“We have engineered a brilliantly simple model that cannot be easily duplicated
by applying three guiding principles across our global organization:
1) Data fuels culturally inspired design;
2) Apply ruthless logic along the process; and
3) No compromises to elevate value at lower prices.
Together they are a powerful force of change.”
Entering a new era of innovation with an ambition to offer its popular Anko products to retail partners around the world Ian Bailey, Chairman, Anko Global (US$3.8 bn FY22/23), established Anko Global as the full-service provider to establish and manage the expansion strategy and operations of the new business unit. Ian appointed Arjun Puri, at CEO of Anko Global in May 2023, with the intent of overseeing the Anko Brand global partnership initiative.
Anko is the number one consumer general merchandise brand (including apparel, pets, toys and home decor) in Australia. This reputation is based on its sales success, profitable business model and customer ratings as the most trusted private product brand in the department store category.
Ian Bailey is the Chairman of Anko Global, the global product business of Kmart Group Australia. Ian was Managing Director of Kmart Australia from 2016 to March 2025. During Ian’s leadership of the business became one of Australia’s best performing retailers increasing revenue by 50 per cent and doubling profitability to close to A$1 Billion. The group comprises two of Australia’s most successful retail brands, Kmart and Target Australia and also Anko, the product business which is now being sold in more than 30 countries across the world.
Since joining Kmart in 2006, Ian has overseen its transformation, developing a strategic blueprint and operational architecture that has seen Kmart Group expand across Australia and New Zealand, as well as across key markets in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia through its Anko Global brand.
Kmart Group has transformed from a traditional discount store chain retailer to a unique end-to-end model from design right through to distribution, which enables the Group to produce products at incredibly low prices whilst maintaining the design, quality, and sustainability credentials of like products 2 or 3 times the price. This next stage of Ian’s career is to support the expansion of Anko in North America, Europe and Asia. Ian speaks publicly on leadership and retail. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard and holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.
Arjun was appointed CEO of Anko Global in 2023 and is responsible for spearheading Anko’s continued expansion into international markets.
Prior, Arjun was Director of KAS Group Asia from May 2011-July 2023 where he was responsible for driving the sourcing strategy for the Kmart Group Ltd. and managing the operations of the KGA Group in Asia. He was also responsible for overseeing the establishment of the group’s Global Capability Centre in Bangalore (Anko GCC), which is an innovation and technology services hub that operates as an extension of the Kmart Australia Group.
Arjun is a widely recognized and seasoned retail industry leader with rich experience of over 25 years in the industry. Over these years, his contributions have been instrumental in successfully shaping and executing the merchandising and sourcing strategies of leading retail organizations, both on the demand and the supply side. Prior, he was associated with Li & Fung, Direct Sourcing Group, Busana Apparel Group and Arvind Mills. Arjun is based in New Delhi, India.
Simon joined the Anko Global team in June 2024 as Head of Commercial, with responsibility for supporting the Business Development team in the delivery of new supply agreements and for leading broader commercial finance considerations for the Anko Global business.
Prior to Anko, Simon held several Senior Finance Investor Relations and Strategy roles within the Wesfarmers Group. From 2020-2024 he was Head of Investor Relations for Wesfarmers, leading the Group’s reporting and capital market engagements and partnering with Kmart and other divisions in the development of their strategy and disclosure material. Simon first joined Wesfarmers in the Corporate Development team in 2010/11 and worked on a range of major corporate transactions and strategy projects across the Group.
Jimmy, joined Anko Global in Jan 2025 as Head of Operations, responsible for Sourcing, Product Development, Quality Assurance and Production. In this role, he and his team work with suppliers across Asia to deliver on-trend products that meet customer compliance standards.
With over 20 years of experience in global sourcing and supply chain management, Jimmy brings a wealth of expertise to the operation and leadership team. Prior to joining Anko Global, he spent 14 years at French retail giant Auchan, followed by 7 years at IG Design Americas as Strategic Sourcing Director. Throughout his career, Jimmy has specialized in negotiation, supplier relationship management, purchasing strategy, and cost and value analysis.
An accomplished leader, Jimmy has successfully managed teams of 20-50 people, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture. Beyond operational excellence, he is passionate about coaching and mentoring, empowering team members to achieve both professional and personal growth. With a strategic mindset and a people-first approach, Jimmy continues to drive value and innovation in the ever-evolving global organization.
