Navin Gurnaney set to join Reliance Brands

New Delhi: Reliance Brands Ltd., that retails a wide portfolio of fashion brands in the country has appointed Starbucks India head Navin Gurnaney as CEO— foods for a new food and hospitality venture the retailer is set to establish.

Gurnaney took to LinkedIn to announce the development on Monday. He is set to join Reliance Brands starting 1st May after stepping down from his role at Starbucks.

“I’m excited to report that on May 1st, I'll begin a new journey! CEO, Reliance Brands-Food, best way to describe it. Reliance is about to launch a business with a diverse portfolio of very unique concepts…” Gurnaney said in his post.

A spokesperson for Reliance Brands confirmed the development. Gurnaney will report to Darshan Mehta—president and chief executive officer, Reliance Brands Limited (RBL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited.

The new venture is likely to comprise of a varied portfolio of food retail and hospitality concepts.

Reliance Brands Limited operates brands such as Diesel, Superdry, Diesel, Giorgio Armani, Hamleys, Steve Madden, among several other foreign brands in India. In all it retails over 40 brands in the country

Last week Tata Starbucks announced the appointment of Sushant Dash as the coffee chain’s new chief executive officer in India effective 1st May.

Dash will replace Gurnaney who is set to leave the coffee chain on 30th April. The company then said Gurnaney was stepping down to pursue an opportunity outside Tata Starbucks.