Driving Luxury Retail, Multi-Brand Operations, Travel Retail, and International Business Growth
Valiram has appointed Kunal Kapoor as Chief Operations Officer, marking a significant new chapter in the career of a seasoned retail and consumer-business leader with more than two decades of experience across luxury, fashion, beauty, travel retail, and international brand management.
Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Kapoor brings extensive experience managing multi-brand retail portfolios, country-level operations, P&L performance, geographic expansion, customer experience, brand development, and cross-functional teams across some of the world’s most recognized consumer and luxury brands.
His career spans leadership positions at Valiram, Nykaa, Landmark Group, and Rivoli Group, with professional experience across Malaysia, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and India.
His appointment as Chief Operations Officer represents a natural progression from a career built around retail excellence, operational efficiency, commercial performance, and international expansion.
A New Leadership Chapter at Valiram
Kapoor began his latest role as Chief Operations Officer at Valiram in August 2026, based in Kuala Lumpur.
The appointment builds on his previous experience within Valiram, where he held senior leadership responsibilities across country operations and travel retail.
As COO, Kapoor enters a role that brings together many of the capabilities he has developed throughout his career–including retail operations, commercial management, brand building, geographic expansion, customer experience, and cross-functional leadership.
His understanding of multiple consumer categories and international markets provides a broad perspective as Valiram continues to operate and develop a diverse portfolio of global brands.
Leading Nykaa’s Beauty Retail Business
Immediately before returning to Valiram in his new executive capacity, Kapoor served as Senior Vice President & Business Head – Beauty Retail at Nykaa from April 2025 to August 2026.
Based in Mumbai, he was responsible for leading Nykaa’s retail business across India, overseeing its brick-and-mortar expansion and strengthening its presence across multiple consumer segments.
Under his leadership, Nykaa expanded its physical retail footprint across 100 cities with more than 260 standalone multi-brand stores.
His responsibilities included managing both Luxe and On Trend formats across malls and prominent high-street locations.
This role reflected the increasing importance of an integrated omnichannel strategy in beauty retail, where digital engagement is complemented by physical stores that provide consumers with discovery, consultation, experience, and access to premium brands.
Launching New Retail Concepts
One of Kapoor’s notable responsibilities at Nykaa was the launch of Nykaa Perfumery as a standalone store concept.
The initiative expanded Nykaa’s physical retail proposition while creating a dedicated environment for fragrance discovery and consumer engagement.
Kapoor also led Nykaa’s entry into the exclusive brand outlet (EBO) space, supporting the launch of standalone stores for Kiehl’s and Charlotte Tilbury, including Charlotte Tilbury’s first standalone stores in Southeast Asia.
These initiatives demonstrate his ability to translate brand strategy into physical retail formats and execute new concepts within highly competitive consumer categories.
Building Partnerships with Global Beauty Brands
At Nykaa, Kapoor worked closely with leading global beauty companies and brands, including Chanel, Estée Lauder, L’Oréal, and SK-II, across categories such as fragrances, skincare, and makeup.
He also worked to strengthen the presence of House of Nykaa brands.
This experience expanded his leadership exposure beyond traditional retail operations into brand partnerships, portfolio development, consumer strategy, and premium beauty.
It also added a new dimension to a career that had previously focused heavily on fashion, footwear, luxury, and travel retail.
Returning to Valiram
Kapoor’s appointment as Chief Operations Officer represents a return to Valiram, an organization where he previously spent more than five years in senior leadership positions.
His earlier Valiram career included serving as Country Head for Indonesia across several major international brands and General Manager – Travel Retail.
This familiarity with the organization, combined with his experience gained at Nykaa, positions him to bring both institutional knowledge and fresh perspectives to his new leadership mandate.
Country Head – Indonesia
From October 2020 to April 2025, Kapoor served as Country Head – Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, Michael Kors, Ferragamo & MLB at Valiram in Jakarta.
In this role, he managed the Indonesia businesses of several globally recognized brands.
