According to those with knowledge of the matter, Darshan Mehta, the former Managing Director & CEO of Reliance Brands Ltd (RBL), who revolutionized Reliance’s luxury and lifestyle retail division, passed away on Wednesday.
A heart attack claimed the life of Mr. Mehta, 64, a passionate mid-distance runner and Himalayan trekker.
Prior to taking on a mentoring role as a non-executive director in November of last year, he served as managing director of RBL.
Leading international brands including Valentino, Balenciaga, Tiffany & Co., Ermenegildo Zegna, Giorgio Armani, Bottega Veneta, Jimmy Choo, Burberry, and Pottery Barn were introduced to the Indian market by Mr. Mehta, who joined Reliance in 2007 to launch RBL.
In addition, RBL introduced a number of Indian designers to the world of fashion by collaborating with them, including as Rahul Mishra, Manish Malhotra, and Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla.
RBL currently operates in the apparel retail sector and has a portfolio of more than 60 top international brands.
Additionally, at RBL, Mr. Mehta introduced Jio World Drive and Jio World Plaza, two retail centers owned by the Reliance Group in Mumbai that have revolutionized luxury shopping in India.
Additionally, he played a key role in Reliance’s 2019 acquisition of the UK-based toy company Hamleys.
Mr. Mehta began his career with PwC India and is a chartered accountant by profession.
He later spent more than 20 years with the Lalbhai Group. Prior to taking over as CEO of Arvind Brands Ltd., he held executive positions at Grey Advertising, which was a part of the Lalbhai group before being acquired by WPP, Anagram Stock Broking, and finally, he developed a small portfolio of mainstream license brands into a strong portfolio of global fashion partnerships.
