S4E1: How A CEO Built Puma, Left It & Raised 600 Cr Seed To Build Puma’s Biggest Threat From India

In our first ever episode in front of a live audience, Shantanu and Abhishek - both IIM Lucknow alumni - visited their beloved campus to shoot this special Barbershop conversation in front of a curious and welcoming student audience. Abhishek is a storied CEO, joining Puma on day 1 in India in 2004 and then leading it to be bigger than Nike and Adidas combined! He then left to found Agilitas - a wildly courageous move with a 600 Cr seed round to acquire India’s largest shoe making factory. This episode explores his experience as an operator and new entrepreneur, the risk of leaving a cushy CEO job, the market, how to attract talent, Virat, brand building, his bullishness on India and of course how being a back bencher at IIML did not derail his career. We hope you love this conversation. Navigate your way through this conversation: 00:00 Coming Up 01:41 Introduction: Reflections on IIM Lucknow 02:46 Building a Career from Humble Beginnings 06:53 The Journey of Puma: From Startup to Market Leader 23:24 The Birth of Agilitas 29:56 Building Brands for the Future 41:55 How to pitch to Investors 46:06 The Evolution of Sportswear 52:25 Team Dynamics and Company Culture 01:04:18 Futuristic Products that Agilitas is building 01:09:11 Marketing Challenges then v/s now 01:11:49 BSC: Quick Commerce v/s Retail Market 01:14:02 Business Model of Agilitas 01:15:35 Authenticity in Brand Communication 01:19:35 Creating a Thriving Company Culture 01:24:53 Opportunities in Sports Infrastructure 01:27:38 Sustainability in Business Practices 01:35:18 Challenges for Indigenous Brands in India 01:45:35 Navigating Stress and Entrepreneurship 01:49:24 Learning from Role Models 01:54:45 Manufacturing in India vs. Global Competition 01:59:24 Consulting as a Career Path 02:03:10 Competing with Established Brands