Bengaluru: Licious, India’s first D2C unicorn, announced the appointment of Kiran Karthik Pandian as Vice President – Category. With the new appointment, the country’s largest tech-first fresh meats and seafood brand will focus on amplifying growth and profitability as it enters the next phase of evolution.
A seasoned leader in e-commerce category management, Kiran brings more than 12 years of rich experience, having managed a wide range of categories including home & kitchen, large appliances, automotive and more, across both B2C and B2B marketplaces.
Prior to joining Licious, Kiran led a portfolio of durable product categories at Udaan, where he drove initiatives around building brand aligned and private brand businesses from scratch. An alumnus of IIM Bangalore and Madras Institute of Technology, Kiran has previously managed multiple categories across his various stints with GSK Consumer Health, Flipkart, and Cloudtail among others. Kiran is passionate about building strong teams through a culture of high empowerment and capability building.
Commenting on Licious’ latest leadership hire, Prashant Verma, CRO, Licious, said, “We are delighted to have Kiran on board with us. As Licious embarks on the next phase of growth, we are confident that his rich experience in e-commerce category management will help us chart a new path to success. We look forward to working with Kiran to continue to champion the category transformation and raise the bar as a market and category leader in the evolving protein-based food space in India.”
Kiran Karthik Pandian, VP – Category, Licious, stated, “I am elated to join Licious, a brand that is at an inflection point in its growth journey. As the prime disruptor in the fresh meat and seafood space and India’s first D2C Unicorn, Licious provides me with a great opportunity to grow and innovate the category through a combination of product, platform, and service. I am excited to join this journey of building India’s most loved consumer brand, in a category that I’m personally passionate about as a consumer.”
Apart from his penchant for internet businesses, Kiran is an avid sports and fitness enthusiast. Kiran also has a keen interest in the startup ecosystem, advising and mentoring start-ups in the D2C and e-commerce space.
