Nandita, a young girl riding a moped through rough rural tracks, visiting scores of Kirana stores daily to learn about customer needs. That is the same girl who is now a famous leader, driving one of India’s largest fashion e-commerce platforms, Myntra to new heights. Nandita Sinha is a woman whose career is a compelling story of grit, intelligence and innovative leadership.
Nandita’s journey from her Lucknow beginnings to being CEO of Myntra is one of fearless choices and a steadfast dedication to excellence. An alumnus of IIT BHU and FMS Delhi, she has overcome the challenges at FMCG giants like Unilever and Britannia, was successful at Flipkart, and now leads Myntra to redefine fashion e-commerce.
In this StartupTalky story, we’ll look at how Nandita Sinha, who led Myntra, turned it into a global platform for international brands and technological innovation.
Nandita Sinha Biography
| Name | Nandita Sinha |
|---|---|
| Profession | Businessperson |
| Position | CEO of Myntra |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Lukhnow |
| Education | Faculty of Management Studies and IIT Varanasi |
Nandita Sinha – Early Life and Education
Nandita Sinha – Career
Nandita Sinha – Myntra
Nandita Sinha – Awards and Recognitions
Nandita Sinha – Interesting Facts
Nandita Sinha – Early Life and Education
Although she is a very accomplished business leader, Nandita Sinha could not have become what she is today without her early life and education. Nandita was born and raised in Lucknow, India, in a family that loved education. Unsurprisingly, education was a cornerstone of her upbringing, having her household filled with very educated people, many of them having PhD, physicians, and engineers. This environment also suggested a strong foundation for her academic journey since it built in her mood of curiosity and quest for cognition from a young age.
Nandita says her mother, a physics teacher, was incredibly influential in her early years. As she grew, she was surrounded by intellectual curiosity and critical thinking bolstered by thought-provoking discussions and academic debates. Her studies weren’t just what she discussed with her peers but also what she and her peers discussed about the world, science, and technology. Her family pushed her to talk in conversations where she was allowed to break all the rules, including respectfully disagreeing with her parents. Her confidence and ability to think independently were nourished by being open-minded.
Right from the start, Nandita’s academic reputation was recognised. She then continued to study at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology BHU (now IIT Varanasi) for her undergraduate degree in Ceramic Engineering. It was a bold choice for a woman because very few women at the time chose this branch of engineering. However, it was far from conventional to pick ceramic engineering as a course at IIT BHU, and it was something Nandita was interested in trying out without any second thoughts.
It was transformative for her at IIT BHU. She further honed her problem-solving skills, intellectual discipline, and work ethic in one of India’s best of what they have to offer (or at least was/is then) in terms of a rigorous academic environment at one of India’s top institutes.
Nandita was a student of IIT BHU, which had one of the most challenging curricula and a student body that encouraged critical thinking. This was the perfect place for her to grow academically and personally. While there, she excelled in her studies and absorbed the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, which would later characterise her career.
Right after completing her B.Tech, Nandita was ready to conquer the world with her rock-solid academic base plus some considerable purpose. From here, her journey would take her into the corporate world, where her education and the values of courage and determination she had learned in her formative years would lead her to become the influential business leader she is today.
Nandita Sinha – Career
Nandita Sinha’s professional career marks her resilience, intelligence and ability to adapt to varied challenges. In 2004, she joined Unilever as a trainee manager. Nandita’s exploration in this role was exciting and formative, exploring facets from sales to marketing. It wasn’t just professionally enriching but personally transformative as she ventured into rural markets, riding on a broken-down truck on a moped and speaking to at least 50 Kirana store owners a day. However, these challenging but insightful interactions helped her hone her communication, negotiation and relationship-building skills, which became key components of her leadership style.
Nandita gained much experience and joined Britannia Industries, where she learned about consumer behaviour and market dynamics. Britannia and four good years at Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) have given her a grounding to handle challenging corporate problems. Over these years, she greatly benefited from the mentorship of seasoned sales officers who shared decades of wisdom and experience.
She believes this is where she’s reached a mental toughness and preparedness that will allow her to handle the tougher roles she will have in the future.
When Nandita set up the e-commerce program MyBabyCart, a baby product e-commerce platform, her entrepreneurial spirit emerged. Though the venture failed, it was an audacious choice to show that she was not afraid at all with her career choices. While she sought to balance her professional aspirations against the personal imperatives of new motherhood, she braved the dynamic startup ecosystem. It might have seemed like a short stint, but it was an invaluable experience in the world of e-commerce and digital retail.
Nandita joined Flipkart, India’s largest e-commerce platform, in August 2013. As an Associate Director, she began as a veritable whirlwind, handling the health and beauty verticals. Over her 8.5-year stint at Flipkart, she held a number of strategic roles, which helped us grow our Flipkart portfolio. She was the backbone of the organisation. Her capacity to spot opportunities and drive innovation while utilising her ability to accomplish strategies with precision was unmatched.
In January 2022, Nandita became CEO of Myntra, a fashion and lifestyle subsidiary of Flipkart. It was a new chapter in her career, and she was leading one of India’s most renowned fashion e-commerce platforms. During her time as Myntra’s CEO, she saw the business grow in leaps and bounds and made it a lean, fast-moving organisation.
When Nandita joined Myntra, the platform had around 280 international brands. By 2023, we were at 420, which was very much by design because she was determined to scale the platform’s global footprint. She also led the vertical integration of beauty products, making beauty Myntra’s fastest-growing category. Myntra Beauty was her vision to redefine the online beauty market and take it to phenomenal growth.
Rishabh Rathi
Key Traits and Achievements
Her colleagues say Nandita’s career was defined by a rare combination of intelligence, grit, and empathy. Through the companies she has been a part of, her ability to think big while solving real-world problems has turbocharged various businesses. She has come up the ranks so fast and accomplished so much, but she is still very humble. She has always been ready to help others succeed and, as a result, is a respected leader in the industry.
