The Retailers Association of India (RAI) is looking for a strategic, entrepreneurial, and results-driven leader to build and lead its HR-focused learning, networking, and industry-engagement platform.

This role will lead the conceptualisation and delivery of a flagship HR summit for the retail industry—bringing together CHROs, senior HR leaders, business leaders, HR technology companies, consultants, and service providers to address the future of work in retail.

The successful candidate will combine strong event strategy, intellectual curation, sponsorship sales, partnership development, and end-to-end execution capabilities. This is an opportunity to create and scale a high-impact industry property from the ground up.

Key Responsibilities

- Define the overall strategy, positioning, and growth roadmap for RAI’s HR-focused events and industry-engagement initiatives.
- Conceptualise compelling, future-focused event themes around areas such as workforce transformation, frontline talent, leadership development, AI in HR, HR technology, employee experience, skilling, and retail productivity.
- Curate high-quality event agendas and identify, engage, and manage senior speakers, including CHROs, CEOs, HR heads, industry experts, and thought leaders.
- Build and execute a sponsorship-acquisition strategy targeting HR technology providers, consulting firms, payroll and workforce-management companies, staffing partners, learning providers, and other relevant organisations.
- Develop customised sponsorship and partnership solutions that create measurable business value, solid visibility, and meaningful networking opportunities for partners.
- Lead the complete event lifecycle—from concept development, budgeting,



venue selection, vendor management, delegate acquisition, and on-ground execution to post-event reporting and partner fulfilment.
- Build a strong, year-round retail HR community through roundtables, knowledge sessions, networking forums, content initiatives, and member engagement activities.
- Serve as RAI’s key relationship manager for retail HR leaders, sponsors, knowledge partners, speakers, and other ecosystem stakeholders.
- Manage event budgets, revenue forecasts, sponsorship pipelines, and profitability targets while maintaining high standards of experience and execution.
- Track event outcomes, stakeholder feedback, partner ROI, attendance data, and engagement metrics to continually strengthen future editions.

Core Competencies

- Strategic thinking: Ability to translate evolving retail workforce challenges into relevant, commercially viable, and high-impact event platforms.
- Event and content leadership: Strong understanding of agenda development, speaker curation, audience engagement, and knowledge-led event design.
- Sales and negotiation: Demonstrated success in B2B sales, sponsorship acquisition, partnership development, and closing high-value commercial deals.
- Stakeholder management: Exceptional ability to engage credibly with senior HR leaders, C-suite executives, sponsors, vendors, and industry partners.




- Commercial and financial acumen: Experience in budgeting, revenue planning, sponsorship forecasting, cost management, and event profitability.
- Execution excellence: Strong project-management skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple workstreams under demanding timelines.
- Entrepreneurial mindset: A proactive, self-driven approach with the ability to build, own, and scale a flagship industry initiative.

Candidate Profile

- 5+ years of relevant experience in event management, sponsorship sales, partnership development, trade associations, industry forums, or B2B conferences.
- Demonstrated experience in developing and executing large-format conferences, summits, exhibitions, or leadership forums.
- Exposure to the retail, HR technology, talent management, staffing, consulting, payroll, learning, or workforce-management ecosystem will be strongly preferred.
- Proven experience in engaging senior corporate stakeholders and securing sponsorships or strategic partnerships.
- MBA or an equivalent professional qualification in Marketing, Human Resources, Business Management, Communications, or a related discipline.
- An existing network across the retail industry, HR leadership community, and HR-services ecosystem will be a significant advantage.

What This Role Offers:

This is a high-visibility opportunity to shape one of India’s most influential retail HR platforms. The role offers the chance to work closely with industry leaders, create meaningful conversations around the future of retail talent, and build a commercially sustainable flagship property for the sector.

📌 Head - Strategic Events & Industry Partnerships (HR & Retail) (Mumbai)
🏢 Retailers Association of India (RAI)
📍 Mumbai