Skip to main content
C
CorpDigest
Search

Fabindia

Artisanal Lifestyle RetailFounded 1960
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

Fabindia: CEO History

4 leaders · 1960 to present

Who is the CEO of Fabindia?

Rajeshwari Srinivasan is the CEO of Fabindia, in the role since 2023. The first chief executive was Viney Singh, from 2016.

Current CEO
Rajeshwari Srinivasan (since 2023)
First CEO
Viney Singh (2016)
Leaders documented
4
Founded
1960
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Rajeshwari SrinivasanChief Executive Officer2023Present3
Viney SinghManaging Director & CEO201620237
William BissellManaging Director (now Chairman)1999201819
John BissellFounder1960199838
Who was CEO of Fabindia before Rajeshwari Srinivasan?
Viney Singh was CEO of Fabindia from 2016 to 2023, before Rajeshwari Srinivasan took over in 2023.

Company Overview

Fabindia is an Indian retailer of ethnic wear and artisan-made goods, based in New Delhi. Before Fabindia, buying authentic hand-woven clothing usually meant searching local markets or knowing a weaver. The company built a national chain of stores that sells the work of more than 50,000 rural artisans, including block-printed kurtas and hand-loomed sarees. The company is headquartered in New Delhi, India.

Fabindia works directly with tens of thousands of rural artisans across India. It gives them design direction, quality control and guaranteed purchase orders, then sells their hand-crafted goods in its stores at a premium. Its range covers apparel, home decor, organic food and personal care, linking rural craft with urban shoppers.

Rajeshwari Srinivasan

Chief Executive Officer

2023 – Present

3 years (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

Focused on refreshing Fabindia's range for younger customers with contemporary forms that keep the brand's craft DNA, and on omnichannel retail.

Legacy

Appointed CEO effective April 2023 after 30+ years in FMCG, retail, luxury and hospitality, including roles as a Tata Administrative Services officer at Rallis India, Tata Consumer, Indian Hotels and Titan Company. She is an IIFT alumna and Chevening Scholar.

Source →

Viney Singh

Managing Director & CEO

2016 – 2023

7 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Led the company through the 2021 pandemic loss, the FY22 recovery and the 2022 IPO filing.

Legacy

Served seven years as managing director and CEO before retiring in April 2023; he stayed on the board as a non-executive director.

Source →

William Bissell

Managing Director (now Chairman)

1999 – 2018

19 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Built the domestic retail chain, introduced artisan-shareholding supply-region companies, and expanded into organic food and personal care.

Legacy

Took charge in the 1990s after his father's stroke and became managing director in 1999, a role he held until 2018. He turned Fabindia from an exporter into a national retailer and remains chairman.

Source →

John Bissell

Founder

1960 – 1998

38 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Founded Fabindia as a handloom furnishings exporter in 1960 and opened its first Indian retail store in 1976.

Legacy

An American who came to India with the Ford Foundation, he started Fabindia from two rooms in Golf Links, New Delhi, exporting handloom home furnishings. He suffered a stroke in 1993 and died in 1998.

Source →

Challenges & Strategic Context

Fabindia faces sharper competition from organized ethnic brands (Manyavar, W, Biba, Tata's Taneira, Aditya Birla's Jaypore and Reliance's Avantra) and from fast-fashion chains selling cheaper printed kurtas. A January 2024 Economic Times report described it as under pressure from trendier and cheaper rivals. Other challenges include scaling handmade production without long lead times, high store rents in metros, reliance on garments for three-quarters of sales, and the 2021 backlash over its "Jashn-e-Riwaaz" Diwali campaign, which it withdrew.

Fabindia CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is the CEO of Fabindia?

Rajeshwari Srinivasan has been Fabindia's chief executive officer since April 2023.

What is Rajeshwari Srinivasan's background?

She has 30+ years in FMCG, retail, luxury and hospitality, including Tata Administrative Services roles at Rallis India, Tata Consumer, Indian Hotels and Titan Company. She studied at IIFT and is a Chevening Scholar.

Who was Fabindia's CEO before Rajeshwari Srinivasan?

Viney Singh was managing director and CEO for seven years until April 2023. He retired from the role and stayed on the board as a non-executive director.

Who is the chairman of Fabindia?

William Nanda Bissell, son of founder John Bissell, is chairman. He was managing director from 1999 until 2018.

Who led Fabindia first?

Founder John Bissell ran Fabindia from 1960 until a stroke in 1993; he died in 1998.

Who runs Fabindia?

William Bissell (John Bissell's son) took over the company in the 1990s and engineered its massive pivot from a wholesale exporter into an aggressive domestic retail giant. The company is now run by professional CEOs, but the Bissell family retains massive strategic control over the brand.

Related Companies

Walmart Inc.Target Corporation

Compare Fabindia Leadership With Competitors

Fabindia vs Walmart Inc. Leadership →Overview
Fabindia vs Target Corporation Leadership →Overview

Related Leadership Timelines

Compare executive leadership tenures and strategic transitions

Competitor

Walmart Inc.

View Leadership Timelines
Competitor

Target Corporation

View Leadership Timelines
Competitor

Tata Group

View Leadership Timelines
Competitor

Reliance

View Leadership Timelines
Competitor

Raymond

View Leadership Timelines
Competitor

Myntra

View Leadership Timelines

Explore Fabindia

Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.

Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.