Grateful to have shared the stage at the Phygital Retail Convention 2026, Mumbai for an insightful session on “Inside the Engine Room: The Retail CXO Playbook.”

Last updated: 2026/05/21 at 4:55 PM

The City Max

A big thank you to our moderator Rohit Bhatiani for steering such a sharp, high-energy discussion and bringing together diverse perspectives from retail, fashion, hospitality, experiential brands, and consumer businesses.

It was inspiring to hear how leaders across sectors are navigating India’s fast-paced, ever-evolving marketplace — where scale, speed, consumer expectations, technology, and execution are constantly redefining the rules of the game.

My sincere thanks to all the esteemed panelists:
Abhishek Raj – Lacoste
Gopa Kumar – Bhima Jewels
Lakhbir Singh – Killer
Lavish Soni – Rare Rabbit
Mohit Dhanjal – Metro Brands
Sumit Suneja – 91Brands
Tarandeep Singh Sekhon – KidZania

Each perspective reinforced one reality — India is no longer just a market; it is a dynamic, living bazaar where brands must continuously adapt, innovate, and execute with precision.

One key thought I shared during the panel:

“Retail is nothing but detail.”

And honestly, hospitality operates exactly the same way. The only difference is that our product is service and food. Retail powers hospitality through sourcing, supply chains, technology, infrastructure, fashion, equipment, and consumer products — while hospitality, in return, fuels the larger ecosystem through employment, demand generation, tourism, entertainment, and consumption.

If hospitality pauses even for a single day, the ripple effect is felt across multiple industries — including retail, IT, logistics, travel, manufacturing, and beyond.

We also discussed how AI is reshaping businesses.
In hospitality, I believe AI should stand for:

Actionable Adaptive Intelligence.

Because data alone means nothing unless it is acted upon at the fastest possible speed. In today’s business environment, speed of decision-making is what protects the bottom line.

Hospitality and retail are no longer separate industries — they are interconnected experiences driven by consumer behaviour, technology, and operational agility.

Thank you once again to the organisers, fellow speakers, and audience for making this such a meaningful exchange of ideas.