Business Head Garment Manufacturing (Exports) at Ankit India
Reporting To : Managing Director
Location : Noida
Role Purpose
The Business Head is a senior leadership role designed for a large-scale, globally competitive Indian garment export organisation. The role is positioned to attract a market-facing, commercially sharp leader capable of operating at scale with Tier-1 global buyers, while also building focused, high-margin businesses where strategically appropriate.
The Business Head will be responsible for driving sustainable and profitable business growth for Ankit India's garment export operations, with a sharp focus on international markets (UK, Europe, USA). This role combines strategic leadership, business development, client ownership, and execution governance, and will play a critical role in shaping the company's medium- to long-term growth trajectory.
The role will also form the basis for defining annual Key Result Areas (KRAs) and performance-linked outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Leadership & Business Growth
- Define and execute the overall business growth strategy aligned with Ankit India's vision and capacity.
- Drive top-line and bottom-line performance, ensuring healthy margins despite pricing and cost pressures.
- Identify and develop new markets, buyer segments, and long-term growth opportunities.
- Prepare annual business plans, revenue forecasts, and growth roadmaps.
- Build long-term strategic partnerships with key buyers for predictable and sustainable order flow.
2. International Business Development & Client Management
- Lead business development across UK, European, and other relevant export markets.
- Build, deepen, and manage relationships with international buyers, buying houses, and fashion brands.
- Ensure year-round business generation to maintain optimal factory utilisation.
- Represent Ankit India at international trade fairs, exhibitions, and buyer meetings.
- Strengthen buyer confidence through consistent performance on quality, delivery, and compliance.
3. Commercial Excellence & Negotiation
- Own pricing strategy, FOB negotiations, and order profitability.
- Negotiate price, volumes, delivery timelines, and product mix to optimise contribution margins.
- Ensure strong control on costing, margins, and commercial risk management.
- Track competitor activity, market pricing trends, and buyer expectations to stay competitive.
4. Production, Quality & Delivery Oversight
- Work closely with production, merchandising, and planning teams to ensure on-time and in-full delivery.
- Ensure optimal production planning, capacity utilisation, and minimal wastage.
- Oversee quality benchmarks in line with buyer requirements (AQL, testing protocols, audits).
- Act as the business owner for resolving delivery, quality, or execution escalations.
5. Product Development & Market Alignment
- Collaborate with design and product development teams to guide collections aligned to market trends.
- Provide market intelligence on fabrics, silhouettes, finishes, and price points.
- Enable faster turnaround on sampling, buyer briefs, and seasonal collections.
- Encourage innovation in fabrics, value addition, and sustainable product offerings.
6. People Leadership & Culture Building
- Lead and mentor senior teams across merchandising, production, QA, and business development.
- Build a high-performance, accountability-driven culture.
- Support capability building of mid-level leaders and succession planning.
- Act as a unifying leader across functions to ensure alignment between sales and execution.
7. Compliance, Governance & Sustainability
- Ensure adherence to all statutory, labour, and export compliance requirements.
- Oversee buyer-led social and technical audits (BSCI, SEDEX, WRAP, etc.).
- Support sustainability initiatives, certifications, and responsible manufacturing practices.
- Safeguard the company's reputation with buyers and regulatory bodies.
8. Technology, Systems & Modernisation
- Champion adoption of ERP systems, digital tools, and process automation.
- Improve visibility across order tracking, costing, production planning, and delivery.
- Encourage data-driven decision-making across business functions.
Key Result Areas (KRAs)
- Revenue growth and profitability
- Year-round order book stability and factory utilisation
- Buyer acquisition, retention, and wallet share growth
- Contribution margin and cost control
- On-time delivery and quality performance
- Team capability development and leadership effectiveness
- Compliance scores and audit outcomes
- Product innovation and speed-to-market
Key Skills & Competencies
- Proven ability to operate at scale within large, export-led garment manufacturing environments
- Strong international business development and senior buyer relationship ownership
- Deep commercial acumen across FOB negotiations, margins, and capacity-led pricing
- End-to-end understanding of garment manufacturing, merchandising, and execution
- Ability to balance aggressive growth with delivery, quality, and compliance discipline
- Strong leadership presence with credibility across buyers and internal teams
- Strategic thinking combined with hands-on execution orientation
- Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills
- Analytical mindset with strategic planning capability
- Excellent communication and presentation skills
Qualification & Experience
- Graduate / Postgraduate in Textile, Fashion, or Business Management
- 1020 years of experience in garment exports / international business
- Minimum 5 years in a senior leadership or business head role
- Proven track record with international fashion brands
- Experience across woven and knit categories preferred
Desired Leadership Traits
- Strategic and entrepreneurial mindset
- Results-driven with strong ownership
- Market-savvy with buyer-centric thinking
- Calm decision-maker under pressure
- Collaborative leader with high integrity
Interview Expectation (Initial Round)
Candidates may be requested to share a brief business overview covering:
- Markets and geographies handled
- Buyer profiles and key accounts
- Revenue responsibility and growth plans
- Product categories managed
- Compliance exposure
- Average FOB per style
- Contribution margins