Profile & Biography
Varun Gupta is a postgraduate professional with degrees in Footwear Design & Production Management and Computer Science. He holds a two-year Diploma in Footwear Design & Production from the Central Footwear Training Institute (CFTI), Agra, as part of the 8th TI Batch. With over 23 years of extensive experience in the footwear industry, he brings diverse cross-functional expertise across industry, academia, consultancy, and skill development. He has been associated with the Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI) since 2008. Prior to FDDI, he worked with leading footwear organizations including TATA International (Dewas), Sagari Leathers (Agra), and KIWI Enterprises (Gurugram).His international consulting experience includes a six-month assignment in South Africa under the South African Footwear and Leatherwear National Cluster Project, facilitated by Vaal University of Technology (VUT) and the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI), South Africa. He also served as an International Consultant for six months in Gaborone, Botswana, delivering skill upgradation training to clients and staff at the Leather Industry Incubator of the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA). An accomplished author, he has written two books: ABC of Footwear Technology (Notion Press, ISBN: 9798888832424, Dec 2022) and फुटवियर टेक्नोलॉजी का क ख ग (Notion Press, ISBN: 9798891331150, Sep 2023). For FDDI, he authored Basic Cutting and Basic Closing, aligned with the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) for short-term courses. He has YouTube channel, Cordwainer Studio, focused on footwear and fashion education. His research portfolio includes three papers published in international journals, three in national journals, and four book chapters with a national publisher. He has presented eight research papers orally and two as posters at various conferences, earning Best Oral and Best Poster Presentation awards. Additionally, six of his articles have been published in leading industry magazines.
