Having led the growth and transformation of Celio India for 8 years, Satyen Momaya has resigned as CEO. His time was one of dramatic scale-up—Celio France’s menswear brand grew threefold, increased its reach, and instilled a performance- and inclusive culture. During his tenure, Celio India emerged as the fastest-growing market for the company and doubled the growth rate versus the overall men’s apparel industry.
Instead of hiring a new CEO, Celio is moving to a dual-leadership model. François Gomez, Celio’s International Zonal Director, will leave France to assume the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) for India. On the ground, Manoj Bathija, Head of Sales & Operations and a veteran Celio executive, will oversee day-to-day operations and local partnerships. Former Flying Machine CEO Nidhi Raj will be joining Celio India as Chief Brand Officer. Nidhi is now entrusted with the full spectrum of product, design, marketing and brand strategy as the CBO. Apart from his tenure at Flying Machine, he has served as Product Director for Peter England and as Creative Director at Aditya Birla Fashion Retail Ltd. (ABFRL).
Looking back on his experience in a LinkedIn post, Momaya called the journey “immensely rewarding,” citing the business turnaround, brand building, and team culture defined by his “Execute without Excuse” philosophy. He thanked his teams in India and France, as well as Celio’s partners.
Coming to the company in 2017, Momaya had more than 28 years of experience in apparel, telecom, and consumer durables behind him. At Celio, he preceded Levi Strauss & Co. as Retail Director for close to a decade.
The growth story of Celio India under Momaya has been impressive. From 180 points of sale in 2017, consisting of 31 exclusive stores, the brand now has 75 standalone stores in 34 cities and has more than 700 points of sale in 200 cities through malls, shop-in-shops, multi-brand outlets, online marketplaces, and its D2C website. Revenue increased from Rs. 121 crore (US $14.56 million) in FY ’22 to Rs. 152 crore (US $18.29 million) in FY ’23, and estimates put it at more than Rs. 170 crore (US $20.46 million) in FY ’24. Profitability followed this growth along with improved cost controls and digital integration.
Strategically, Momaya led a number of initiatives—ranging from adopting AI for intelligent product allocation to introducing a new store format with enhanced navigation and visual merchandising. He also deepened Celio’s digital footprint, with online sales rising at a 35% CAGR and the D2C channel moving in-house in 2025 in order to grow customer engagement.
Culturally, Celio India thrived under his leadership. The company was named among the top 10 retail workplaces three times in one year and fostered a merit-based environment that reduced attrition and boosted employee morale.
While his departure closes a defining chapter, the new leadership structure—blending global oversight with strong local execution—signals Celio’s continued commitment to agility and growth in one of its most promising markets.
