Varun Singh Parihar

Founded Kinoku and led end-to-end product, furniture, and brand design. Built a bespoke solid wood furniture brand offering made-to-order solutions for household and hospitality sectors. Managed multi-cultural, cross-functional teams across India, Europe, China, and Hong Kong; developed product and market strategies to strengthen top-line growth and optimized processes to improve bottom-line performance. Devised expansion strategies to target untapped segments in response to evolving consumer needs post-Covid. Led a first-of-its-kind business strategy for a Hong Kong client focusing on B2C marketing to introduce a new vertical. Implemented lean material-management practices with data-driven demand forecasting and end-to-end vendor management & contract negotiations.

Led design strategy and cross-functional project leadership (marketing, sales, R&D, sourcing) to identify white-space opportunities and drive revenue across multiple FMCG verticals. Re-engineered the industrial design process, collaborated with vendors, and developed new tools and finishes for product innovation across India, Indonesia, and China. Spearheaded the development of first-of-its-kind portfolio products (e.g., Godrej Aer Matic) and contributed to interior design initiatives, including Godrej One HQ installations. Drove lean experimentation and iterative cycles to deliver cost-effective product development.

Introduced concept of merging technology with craft to generate new business opportunities. Proposed and prototyped an out-of-the-box collection by substituting traditional Ivory Tusks with DuPont Corian to preserve craft essence while delivering modern solutions; collaborated with ivory-tusk artisans to adapt techniques to new materials and perspectives, enabling community uplift and potential project pitches across the craft sector.