Kult, the AI-driven beauty and personal care platform, has appointed Rishi Patnaik as its Chief Business Officer (CBO), effective October 14, 2025. With over two decades of experience in retail, e-commerce, and omnichannel strategy, Rishi will spearhead Kult’s business growth, brand strategy, and market expansion initiatives as the company scales its presence in India’s fast-evolving beauty and personal care sector.
Rishi brings a proven track record of driving business transformation across some of India’s leading online and offline retail brands. Prior to joining Kult, he held senior leadership roles at Nykaa Fashion, Jabong, and Noon, where he led large-scale business development, digital transformation, and category growth initiatives.
At Nykaa Fashion, Rishi served as Senior Vice President, overseeing e-commerce strategy and brand management. He led high-impact projects, including the launch of Revolve Store under a B2B2C model with international fulfillment in India, and spearheaded online debuts of Footlocker.in and Footlocker Exclusive. He also led the acquisition and onboarding of the fast-fashion brand Cider for India.
During his tenure at Noon, he successfully grew the softlines category by 25% and doubled the Beauty, Personal Care & Fragrance segment within 18 months. At Jabong, Rishi helped the platform achieve market leadership in fashion within a similar timeframe, introducing multiple international brands to the Indian online retail market for the first time and developing private and licensee labels with strong bottom-line impact.
Rishi has also forged strategic partnerships with leading global brands such as Adidas, PVH, Mango, Bestseller, Coty, L’Oréal, Clinique, and Puma, while collaborating with major marketplaces like Flipkart, Myntra, and Trendyol to expand brand reach and sales.
Speaking about his new role, Rishi Patnaik said,
“KULT is not merely a brand, it’s a fresh ‘Cult’ within the beauty and personal care space. It’s where innovation and technology meet and intersect with an in-depth knowledge of what consumers truly desire today. I think the Indian beauty e-commerce market is poised for change, and KULT’s AI-driven app is driving that change, making beauty discovery intelligent, personalized, and intuitive like never before. Through smart curation, recommendation based on data, and an easy-to-use interface, KULT is revolutionizing the way humans interact with beauty. This dedication, coupled with the team’s enthusiasm and accuracy, will assist KULT in forging a niche of its own. I feel very privileged to be a part of this amazing journey guided by our inspirational CEO, Karishma.”
Karishma Singh, CEO of Kult E-commerce, welcomed Rishi to the leadership team, stating,
“I’m thrilled to welcome Rishi to Kult. He can zoom out on vision and zoom in on the details that ship. With a record of building consumer loved businesses and the operational rigor to scale them, he will turn a great product into a category defining company.”
With this leadership addition, Kult aims to accelerate its growth trajectory, strengthen its market positioning, and continue pioneering AI-driven personalization in the beauty e-commerce landscape.
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