Bata India Names Jasleen Kaur as Head of Marketing

Bata India Limited promoted Jasleen Kaur G to Head of Marketing, placing her in charge of consumer positioning across its national store network.

The promotion hands Kaur direct control of flagship identity and sub-brand positioning across labels including Hush Puppies, Scholl, Bubble Gummers, Nine West, Power, Floatz and North Star. She took over the footwear retailer’s category marketing and public relations in October 2024 before stepping into the top marketing position.

Portfolio Oversight Across Sub-Brands

Managing the marketing operations requires balancing Bata’s legacy mass-market reputation against higher-margin labels. Kaur steps into the executive marketing post after directing marketing and public relations across the Indian subcontinent for Benetton Group, where she spent more than seven years covering India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

Her retail background also includes a role as Assistant Vice President for Marketing at Reliance Brands Limited. In that post, she managed public relations and marketing programs for international lifestyle franchises including Hugo Boss, Mothercare and Hamleys.

The Premium Footwear Challenge

Footwear retailers in India face intense pressure from regional casualwear disruptors and aggressive athletic footwear operators alongside global sportswear names. Bata has relied on expanding premium licensing partnerships like Nine West and modernizing lines like Hush Puppies to lift margins above budget leather baselines.

Entrusting multiple consumer segments to an executive with experience at Reliance Brands points to a clear mandate: defend market share at entry price points while accelerating the transition toward mall-based premium shoppers. The risk sits in retail execution across tier-2 and tier-3 franchisees, where legacy customer perception frequently resists premium pricing pushes.

Career Trajectory and Academic Credentials

Kaur started her career in journalism before shifting into corporate brand management and digital marketing at Canon India and India Infrastructure Publishing. In early 2023, she founded Indiawood Global, an entrepreneurial venture she ran prior to joining Bata’s category marketing team.

Her academic background includes an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Delhi College of Arts and Commerce between 2006 and 2009, followed by a master’s degree from Jamia Millia Islamia. She completed brand management and digital marketing management training at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, executive education in sustainable development at Columbia University, and an MBA in marketing and strategy from the Management Development Institute.

Investors and retail operators will monitor how Kaur reshapes promotional spending and product visibility for the Power and Hush Puppies franchises during the upcoming spring-summer selling season.