Mandy joined Anko Global in July 2023 after seven years of working for Kmart Group Ltd. as Head of Public Relations, Social Media and Events in both Corporate Affairs and Marketing Departments. Mandy’s PR strategy of branded storytelling within the social media community through in-person and digital experiences helped meet business goals while achieving deeper emotional customer relationships. During this period, Mandy also worked across Target Australia and was the Marketing and Corporate Affairs lead when Anko conducted a US market exploratory initiative.
Today, Kmart Australia is one of Australia’s leading influencer brands, achieving a social media reach of over 260 million organic content impressions annually as a result of initiatives she pioneered with her team.
Prior, Mandy spent 16 years in the entertainment industry, leading Public Relations for Australia's top film distributor. She collaborated with Academy award-winning filmmakers and studios where her expertise delivered brand lifetime value and record-breaking box office results.
A custodian for the customer, Mandy brings both practical and innovative solutions to her role. She is known for her collaborative leadership style, a creative ability to connect people and ideas, and robust social media expertise
Mark joined Anko Global in Jan 2025 as SVP Global Sales, focusing on expanding the Anko brand into international markets by developing strategic partnerships with key retailers and brands in North America and Europe.
With over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and general management across North America, Europe, and Asia pacific, Mark brings a wealth of expertise to the sales and leadership team. Prior to joining Anko Global, he spent the early part of his career working in Grocery with General Mills and ABF, followed by 13 years at Electronic Arts in various global executive roles. He then spent 4 years at ANKI (robotics start up) as CRO / COO followed by 4 years at Sonos as VP Global Retail. Throughout his career, Mark has specialised in delivering effective strategy development, building high performing organisations, and delivering strong business growth. He is extremely excited by the opportunity of applying this experience and expertise in building Anko to be a successful global brand.
Andy Walker joined the Kmart Group in 2022 where he held the position of Kmart Australia’s Home Business Manager. In January 2023 he moved into Anko Global as Business Development Manager where he is today responsible for Anko Global’s product strategy. In this role, he partners with our key B2B customers to understand the key opportunities to add value to their business, through end-to-end analysis of their merchandise strategy, customer demographic, competitive set, and global retail trends.
Andy brings nearly two decades of retail experience, marked by a genuine passion for products and a keen understanding of the customer. Prior to his role at Anko Global, Andy was the Head of Brands and Merchandise for Australian online beauty retailer, Adore Beauty, where he orchestrated the product strategy, spearheading the acquisition of new brands and pioneering the successful launch of Adore Beauty's private label brands.
Previously, Andy was the Global Head of Product at Cotton on Group where he played a crucial role in global product and trend direction and led global buying and product teams. Prior to this, Andy spent his time in home textiles working for market leading homewares wholesalers including Basford Brands and Mollers Homewares in New Zealand.
Rimal was appointed Head of UK & Europe for Anko Global in 2023, where he is responsible for developing strategic partnerships with major UK and European retailers.
Rimal has over 20 years retail leadership experience across major UK retailers, most recently as Retail Channels & Partnerships Director at Joules Group and a lifestyle apparel and home brand. In this role, he developed global partnerships with major retailers including Amazon, Target, M&S and Next.
Prior to this, Rimal spent nearly 10 years at Tesco, including driving the strategic transformation for general merchandise and also director for Tesco.com, where he was responsible for sales growth, profitability, operations development and customer experience. Rimal also led Group Strategy at The Very Group and drove new business opportunities for the John Lewis Partnership, after three years advising retail and consumer clients at PwC Strategy. Rimal is based in London, UK.
Lisa Autio-Gandhu joined Anko Global in April 2023 as the VP Strategic Account Manager for Canada responsible for building and maintaining solid business relationships with our strategic partners in Canada. In her role, she works directly with the retail partner to assess opportunities and ensure all key business requirements are being met and adjusted to grow the business profitably.
Prior to joining Anko Global, Lisa spent over 20 years leading various planning and merchandising roles within Hudson's Bay Company, a Canadian retail group. She was most recently the Vice President of Planning for all of Apparel where she drove a multitude of business strategies across numerous product categories while continuing to build strong, agile teams.
Lisa is an inspirational leader who strives to grow businesses by aligning customer needs to product opportunities while navigating the ever-changing retail landscape.
