Bata India Limited has officially welcomed Sanjay Rao as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, marking a significant leadership transition for the nearly nine-decade-old footwear major.
Rao was designated Whole-time Director and CEO effective August 24, 2026, and will assume the Managing Director role from October 1, 2026, for a five-year term ending August 23, 2031. He succeeds Gunjan Shah, who is stepping down after completing his five-year tenure leading the business.
Rao joins Bata India from Nike, where he served as Senior Director for Nike Retail across France and the Benelux region. He also brings leadership experience from GUESS?, Inditex, The TJX Companies and Citi. Notably, before Nike, Rao spent several years with Inditex, where he played a pivotal role in establishing Zara’s business in India through its joint venture with the Tata Group.
Academically, Rao holds an MBA from INSEAD (France and Singapore), a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from TAPMI, India, and a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the National Institute of Engineering, Mysore.
In his own post announcing the move, Rao said, “Sharing with tremendous pride and pleasure that I’ve joined Bata India as CEO & Managing Director, after the exciting and sport-led years at Nike. Thank you Team Bata and partners for the warm welcome; and thanks Team Nike for the wonderful opportunities to lead & learn, and the cherished memories! The mission is simple yet challenging: One Bata X 1B+ Market X One Big Ambition – to put the consumers first.”
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With Rao now formally at the helm, attention turns to how quickly Bata India moves on its next chapter of growth and transformation in one of the world’s largest footwear markets.