His responsibilities extended across both topline and bottom-line performance, as well as geographic expansion of brand footprints.
Unlike some of his earlier positions, which focused more heavily on product and retail management, the Country Head role required Kapoor to lead cross-functional teams across the country, giving him broader exposure to overall business operations.
This experience strengthened his capabilities in P&L management, operational leadership, commercial strategy, market expansion, and organizational development.
Expanding Across Travel Retail
Kapoor also served as General Manager – Travel Retail at Valiram, managing the group’s travel retail business.
The role represented a major expansion of his category experience.
After approximately 15 years in fashion footwear and luxury retail, he entered a much broader environment involving categories such as:
- Perfumes and cosmetics
- Food and beverages
- Chocolates and confectionery
- Sunglasses
- Audio and sound accessories
- Luggage
- Costume jewellery
He also managed relationships with internationally recognized brands including Chanel, Dior, Estée Lauder, Jo Malone, Bose, JBL, Sony, Ray-Ban, Oakley, Samsonite, Ferrero, Mars, Mondelez, and Godiva.
The breadth of this portfolio required an understanding of diverse consumer behaviors, category economics, supplier relationships, brand positioning, and retail execution across multiple geographies.
Developing International Retail Leadership at Landmark Group
Before joining Valiram, Kapoor spent more than eight years with Landmark Group in Dubai.
He served as Division Head – Footwear Brands from July 2016 to November 2019.
His portfolio included brands such as Steve Madden, Ecco, Kurt Geiger, Pablosky, Carpisa, Kazar, and others.
His mandate was centered around three interconnected priorities:
Building strong brands. Building strong teams. Building a best-in-class product offering.
These priorities were tied directly to business outcomes including profitability, sales, margins, inventory management, stock covers, ageing, and operational standards.
This role strengthened Kapoor’s understanding of how product, people, brand strategy, and operational execution must work together to create profitable retail businesses.
Managing Multiple Markets and Brands
Earlier at Landmark Group, Kapoor served as Senior Brand Manager – Ecco, Carpisa & Left Shoe Company.
As Senior Brand Manager for Ecco, he managed operations across UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.
He also managed additional brands, including Carpisa, Nose, and Left Shoe Company, during his tenure.
This experience established a strong foundation in regional brand management and provided exposure to different consumer markets across the Gulf region.
Working across several countries also strengthened his capabilities in market adaptation, operational consistency, stakeholder management, and brand execution.
Building Luxury Brand Expertise at Rivoli Group
Kapoor began his career in luxury retail leadership with Rivoli Group, where he served as Brand Manager – Vertu, Alfred Dunhill & JM Weston from May 2005 to February 2011 in Dubai.
The role provided extensive exposure to luxury products and premium consumer experiences.
His portfolio included Alfred Dunhill, Vertu, and JM Weston, spanning categories such as luxury communications, cufflinks, leather bags and accessories, writing instruments, menswear, luxury footwear, and bespoke footwear.
This early experience established his foundation in premium retail, brand management, merchandising, customer experience, and luxury positioning.
A Career Across Retail Categories
One of the distinguishing characteristics of Kapoor’s professional journey is the breadth of categories he has managed.
His experience has evolved across:
Luxury Retail → Fashion Footwear → International Brand Management → Travel Retail → Beauty → Multi-Brand Retail → Country Operations → Enterprise Operations
This progression has given him a multidimensional view of retail.
Rather than specializing in a single category, Kapoor has repeatedly moved into environments requiring him to learn new consumer segments, business models, operating structures, and product categories.
That adaptability has become an important element of his leadership profile.
From Brand Management to Enterprise Operations
Kapoor’s career illustrates a steady transition from managing individual brands to overseeing broader businesses.
At Rivoli Group, his focus was primarily on luxury brand management.
At Landmark Group, his responsibilities expanded to regional and divisional brand leadership.
At Valiram, he moved into travel retail and subsequently country-level leadership, taking responsibility for multiple brands and cross-functional operations.
At Nykaa, he led a major beauty retail business across India, overseeing large-scale physical retail expansion and new store concepts.
