Gymkhana Fine Foods has strengthened its senior leadership team with three experienced hires, as the upmarket Indian sauces challenger gets set for further retail launches this year and a push into international markets.
Deepa Bulsara joins as marketing director, while Nihal Haria-Shah comes in as finance director and David Furze as operations director.
It follows the appointment of former Oatly UK boss Ishen Paran as MD in March to work alongside CEO and co-founder Gulrez Arora.
The business – developed by two-Michelin-star Indian restaurant Gymkhana – has expanded rapidly in its first 12 months, landing listings for its range of premium cooking sauces, marinades and chutneys in Whole Foods Market, Ocado and Selfridges, as well as a concession in the Harrods Food Hall.
“Deepa, Nihal and David’s experience and deep passion for the category will be invaluable to help shape the growth of the brand both nationally and internationally,” Paran said.
Bulsara brings more than 15 years’ fmcg experience and has worked for major retailers including Sainsbury’s and Argos, as well as leading strategic growth and brand marketing for scale-ups such as Soap & Glory, FitFlop and Kiddylicious. Most recently she spent two years at fast-growing meat alternatives brand This.
Haria-Shah qualified as an accountant with EY, starting his career in the firm’s SME audit practice before moving to the likes of United Biscuits and fresh produce supplier BerryWorld. He also spent almost two years with healthier snacking start-up Misfits, playing a central role in the brand’s pivot from e-commerce to omni-channel, and was heavily involved in its entry into the US retail market.
Furze spent almost seven years in various supply chain roles at Red Bull before moving to challenger brand Mallow & Marsh as head of operations and then Mars.
Gymkhana Fine Foods is co-founded by Arora, a former Mars director, and Gymkhana owner JKS Restaurants. The business secured £2.5m in a seed funding round last year to support its expansion plans.
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