J D Giri

Jalandhar D. Giri currently serves as a Director at Shahi Exports, India’s largest apparel manufacturer. With over 35 years of experience in the apparel industry, his efforts and leadership have been instrumental in the growth of the business, which employs nearly 100,000 people, 70 per cent of whom are women. His active involvement in several programmes on worker well-being, women empowerment, and corporate social responsibility has dubbed him the “Skill Guru” at Shahi. He has been spearheading the Skill Development Program since 2013. His experience has been instrumental in bridging the existing skill and employment gap in the apparel industry.

Born and educated in the State of Maharashtra, J.D. Giri began working in different organisations in Mumbai, including Mumbai Port Trust, Philips India, and Yugoslav Shipping Company. Shortly after, he served as Director of the Indian Apparel Export Promotion Council, handling export promotion and quota-related functions.

His association with Shahi began 28 years ago. Over this span, he has seen the garment trade go through many different stages while constantly raising awareness around this industry's role in solving many of the nation’s challenges, such as job creation (specifically for females) and rural development. At Shahi, he has overseen activities related to export/import, logistics, HR/Admin, Skill Development, and CSR, along with a proprietary programme of Gap Inc. known as Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) for female workers. He played a key role in the development of the programme in 2006.

His work has demonstrated the apparel and textile industry's role in addressing challenges in generating employment, women empowerment, and rural development. As a Director at Shahi, he continues to lead the Good Deeds team through decades of experience and a creative approach to sustainable and meaningful employment.