Now, as Chief Operations Officer at Valiram, his career moves into an enterprise-level operational leadership phase.
Leadership Through Commercial and Operational Excellence
Across his roles, Kapoor has maintained a strong focus on the relationship between commercial performance and operational execution.
Retail growth requires more than increasing store numbers. It depends on effective inventory management, customer experience, team capabilities, brand partnerships, product assortment, store productivity, and profitability.
His experience across luxury, footwear, beauty, travel retail, and country operations has provided exposure to these interconnected areas.
This combination of commercial and operational thinking is particularly relevant to a COO role, where sustainable growth depends on execution across multiple functions.
Understanding the Future of Physical Retail
Kapoor’s experience at Nykaa provides an important perspective on the evolution of physical retail.
The expansion of Nykaa’s brick-and-mortar network across 100 cities and more than 260 standalone multi-brand stores demonstrates how digital-first consumer businesses can develop extensive physical ecosystems.
The launch of Nykaa Perfumery and standalone stores for Kiehl’s and Charlotte Tilbury further highlights the growing role of experiential retail.
For modern consumers, stores increasingly serve as spaces for discovery, engagement, education, personalization, and brand storytelling.
Kapoor’s experience in developing these formats adds valuable expertise to his broader retail leadership portfolio.
International Perspective as a Leadership Advantage
Kapoor’s career has taken him across multiple major consumer markets, including Dubai, Jakarta, Mumbai, and Kuala Lumpur.
His international exposure has involved managing brands across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and India.
This geographical diversity has helped him develop an understanding of how global brands can maintain consistent positioning while adapting their strategies to local consumers and market dynamics.
For an international retail group such as Valiram, this perspective can be particularly valuable.
A Leadership Journey Built on Adaptability
Kapoor’s career is defined not only by seniority but by his willingness to take on increasingly complex challenges.
He moved from luxury brand management into fashion footwear, then into travel retail, country leadership, and beauty retail.
Each transition required him to learn new categories while applying a consistent foundation of commercial discipline, operational efficiency, relationship management, and team leadership.
His latest appointment reflects this long-term progression.
Looking Ahead at Valiram
As Chief Operations Officer at Valiram, Kunal Kapoor begins a new chapter with a broad understanding of international retail and consumer businesses.
His previous experience at Valiram gives him knowledge of the organization’s operations, while his subsequent tenure at Nykaa adds expertise in large-scale beauty retail, physical expansion, experiential formats, and premium brand partnerships.
Together, these experiences create a strong platform for his current leadership responsibilities.
As retail continues to evolve through changing consumer expectations, omnichannel models, experiential stores, technology, and increasingly sophisticated brand partnerships, operational leaders will play a central role in translating strategy into sustainable business performance.
Kapoor’s diverse experience positions him to contribute to that evolution.
A Career Shaped by Building Brands and Businesses
From managing luxury brands at Rivoli Group to leading footwear divisions at Landmark Group, expanding travel retail and country operations at Valiram, and scaling physical beauty retail at Nykaa, Kapoor has consistently worked at the intersection of brands, consumers, people, and business performance.
His career demonstrates how deep category expertise can evolve into broader operational leadership.
Now, as Chief Operations Officer at Valiram, he brings this accumulated experience to an enterprise leadership role focused on execution, operational excellence, and sustainable growth.
CXO Gateway Perspective
CXO Gateway recognizes leaders whose professional journeys demonstrate adaptability, international experience, business transformation, and sustained leadership growth.
Kunal Kapoor’s progression from luxury brand management to Chief Operations Officer at Valiram reflects more than two decades of experience across some of the world’s most dynamic retail markets and consumer categories.
His ability to manage global brands, build teams, oversee country-level businesses, expand physical retail networks, develop new store concepts, and drive commercial performance highlights a leadership philosophy grounded in operational excellence, customer-centricity, and profitable growth.
His appointment as COO marks another significant milestone in a career defined by the ability to transform opportunities into scalable retail businesses.