With a career spanning over two decades, Gopal has been instrumental in building and scaling some of the country’s most iconic retail brands including Shoppers Stop, Nykaa, and Tata CLiQ
India’s retail landscape is evolving at a breakneck pace, and few have shaped this transformation as deeply as Gopal Asthana, CEO of Tata CLiQ. With a career spanning over two decades, Gopal has been instrumental in building and scaling some of the country’s most iconic retail brands. From his formative years at Shoppers Stop, where he launched and nurtured hundreds of brands, to spearheading digital fashion at Nykaa, and now leading Tata CLiQ, a multi-category e-commerce platform, Gopal has consistently bridged the worlds of physical and digital retail with insight and innovation.
At the Phygital Retail Convention (PRC) 2025, Gopal will speak in two high-impact sessions:
- “Cracking the Code of Gen Z Retail Behaviour with Infinite Impatience”
- “Infinite Equilibrium: The CXO Blueprint for Growth Amid Chaos”
His insights promise to offer valuable foresight for retailers, entrepreneurs, and CXOs navigating the future of retail.
Steel City Roots and the Making of a Retail Leader
Born in the steel city of Bhilai, Gopal’s formative years were grounded in simplicity, discipline, and resilience. His academic path began with an engineering degree from Government Engineering College, Jabalpur. But even as he pursued technical studies, his curiosity leaned toward consumer behavior and systems thinking.
Years later, seeking to deepen his strategic capabilities, Gopal earned his PGPMAX from the Indian School of Business (ISB), a program designed for experienced executives, he is also a Financial Analyst by academics. This blend of a technical foundation and strategic business education would prove pivotal in his career.
Building the Bedrock at Shoppers Stop
Gopal began his retail journey at Shoppers Stop in 1998, a time when modern retail in India was still taking shape. Over a 20-year tenure, he became synonymous with the brand’s evolution and helped shape what Indian consumers now expect from department store experiences.
At Shoppers Stop, Gopal helped launch and scale hundreds of national and international brands. His foundational work in buying and merchandising laid the groundwork for a customer-first approach. He played a central role in building India’s premium beauty retail space, launching nearly 100 Estée Lauder group brand doors across India, an experience he credits as a turning point in learning the art of global luxury beauty retail.
He also brought fashion into new frontiers—literally—by launching innovative retail concepts at India’s busiest airports, including Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bangalore, tapping into a previously underexplored high-footfall retail environment.
By the time he exited Shoppers Stop as Executive Vice President, he had helped the brand become one of the most trusted and recognized names in Indian lifestyle retail.
Shaping Digital Fashion at Nykaa
In 2019, Gopal took on a new challenge as Chief Business Officer at Nykaa, just as the platform was accelerating its presence in fashion e-commerce. His mandate was to build Nykaa Fashion into a category-defining destination.
Under his leadership, Nykaa’s fashion vertical achieved rapid growth, not just in GMV and customer base, but in brand trust.
Leading Tata CLiQ: Driving sustainable growth and innovation
In 2023, Gopal stepped into his current role as CEO of Tata CLiQ. His mission: to establish the multi-category e-commerce platform as the one-stop online destination for fashion, luxury, and beauty.
Tata CLiQ’s fashion vertical, Tata CLiQ Fashion has over 4000 brands. With an extensive range of curated products and collections that cater to every style, occasion, and requirement. The platform also launched ‘The CLiQ Drip,’ a curated online space catering to Gen Z’s unique tastes and values, offering the latest trends to empower individual style.
The luxury vertical, Tata CLiQ Luxury, has over 1500 premium and luxury global and homegrown brands across categories. As India’s premier luxury lifestyle platform, it is a leader in the luxury e-commerce space in the country and has enabled the shift towards buying luxury online while also encouraging consumers to be mindful of their purchases.
Under his leadership, Tata CLiQ has achieved several milestone launches:
- Bvlgari’s first digital boutique in India on Tata CLiQ Luxury: A landmark launch seven months ago, it brought the Italian luxury brand’s timeless elegance to Indian consumers through a seamless online experience.
- GUESS JEANS launch in India: GUESS JEANS has partnered with Tata CLiQ for its launch in India. Through this long-term partnership, Tata CLiQ will expand GUESS JEANS’ retail presence in the country through physical stores and digital storefronts.
- The Collective on Tata CLiQ Luxury: In collaboration with ABFRL, Tata CLiQ Luxury now offers The Collective’s luxury brands on its platform.
- The Pre-Owned Timeless Icons on Tata CLiQ Luxury: The platform launched the pre-loved category that offers a curated range of vintage, limited-edition products in the watches and handbags category that are in high demand from the world’s most renowned luxury brands, reflecting a shift toward sustainable and circular luxury consumption.
- Launch of DECATHLON India: The latest initiatives under Gopal’s leadership is the onboarding of DECATHLON, one of the world’s leading multi-sports brands, onto Tata CLiQ Fashion, further highlighting the platform’s expanding diversity and strategic depth.
Each of these achievements reflects Gopal’s strong belief in collaborative leadership: “All this was possible only because of my team. Without them, I am nothing,” he says with characteristic humility.
With trading density and ROI steadily increasing, Tata CLiQ’s projections for FY 2025–26 remain ambitious: focusing on deeper market penetration, an expanded assortment with the launch of new brands and categories, and leveraging technology to offer a personalized, seamless online shopping experience.
Leadership That Balances Intuition and Strategy
What sets Gopal apart is his ability to straddle legacy retail and modern tech-led commerce with equal ease. He believes in long-term brand building, grounded partnerships, and customer-centric innovation.
His leadership philosophy? “Be curious. Stay humble. Build what lasts.”
As he steps onto the stage at PRC 2025, Gopal Asthana brings not just a résumé of remarkable achievements—but also the clarity, empathy, and vision needed to navigate retail’s next frontier.
