Founder Member–Governing Body
The foundations of our organization was laid by late Mrs. Malik, a doyen of the Indian handicraft Industry. One of the earliest professionals in the trade. She Started Banaras House One of the First Buying House in India in 1960.
She was trained at Dodwell International, of the Inchcape Pacific Group, at Hong Kong in 1965. On her return to India, she started and headed McNeil & Magor Buying Agency; which is now part of Li & Fung (Trading) Hong Kong.
Mrs. Malik started Something Else with her daughter Mandira Malik a graduate from Parsons School of Design, Paris in 1988 with their combined experience, skills & expertise they created an agency that provides services combining International design and traditional Indian materials & skills to create products that reflect the life styles of global consumers.
Operating with as ISO 2000-9001 system we provide our clients a unique platform to inter face with factories geared for the ever changing global market, where they are assured of all International compliances,competitive sourcing of products as well as added value of the latest trends of the design world.
Our association works with 150 factories across India with a team of 40 Professionals specialised in Merchandising, logistics as well as Technicalexperts for quality control.
Mainly based in Delhi, we have satellite offices in Moradabad, Jaipur as well as Karur which facilitates our control over the entire production cycle with day to day monitoring.
General Secretary
Tanya Bhatia was born, brought up, and educated in the capital of New Delhi, a graduate from Delhi University,she went on to study International Business. During her internship years, she was offered her first job in a leading HK based multinational named William E Connor & Associates, as an Asst. Merchandiser. The journey from there to senior merchant provided her with a variety of great learning opportunities to grow as she was responsible for catering to the Decorative Accessory division of Pottery Barns, a leading retail chain in the United States.
The turn of the millennium saw Tanya married to her childhood friend and moved to Moradabad, the city of handcrafted metals, and although many thought it to be the end of a budding career, Tanya tackled motherhood, marriage and her career with a zeal like no other.
Not long after, in 2004, Tanya had the opportunity to venture with serendipity sourcing, and true to its name, Serendipity Sourcing was a fortunate discovery. With a vision of elevating India to a global front, Tanya remained consistent and transparent with her clients.
In 2012, Dymak, her customers at the time, decided to join hands and partner Tanya in their endeavor to establish a sourcing base in India. Tanya, currently, heads the sourcing operations for Dymak in India and has played a significant role in grabbing the attention of the world market towards India, thriving to emerge as a strong competition to her international counterparts.
Special Invitee
Chairman, ABAT
Born and raised in Tamilnadu, Elangovan Viswanathan completed B.Tech(Textiles) Anna University 1984.
B.Tech(Textiles) Anna University, 1984
Management Trainee-Reliance Industries, Ahmedabad. 1985-1987
Merchandise-C&A. 1987-1990
Managing Director-SNQS INTERNATIONALS PRIVATE LTD. 1990-Till now
Member of Executive Committee of FIEO, AEPC
Served in the SEDEX, UK, Board for Three years and also president of ABAT, Tirupur
Elangovan Viswanathan have been actively trading in the UK Market for the last 30 years with a current Turnover of 150 million US Dollars.
Patron-Apparels
Rohini Suri An astute and result oriented professional with decades of extensive experience in the areas of Top Management Buying, Sourcing, Product development, Vendor development, Client relationship & management.
A keen customer and product centric orientation with excellent communication skills & abilities in forgoing business partnership in global markets, lead cross functional teams & have established beneficial relationships in the industry.
Experienced in Buying, Sourcing/ Business Development/ Product Development/ Merchandising.joined JC Penny Indian operations in 1991 and became the first person to be trained in the US in auditing. Intiated “landed duty paid exports” from India to JCPenny 1800 stores. Has designed and run courses at NIFT in Merchandising and Export Management. Rohini has been advisor to Ministry of Textiles in forming their Exim policy. She also formed the first ever Association of Buying Agents in India and was instrumental in ensuring that buying agents benefited from tax free status of our service exports.
Rohini is currently involved in community work,raising funding, philanthropy for community projects and supporting environmental issues. Among other things Rohini also actively supports NGO’s that work with womens issues,cancer. Her vision is to being education and empowerment through art at a village level in Uttarakhand where she also spends time.
Institutional Member
Mr O P Prahladka, Chairman, Hitaishi Group and Lion India Group, is also current Chairman of EPCH. An Electrical & Electronic Engineer from BIT, Mesra is professionally trained in Production & Enterprise Management, in Product Design & Development and in its Packaging and in International Marketing of Precision Designed Craft Products for Home Décor & Gifts, for Music Instruments & Toys, for Fine Art Framing and for Small Furniture etc.
