Retail behemoth Marks & Spencer(M&S) India has announced the appointment of Ritesh Mishra as Managing Director for Marks & Spencer Reliance India Pvt Ltd. He was previously in the role of Head of Operations & Property.

The latest move comes after the retail bigwigs said in the statement that James Munson would be assuming the role of M&S International Retail Director. He will be based in the UK.

Taking over from Munson, Mishra would be tasked with overseeing accelerated growth of M&S across India, steering from the India support office in Gurgaon, Haryana. He would continue to report to Munson.   

"In his new role, Ritesh will be responsible for leading and accelerating the growth and success of our India operations. With his strong leadership, M&S will continue to remain the consumer-focused retailer that we are, always keeping customers at the heart of everything we do," James Munson commented on the appointment.

Mishra has been leading the India business for the past five years including steering the british retail chain to a 50% increase in the number of stores, which currently stands at 91 stores in 34 cities across the country.

For the uninitiated, M&S had signed a joint venture agreement with Reliance Retail to form Marks & Spencer Reliance India Pvt Ltd in April 2008. As per the deal, the British firm would have majority holding with a 51% share, and Reliance Retail with the remaining 49% share.

M&S said in the statement that Mishra's appointment signifies the company's "values that encourage building skills and expertise within the business to nurture future growth and promote internal talent".

On his new role, Ritesh Mishra said, "I have been entrusted with leading the business I love and have spent 11 years of my career working with. I am confident that we remain on track with our mission of becoming the No. 1 International retailer in the country. Under my leadership, we will continue to focus on growing our omni-channel business in India.”