Reliance Retail appoints Sandeep Karwa as Ajio CEO amid digital fashion push

Reliance Retail has appointed Sandeep Karwa as Chief Executive Officer of Ajio, marking a significant leadership transition as the company intensifies its push into digital fashion commerce and fast delivery services.

The move also expands the responsibilities of outgoing Ajio CEO Vineeth Nair, who will now oversee a broader mandate across Reliance Retail’s fashion and lifestyle business.

Karwa will lead Ajio, Shein India and the company’s wider online fashion and lifestyle portfolio as Reliance Retail sharpens its focus on scaling its digital and omni-channel ecosystem.

Leadership change comes amid rising competition

The appointment comes at a time when competition in India’s online fashion market is intensifying, with major players including Myntra, Nykaa Fashion and Tata CLiQ continuing to expand investments across digital retail and fulfilment infrastructure.

Reliance Retail has been strengthening Ajio’s delivery network and digital commerce operations as consumer demand shifts towards faster fulfilment and app-driven fashion purchases.

Nair, who has spent nearly a decade with Ajio, played a central role in building the platform into one of Reliance Retail’s key fashion businesses. His new role is expected to focus on the wider fashion and lifestyle portfolio across the group.

Karwa brings deep e-commerce and operations experience

Karwa joins Reliance Retail from South Korean e-commerce company Coupang, where he led Taiwan operations spanning business, product, engineering, finance, supply chain and human resources functions.

Before that, he spent more than a decade at Flipkart, holding several senior leadership roles, including:

• Vice President of Flipkart Ads
• Business Head for Fashion
• Leadership positions across Flipkart Quick and wholesale operations
• Oversight of product categories including smartphones and appliances

His experience also includes board roles at Walmart India, Wildcraft India and Arvind Youth Brands.

The appointment signals Reliance Retail’s growing emphasis on technology-led retail operations and integrated commerce platforms.

Ajio expands delivery and fast-fashion operations

Ajio has emerged as a major pillar within Reliance Retail’s fashion business as the company expands its digital infrastructure and fulfilment network.

According to Storyboard18, the platform expanded its four-hour delivery service, Ajio Rush, to more than 600 cities during FY26. Next-day delivery capabilities were also extended across 26 major markets.

The company has simultaneously deepened its partnership with Shein India, with the app reportedly surpassing 11 million downloads and adding nearly 1,000 new styles daily.

Key business highlights include:

• Ajio Rush expanded to 600+ cities
• Next-day delivery scaled across 26 markets
• Shein India crossed 11 million downloads
• Nearly 1,000 new fashion styles onboarded daily

Reliance Retail deepens digital commerce strategy

Reliance Retail’s broader growth strategy remains centred on integrating technology, logistics and omni-channel retail operations across its businesses.

The company reported gross revenues of Rs 3.7 lakh crore in FY26 and crossed the milestone of 20,000 stores nationwide, reinforcing its scale across physical and digital retail channels.

The leadership transition at Ajio underscores Reliance Retail’s intent to strengthen its competitive position in India’s rapidly evolving online fashion market, where speed, assortment and digital engagement are becoming increasingly critical growth drivers.