Mr Prahladka has been the prime mover in establishing NCDPD, IEML Ltd., JPDEPC, HCSSC, AJHEEI and the present EPCH organized International Trade Shows – IHGF, Delhi Fair, IFJAS & Home Expo etc.
His present Mission is to double the present Production and Export of Handicraft Products from India in next 3 to 5 years.
Institutional Member
Chairman at India Exposition Mart Limited (IEML)
Mr. Kumar conceptualized India’s first state of the art infrastructure for Exhibition and Mart at Greater Noida and currently holding the position of Chairman of the India Exposition Mart Limited popularly known as India Expo centre & Mart. He is also Chief Executive Officer of most premier Export Promotion Trade Organisation in India, having membership of more than 10,000 member exporters. To give an identity to the services of buying agents & buying houses, Mr. Kumar initiated and formed “The Buying Agents Association” on 14th July, 2016 and served as 1st Chairman of BAA of India. Mr. Kumar started world renowned Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair in 1994 which is visited by over 5,000 overseas volume business buyers for sourcing and about 2,750 exhibitors from all over India participate in the same. The fair is recognised as ‘World’s largest congregation of handicrafts exhibitors under one roof’ by Limca Book of World Records.
Member–Governing Body
Founder & Managing Director at WonkiiTusk (A Business Division of Hermes India InfraConsult Private Limited)
Vishal Naraiin Sinha was born in New Delhi. He did his schooling from the Welham Boys School in Dehradun and the Doon School. Subsequently, he completed his B.Com (H) from Delhi University.
Between 1987 and 2003, he alternated between running his own business and looking after the extensive holdings of his family. Vishaal started Hermes India as a proprietary concern in 2001, and entered the Buying Agency business in 2004. In 2011, Hermes India was converted into Hermes India Infraconsult Private Limited, and Wonkiitusk became its sourcing brand. Between 2004 and now, HIIPL and subsequently Wonkiitusk, has worked with small and large customers alike.
Patron In Chief
Christine E Rai, Founder & CEO of Indian Inc (Imtiara Consultants Pvt Ltd)
Born in Kerala to Scottish tea planter parents, Christine spent her early years in South India. She completed her school in Scotland and went to the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, and thereafter worked in London and Tokyo and has lived in India since 1986. She is married to Aman Rai, a Civil Engineer and has two daughters.
Christine founded Indian Inc in November 1993 and it has grown with a very strong client-service focus that lays equal importance on product development as well as timely shipping and quality control. Indian Inc has its head office in Delhi and they have a network of field offices across India. Their outreach now includes Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Treasurer
I belong to Delhi and studied Accounts. I have been in this Industry of home products for almost 28 years and worked for couple of Reputed Buying Agencies in past.
Now since last 15 years, I have my own companies by name of Global Resources and Quality System Solutions. I represent clients from all major countries around the world.
Deal in categories of
A. Home products
B. Home Furnishings
C. Furniture
D. Garments
E. Shoes
Vice Chairman
Michael Vinod, leading team of “MIIS – Made in India Sourcing” a buying agency, dealing in Home Décor, Textiles, Accessories and Furniture. I am basically from Moradabad and completed graduation from Hindu collage. I was national level football player and part of this trade for almost 2 decades.
Mr. Manoj Rana was born to the family of educationists and school principals which inculcated strong business ethics for him naturally. He completed his schooling and college education from New Delhi. He’s married to a school teacher and is blessed with two children. After completing his masters in business administration, he started his career by working in some of the leading sourcing agencies from 1998 to 2004 and eventually founded RMS associates in 2005. Since then, he has been heading RMS, which is efficiently sourcing a wide array of product lines for clients in various world geographies with a major focus on sourcing innovative products out of India. RMS Associates is headquartered in Noida, with branch offices in Panipat, Alleppey, Vietnam and Moradabad.
Vice Chairman
Born and raised in Moradabad, Sumit Chhabra holds a Bachelor of Fashions from Delhi University in India. He started his career in the export manufacturing industry of India in 2001 in a New Delhi based manufacturing company. Sumit has more than 17 years of experience working in manufacturing, retail, buying and worldwide sourcing. Sumit current owns a Buying Agency – Creative Concepts, which specializes in lighting products. He and his team are at the forefront of innovation and together they aim to pioneer the use of digital technology and new ways of working.
Chairman
Vishal started his career in 1981 spending 3 year in Salem, the heart of the apparel & handloom Textile industry with Sham Lal Bajaj and Co. in the production area.
