MIT Supply Chain Management Club Event

William Bissell speaks about “Fabindia”

By William Bissell
Managing Director, Fabindia

Abstract:
William Bissell is the Managing Director of Fabindia, a fast-growing and highly respected Indian retail company. In 1988, William N. Bissell set up and head the Bhadrajun Artisans Trust, an Artisans' Cooperative of leather workers and weavers based in the state of Rajasthan. Between 1990 and 1999 he developed a method of allowing small shareholders to buy into community owned companies. In the following 5 years he worked out an accurate valuation methodology for correctly valuing the assets of these community-owned companies and giving their shareholders an opportunity to realize this value. In 1999 he became the Managing Director of Fabindia, taking over the enterprise that his father had founded in 1958. Fabindia has been actively involved with ICICI bank in setting up 100 community owned companies with a target of 100,000 artisan shareholders to develop, support and market rural crafts for which Fabindia's 83 stores across India provide a market.