Better Buying Institute is delighted to announce the appointment of Anant Ahuja to its Board of Directors.
Ahuja is Head of Organizational Development at Shahi Exports, the largest apparel manufacturing company in India, operating over 50 factories and three processing mills across nine states. He is also the CEO and Co-Founder of the Good Business Lab, a not-for-profit labor innovation organization established to encourage businesses to improve workers’ lives. The Good Business Lab utilizes robust research methods to find common ground between worker wellbeing and sustainable business interests.
Ahuja joins fellow Board members Nina Smith, founding Chief Executive of GoodWeave International; Dr. Peter Cheng, Co-founder and Chairman of Hanbo Group; Tom Rausch, Global Lead, Agrostart – BASF, and Michael Gilson, CEO and Founder of Cormac Advisors.
Dr. Marsha Dickson, President and Co-Founder of Better Buying Institute, says: “Anant has a deep understanding of the challenges suppliers face in their business relationships with brands and retailers. He also has a track record of implementing new approaches to address workplace and business opportunities. With this valuable background, Anant will be helping us explore how Better Buying’s work can add even more value to both buyers and suppliers as they collaborate around new practices and ways of working together.”
Anant Ahuja says: “Better BuyingTM has led the way in measuring and raising awareness of the state of purchasing practices by driving transparency, and this is an exciting time to be joining the Board.”
“There is growing awareness and acceptance in the industry that purchasing practices have a massive impact on workers’ wellbeing, environmental sustainability, and innovation. Buyers are significantly more open to working with suppliers to understand the pain points and develop win-win partnerships, and suppliers are increasingly aware of the knowledge and influence they hold in driving a sustainable future for the fashion industry. But there’s still a long way to go in rebalancing the power dynamics between buyers and suppliers. The time for the industry to come together and act on purchasing practices is now.”
The Better Buying Partnership IndexTM is open for supplier ratings from today. To complete the survey, click here. The Index acts as a quick status update on the quality of buyer-supplier partnerships, enabling year-round monitoring and analysis of emerging issues and trends, and potential problem areas. It’s completely anonymous, and takes just 5 minutes for a supplier to rate each of its customers (by clicking on this link). Shahi is encouraging all suppliers to take part, and for brands and retailers to share it with their suppliers so they can start rating their purchasing practices.
About Shahi Exports
Shahi was established in 1974 by Mrs. Sarla Ahuja, who started her journey as a sewing machine operator in a local factory. She eventually left her job to start a small home-based operation. Since then, the family-owned company has grown to become India’s largest apparel manufacturer and exporter. Shahi has three fabric processing mills and over 50 state-of-the-art apparel manufacturing facilities across seven states in India, with a diverse workforce of over 115,000 people. Vertically integrated operations, a diversified product range, and a strong commitment to ethical operations and environmental sustainability have established Shahi as one of the most preferred apparel manufacturers in the world. Read More