He returned to Delhi in 1984 and worked with handicraft manufacturers in Moradabad until 1990.In 1990 joined European Buying House, heading their Sourcing division until July 1992, when he founded Speciality Merchandising Services.
His focus has been to create a way of life that thrives on quality. With more than three decades of global sourcing experience, Vishal has led the organization with innovation to deliver unique and tailored sourcing solutions, together with customers to suit their merchandising needs. His commitment to maximise customer satisfaction by focussing on creativity, innovation, techniques and digitalization of the supply chain simultaneously putting purpose at the core of what we do.
Vishal is the corner-stone of Speciality and has led the organisation; building it to be one of the leading buying agencies in the country.
Speciality today proudly represent the likes of AAFES, Potpourri Group, USA.
Our Mission:” We thrive to be an extended arm of our customers, represent their interest to the best of our ability and to be a global benchmark in customer satisfaction by embodying quality as a way of life”.
Sustainability provides us with a guiding framework for how we manage our impact while donating to the development of the communities in which we live and work. A part of whatever amount we earn goes for the welfare of the old and needy to the Old Age Home run by us since 1998.
Member-Governing Body
Born and Brought up in Jaipur, Rajasthan, shifted to Delhi in 1977 and completed his graduation in B Com (Hons), from Delhi University. And a Master of Business Administration in International Business and Operations Management from Amity University.
A Proactive and enterprising Clothing/Textile professional with over 30 years of experience in Strategic planning, Product Development, Marketing and P&L Management, countering competitor strategies, market analysis to increase business level and growth.
Currently heading TQM Global Buying, a buying and sourcing company dealing in Apparels, Textiles, Handicrafts and Fashion Accessories with its offices in India and Bangladesh. Also a Governing Body and trade fair committee member of Buying Agents Association fully supported by its team.
His knowledge in fabrics from any blend to any mix, from natural to manmade, from plain to jacquards and from yarn dyed to solids and printed is rather unique. Have delivered lectures at AEPC Design institute and Amity university on Merchandising Management and trade as Visiting faculty in 1996-97.
An effective leader by example with excellent interpersonal communication and organizational skills, proven abilities in customer relationship management, training and development.
Member-Governing Body
Deepak Joshi, Chartered Accountant, is having more than two decades’ vast and diversified professional expertise in the areas of “Sourcing & Buying of Furniture, accessories, Textiles Agro Products, Stone & Marble, Business Planning and Developments, Marketing Strategies, International Logistics & Shipping, Start up, E commerce, Finance & International taxation etc.”
He has distinctively structured and modulated the set-up of various multinational entities, as CEO, in the field of “furniture, agro products, buying agency, Logistics”. He has extensively travelled within India and abroad to various countries for business ventures and network development. He has attended many international and national conferences in relation to profession and business.
In professional sphere, he is having rich experience of over 25 years in the areas of, Marketing, Finance, Accounts, Audits, Transfer Pricing and International Taxations, Business Developments, Commercial operations, Mediation, Arbitration, International debt recovery and Strategy Analysis as well as looking after regulatory and statutory compliances of corporate as well as non corporate entities.
Other Associations: He is member of various professional, business and social organisations such as:
• Member of AMTOI
• Member of All India Federation of Tax Practitioners
• Member of Football Clubs
• Member of Managing Committee of Buying Agent Association
• Associated with Professional bodies like ICAI
Member-Governing Body
Born and raised in Bhopal, Nitin Mohan completed his Bachelor of Commerce from Barkatullah University, Bhopal.
Nitin started his career in the 90’s and has more than 20+ years of experience. Nitin has lateral and vertical experience in the industry and has an indepth working knowledge in merchandising, quality assurance and operations. His long experience in the export sector has been an enriching one as he started his career from the grass root level. He is currently heading the Information and Advance Technology team at Triburg.
Nitin is supporting BAA in its effort to educate and develop knowledge for the industry and is passionate about adding his knowledge & experience to the Association.
Member-Governing Body
MBA (Marketing), 1999 started career in e-commerce, then worked with an export company in my home town Moradabad. With the blessings of parents, in 2002 started business of a Sourcing Agent for Handicrafts & Textile, serving customers globally.
2008 global recession pushed me to change the battle field and over 5yr worked in IT Parks in Noida, headed as DGM sales, leasing, marketing & supported legal, but my dream business did not let me sleep and finally I said good bye to real estate industry learning lesson to achieve individual assigned targets while meeting diversified organizational goals.
Key of success, self-made, open to learn and 100% on the task.
Living happily with wife and two kids. Dreaming every day and fighting every minute to achieve.