Philosophy and Legacy
Nandita’s mantra for success is simple yet powerful: “Fear not; take every opportunity you find and use them.” She views challenges as opportunities and has an always forward, on-the-attack, adventurous spirit to take on obstacles.
She prefers to be known as an achiever, not a role model, highlighting her emphasis on results rather than accolades. Nandita Sinha’s journey has left an indelible mark on every organisation she has worked in and has set a benchmark for aspiring professionals and young women worldwide.
Nandita Sinha – Myntra
Myntra, one of India’s fashion and lifestyle platforms, will appoint Nandita Sinha as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on January 1, 2022. Her journey to the top of Myntra was one of hard work in the e-commerce and FMCG industry, where she gained experience in strategic planning, business development, and marketing innovation.
Sinha has helped Myntra strengthen its position in the highly competitive fashion industry. Her visionary approach has seen the platform reach a new phase of growth, with an emphasis on user engagement, technological advancement, and Myntra’s value proposition for its fashion-forward customer base.
Sinha contributed to Myntra’s portfolio diversification, which includes more than 6,000 brands, including global names such as H&M, Levi’s, U.S. Polo Assn, Tommy Hilfiger, MANGO, and Marks & Spencer. By fostering robust brand tie-ups, Myntra has been able to serve a wide demographic by offering premium and diverse fashion options to customers across the country.
Under her guidance, Myntra has expanded its operational footprint from 19,000 pin codes across India. This has further reinforced its accessibility and reach in both urban and rural areas, making Myntra available to customers from all around the country.
Myntra weathered the challenges, and its revenue for FY23 was INR 4,375.3 crore, showing that it’s a strong market player. However, it also noted that the e-commerce fashion sector was competitive and resource-intensive, resulting in a loss of INR 782 crore. Through these dynamics, Sinha has been instrumental in steering the company on long-term growth strategies.
Sinha has been a key driving force behind Myntra’s innovative initiatives, using technology and consumer insights to develop a better user experience. Myntra has risen as a leader, and this is all thanks to her efforts and a growing user base.
Sinha was recently given the extra responsibility of heading Flipkart Fashion and serving as the CEO of Myntra, a testament to her leadership capabilities. Sinha’s appointment comes after the exit of Arief Mohamad, Flipkart’s Vice President and Head of Fashion, which speaks to the trust and confidence the Flipkart Group has in her. While this expanded role, Flipkart Fashion and Myntra will continue to operate as separate entities, with Sinha providing strategic direction, as a whole, to the fashion segment within the group.
She has always been vocal about her commitment to democratising fashion in India. Her philosophy of leadership is to blend consumer-centric innovation with sustainable growth. With Myntra and Flipkart Fashion, she is doubling up to lead. Her focus is on creating memorable customer experiences, building strategic brand partnerships, and using the power of the Flipkart Group to create new benchmarks in the fashion industry.
Under Nandita Sinha’s leadership, Myntra has been transformed— growing, innovating, and expanding the market. While managing Myntra and Flipkart Fashion, her strategic insights and deep understanding of the e-commerce landscape promise to steer the Flipkart Group’s foray into fashion to a bright future.
Vidhi Punamiya
Nandita Sinha – Awards and Recognitions
- Featured by the Economic Times in its ‘Women Ahead’ list
- She is part of the Forbes 2024 W-Power List
- ‘Women of Worth’ recognition by Forbes India
- People Focused CEO of the Year for our CEO, Nandita Sinha
- Silver Award for Excellence in Cultivating a Culture of Trust and High Performance
- Bronze Award for Excellence in Employer Branding
- Recognised on the esteemed The Business of Fashion class of 2024
Nandita Sinha – Interesting Facts
- Before her corporate success, Nandita co-founded MyBabyCart.com, an e-commerce platform focused on baby and maternity products. Although the venture was short-lived, it drilled the entrepreneurial skills into her and paved the way for doors in the startup world.
- While at Flipkart, she handled many roles in different categories, such as health and beauty, books, FMCG, home, and furniture.
- Early in her career, Nandita spent months on a moped navigating rural areas, talking to Kirana store owners, which was key to her sales and customer understanding.
- Under her leadership as CEO, Myntra’s international brand portfolio expanded from 280 in 2021 to 420 by 2023. She also helped the platform thrive in beauty, its fastest-growing category.
- Nandita specialised in marketing and customer engagement and was instrumental in Flipkart’s iconic Big Billion Days sale.
- An alumna of the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi and the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi, Nandita has a BA in Marketing and Strategy.
- Nandita, though, is humble and doesn’t want to be a role model; she wants to be a woman achiever.
- In fact, during her thirteen years in the company, she had the privilege of working with senior sales officers of Hindustan Unilever Limited, who spent a lot of time in their training and debut.
- Much of her professional life is in the spotlight, and she has been able to keep much of her personal life, including details about her family and husband, private.
- “As a leader, she has a combination of intellect, grit and empathy, which is rare,” say colleagues and industry professionals, including Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy, adding that she is a force to be reckoned with in the business world.
- At Myntra, Nandita leads the company’s core mission with a leadership vision to make fashion accessible to all.
- Nandita is famous for her adventurous outlook on life and work. She is also known for being head-on and a wake-up call!
Nitin Konde
FAQs
Who is the present CEO of Myntra?
Nandita Sinha is the present CEO of Myntra.
Where is the hometown of CEO of Myntra?
Nandita Sinha, the CEO of Myntra, is from Lucknow, India.
Which college did Nandita Sinha went to?
Nandita holds an MBA in Marketing & Strategy from Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) and a BTech from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) BHU.
