Srikanth Rao

Efficient and strategic Senior level Professional with 24 plus years of experience in optimizing business processes and driving operational excellence. Proven track record of improving efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing productivity at companies Such as Shoppers & Flipkart Adept at leading cross-functional teams and implementing process improvements. Seeking to leverage my expertise to drive operational success at Future Group & Cosmos.

Motivating leader with proven success managing cross-functional teams in career with handful of experience in FMCG / Retail / E commerce / Supply Chain & Warehouse

Deputy General Manager Retail & E Commerce - Today's Basket-Unit of ALPL

• Own full P&L for retail stores and e-commerce; set annual operating plans, margin targets, and cost lines; deliver revenue, EBITDA and cash-flow goals.
• Translate board/leadership objectives into quarterly execution roadmaps with clear milestones and owners.
• Define category architecture, range depth/width, and pricing ladders across online and offline channels.
• Lead vendor negotiations, buying cycles, and trade terms (sell-in, rebates, MDF, return policies); optimize GM% and GMROI.
• Drive private-label/house-brand strategy for margin accretion.
• Build true O2O journeys: BOPIS/Click-&-Collect, Reserve-in-Store, endless aisle, ship-from-store, and unified returns.
• Implement a consistent CX framework (NPS, CSAT, CES) across touchpoints—store, website, app, and service centres.
• Own site/app conversion funnel (traffic → PDP views → add-to-cart → checkout → payment success).
• Prioritize CRO initiatives (search & navigation, PDP content, reviews/UGC, bundles, upsell/cross-sell, checkout UX).
• Coordinate with product/engineering on roadmap: site speed, search relevance, personalization, and accessibility.
• Set full-funnel growth plans (brand, performance, CRM, marketplaces); manage CAC and payback windows by channel.
• Orchestrate lifecycle/retention programs: onboarding, replenishment, churn-win back, and high-value/VIP tiers.
• Lead seasonal and event calendars (festivals, HNY, EOSS, Payday)—pricing, offers, and inventory alignment.
• Drive store productivity: footfall, ATV/AOV, UPT, conversion, and staff productivity; implement gold-standard VM and SOPs.
• Ensure service quality for attachments (warranties, installations), repairs, and post-sales experience.
• Set demand plans and safety stocks; improve inventory turns and fill-rates; reduce slow/non-moving stock.
• Optimize last-mile (own fleet/3PL), delivery SLAs, and reverse logistics costs; implement ship-from-store and dark stores where viable.
• Enforce discount/credit controls, fraud prevention, and audit readiness across channels.
• Ensure statutory compliance (taxes, invoicing, data privacy, consumer protection) with zero tolerance for breaches.
• Build a high-performing org: hire, coach, and succession-plan across category, growth, ops, and store teams.
• Set clear KPIs, run weekly business reviews (WBRs), and reward outcomes and operating discipline.
• Champion a single view of customer, inventory, and orders; drive BI dashboards for daily decision-making.
• Adopt Plan to MarTech and RetailTech (CDP, marketing automation, OMS/WMS)

Director E Commerce - Torba Market - Doha, Qatar

(2024-04 - 2025-04)

• Partner closely with marketing groups and other relevant business units to drive the success of the ecommerce business
• Actively seek new ways to improve the head-to-toe ecommerce experience by evaluation of new solutions, customer communication tools, mobile solutions, and innovation opportunities etc.
• Evaluate and suggest ways to continue to improve logistics and reduce logistics expenses
• Be an advocate for the customer through execution of user centered design elements and processes
• Lead this department in executing Organic and Natural production processes, with high quality, on time and on budget
• Partner with Merchants and Programming to understand the Sales Programming Calendar, purchase order deadlines, and the processes necessary to deliver Rue's Sales Boutiques to the website
• Exceptional problem solver who finds ways to make the impossible possible
• Determine and manage the department budget, key performance indicators and process metrics
• Drive process improvement and innovate to improve throughput, quality, and units per hour

Chief Operating Officer Retail - Shoppers - Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania East Africa

(2022-11 - 2024-04)

Transformed operations in Tanzania, achieving a 20% increase in revenue within the first year through strategic business development and expansion of supermarket chains.

• Directed and enhanced merchandising strategies, resulting in a 15% improvement in product visibility and sales.
• Implemented rigorous quality and audit protocols, leading to a 30% reduction in product defects and customer complaints, enhancing overall brand reputation and customer satisfaction.

Manager - Business Operations E Commerce - Flipkart - Bangalore, India

(2016-03 - 2022-11)

• Grew brandanded and Non branded organic traffic by 75% by site optimization by PR/Link building campaigns, Manage SEO strategy & campaigns to improve user base and brand awareness.
• Implemented e-content strategy as well as conducted ongoing online catalog audit & identified areas of improvement and proposed corrective action plan enhancing overall workflow by 25%
• Managed & Implemented strategic site redesign to engage new users and improve brand messagings and improve conversion resulting 22% AOV, 9% visit duration increase
• Oversaw site analytics & testing driving growth for ecommerce & service delivery KPI
• Spearheaded the integration of shipstation with existing ecommerce platform reducing order processing time by 4 hours
• Upgraded the company CRM system to SRMS to improve data accuracy and streamline customer communication process
• Tapped into overhives real time inventory tracking to maintain 98% accuracy rate at multiple warehouses to reduce overstock by 27% and stock outs by 34% YOY
• Negotiated favorable shipping rates with Transports reduced shipping cost by 4% saving $ 5380 per month
• Integrated signified to analyze and reduce fraudulent orders by 36% saving the company $1254 potential loss for company
• Improved service metrics by rigorous collaboration with cross functional team from SLA 67% to 96 % YOY with ever highest NPS 97

Regional Deputy Manager - Retail Operations - Future Group - Bangalore, India

(2007-07 - 2016-03)

• Exceeded annual sales forecast by INR3000CR with YOY growth of 9%
• Managed entire South Region fostering a culture of customer excellence which increased customer retention rate by 28%
• Boosted in store sales by 18% through the implementation of strategic merchandising and dynamic sales campaigns
• Oversee daily operations including inventory management resulting in 10% reduction in waste through improved ordering practices
• Analyzed sales data including P&L statements, to compose region budget that cut cost by 22%
• Supported the store manager to improve sales by giving timely support of required manpower and training skill programs
• Overhauled Inventory Management system reducing on hand inventory cost by 20% while ensuring 99% order accuracy across multiple SKUs
• Managed Retail & Ecommerce order processing resulting in a 15% YOY increase customer satisfaction rate
• Spearheaded the integration of CRM FOR EYE with WMS Logistics shipping systems, enhancing the tracking capabilities & reducing average shipping times by 25%
• Controlled Operations for 11 warehouses co-ordinating team of 78+ seamless daily activities

Operational Excellence Manager - Cosmos Granite & Tiles Pvt Ltd - Chennai

(2005-07 - 2007-06)

• Launched ERP systems that boosted operational efficiency and slashed $5000 from quarterly overhead cost
• Lead efforts to improve Business Operations across the organization with the goal of increasing efficiency, improving workflow, mitigating operational risk and eliminating non value added activities
• Analyze root causes, coordinates and communicates corrective and preventive actions
• Manages contracts for contractors and vendors for compliance
• Actively seeks out innovative Ideas within Industry for Benchmark
• Support projects and take ownership of initiatives to improve existing tools & deliverables with the goal in mind to enable an improved sell-in readiness for the markets via the key milestones considering Scope, Resources, Budget, Time