Consumer brand platform 91Brands has bolstered its leadership team with the appointment of Sumit S Suneja as Founding Member and Director – Growth & Partnerships, as the company sharpens its focus on scaling operations, building alliances and expanding across multiple channels.
Suneja joins 91Brands after more than 16 years at Bestseller India, where he held several senior leadership roles and played a key role in expanding and institutionalising some of India’s most prominent international fashion brands.
At 91Brands, he will be responsible for shaping the company’s expansion strategy, with a mandate covering strategic alliances, channel development and brand partnerships. His role will involve forging collaborations to position 91Brands before relevant consumer segments, scaling its presence across digital and physical marketplaces, and unlocking synergies across its portfolio of brands.
The company said Suneja’s track record in building long-term partnerships and scalable growth models would be critical to strengthening its ability to make global brands more accessible within India’s lifestyle and retail ecosystem.
Suneja most recently served as Chief Expansion Officer and Head – International Markets at Bestseller India from 2021 to 2025, where he led large-scale expansion initiatives, international market development and franchise-led growth. In that role, he worked closely with landlords, partners and brand teams to deepen Bestseller’s footprint both in India and overseas.
Before that, he spent nearly 12 years as Head – Business Development & Franchise at Bestseller India, where he was instrumental in building the company’s franchise ecosystem, driving store roll-outs, negotiating strategic partnerships and enabling sustained expansion across formats and geographies.
Founded by Vineet Gautam, 91Brands positions itself as a platform aimed at bringing leading global retail and fashion brands closer to Indian consumers, in line with the country’s shift from value-led consumption to more premium, aspiration-driven lifestyles.
Announcing the appointment, Gautam highlighted the strategic importance of adding a seasoned operator at this stage of the company’s growth. He said Suneja had consistently demonstrated an ability to scale complex businesses while maintaining a strong focus on strategic partnerships, and added that his understanding of both current market dynamics and future trends made him well suited to support 91Brands’ expansion ambitions.
