ex-COO, Gitanjali (APAC)
Mukesh Gajra is a retail and business operations executive with 25+ years scaling Fortune 500 retail ecosystems and engineering financial turnarounds for legacy brands. He authored India's first ISO 9001 Retail Manual, led India's first JDA Retail ERP implementation, scaled Reliance Retail's non-apparel network across 450+ stores, and engineered a 150% PAT expansion at TBZ Ltd. He founded LaWI to make this level of operating experience directly bookable for business owners who don't have board-level access to it.
450+
Stores under commercial P&L ownership (Reliance Retail)
150%
PAT expansion engineered at TBZ Ltd. in under 3 years
49 → 74
Reliance Jewels stores scaled in an 8-month window
16 → 48
International doors across 18 cities (Gitanjali/Giantti, APAC)
₹100 Cr+
Primary sales via FOFO franchise model in under 10 months
4% → 15%
Category contribution growth at Reliance Trends/AJIO
Book a Session
For a specific question or a working conversation — same format and pricing as LaWI's other advisors. Best for a single decision, a second opinion, or an hour of focused advice.
Corporate & Board Advisory
For franchise networks, pre-IPO businesses, and multi-store chains needing sustained, higher-stakes engagement — financial turnarounds, board governance preparation, large-format expansion, or organisational transformation. Structured as a multi-session or retainer engagement, scoped individually.
About Mukesh
A "Strategy-to-Execution" retail and business leader with 25+ years bridging board-level profitability mandates with hands-on, multi-location retail operations across India and Asia Pacific. Track record includes scaling Fortune 500 ecosystems at Reliance Retail and engineering financial turnarounds for legacy brands including TBZ, Gitanjali, and PMJ Jewels.
As President – Retail Sales & Operations at TBZ Ltd., he was board-appointed to restructure a legacy 35-store network — engineering a 150% PAT expansion and 20%+ EBITDA improvement through strict financial governance and localised price-point architecture, while architecting an asset-light franchise (FOFO) expansion model that secured ₹100 Cr+ in primary sales in under 10 months. As VP – Buying, Merchandising & Operations at Reliance Retail (Trends & AJIO), he held complete commercial P&L ownership across 450+ physical stores and B2B/B2C digital platforms, growing category contribution from 4% to 15% through a redesigned 26-fortnight buying cycle and JIT vendor billing. Earlier, as VP – Retail Operations at Reliance Jewels, he scaled the national footprint from 49 to 74 stores in an 8-month window and shifted the category mix toward high-margin studded jewelry, driving a 30% surge in store profitability.
Internationally, as COO & Director at Gitanjali Lifestyle & Giantti, he scaled the brand's international footprint from 16 to 48 doors across 18 cities in Shanghai and across Asia Pacific, consolidating five legacy consumer brands into a single operational entity. He also founded Karatcraft, a bootstrapped D2C jewelry venture built on a zero-inventory digital model. Earlier in his career, at Globus Stores and Shoppers Stop, he authored India's first ISO 9001 Retail Manual and led the implementation of India's first JDA Retail ERP suite — both of which set national benchmarks still referenced in Indian retail operations today.
He holds an MBA from the University of Sheffield, UK, is a Certified Brain-Based Coach (NeuroLeadership Institute), and is pursuing the Directors Programme at the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) — board-level governance training he brings directly into advisory work with promoters and founders preparing for institutional investment or IPO.
What He Advises On
- Financial turnarounds — PAT/EBITDA recovery, cost governance, price-point architecture for underperforming retail networks
- Large-format store launch economics — CAPEX/EPC cost optimisation, Operating Break-Even Point engineering
- Asset-light and franchise (FOFO/COCO) expansion, structured to protect franchisee and promoter cash flow
- National and multi-store network scaling — cluster and pincode-level expansion analytics
- Omnichannel and B2B/B2C supply chain strategy, inventory velocity, and markdown reduction
- Retail technology and ERP transformation, BI/AI-driven inventory analytics
- Board and governance advisory for promoters and founders preparing for institutional investment or IPO
- Grassroots training and margin realisation — management development programmes and micro-learning for frontline retail teams
- International and cross-border retail expansion
Advisory Domains
Frequently Asked Questions
Credentials
- MBA, University of Sheffield, UK
- Certified Brain-Based Coach, NeuroLeadership Institute
- Pursuing Directors Programme, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA)
Career Track Record
- VP – Buying, Merchandising & Operations, Reliance Retail (Trends & AJIO)
- President – Retail Sales & Operations, TBZ Ltd.
- COO & Director, Gitanjali Lifestyle & Giantti (APAC)
- VP – Retail Operations, Reliance Jewels
- Globus Stores & Shoppers Stop — ISO 9001 Retail Manual author
- Founder, Karatcraft (D2C jewelry, zero-inventory model)
Advisory Packages
Choose the engagement that fits your stage and goals