Tag: successful women entrepreneurs

Arundhati Bhattacharya-First Woman Chairperson of the State Bank of India (SBI)

The First SBI Lady Chairman, Arundhati Bhattacharya, is a retired banker. She was the first woman to be the chairperson of the nation’s largest bank, SBI. Under her leadership, SBI grew its network to around 17,000 branches and services over 330 million customers with a presence in 36 countries. She executed the smooth transition that SBI underwent, which was evident in every way. The women who have inspired many women entrepreneurs to step up.

Being the First Woman Chairman of SBI, Let’s know more about Arundhati Bhattacharya’s Education, Story, How Arundhati became the First female chairperson of SBI, and more…

Arundhati Bhattacharya – Biography

Name	Arundhati Bhattacharya
Born	18 March 1956, Kolkata
Citizenship	Indian
Education	St.Xavier’s School, Jadavpur University, Lady Brabourne College
Title	First Woman Chairperson of the State Bank of India
Net Worth	Approx $5 Million (2023)
Awards	Global Economy Prize
Current Position	Chairperson and CEO (India operations), Salesforce, USA

Arundhati Bhattacharya – Childhood and Personal Life
Arundhati Bhattacharya – Education
Arundhati Bhattacharya – Career in SBI
Arundhati Bhattacharya – As The First Woman Chairperson of SBI
Arundhati Bhattacharya – 4 Year Term as the Chairman of SBI
Arundhati Bhattacharya – Achievements
Arundhati Bhattacharya – Life Beyond SBI
Arundhati Bhattacharya’s Famous Quotes

Arundhati Bhattacharya – Childhood and Personal Life

Arundhati was born into a well-educated family. She was raised in Bhilai by her father, Prodyut Kumar Mukherjee, who was working with Bhilai Steel Plant as an engineer, and her mother, Kalyani Mukherjee, who was a Homeopathic doctor. From a very young age, she was driven towards journalism. She completed her schooling at Bokaro Steel City’s St Xavier’s School. She enlisted herself in English literature and completed her graduation from Kolkata’s Lady Brabourne College.

Arundhati Bhattacharya – Education

Arundhati Bhattacharya’s education was at St. Xavier’s School, Bokaro. She studied English Literature at Calcutta’s Lady Brabourne College and then at Jadavpur University.

Arundhati Bhattacharya’s Early Days at SBI

Arundhati Bhattacharya – Career in SBI

Arundhati Bhattacharya was propelled towards journalism, but in 1977, she decided to sit for the SBI probationary officer exam and nailed it at the age of 22. She had her dreams of journalism but entered the banking sector and never looked back.

During her 36-year career with the bank, she held several positions, including working in foreign exchange, treasury, retail operations, human resources, and investment banking. This included positions like the chief executive of the bank’s merchant banking arm, State Bank of India Capital Markets, and chief general manager in charge of new projects.

Arundhati Bhattacharya has served at the bank’s New York office. She has also been involved with the launch of several new businesses, such as SBI General Insurance, SBI Custodial Services, SBI Pension Funds Pvt. Ltd., and the SBI Macquarie Infrastructure Fund.

Arundhati Bhattacharya – As The First Woman Chairperson of SBI

Arundhati Bhattacharya became the first female chairperson of SBI, succeeding Pratip Chaudhuri as Chairman, who retired on 30 Sep 2013. Arundhati Bhattacharya was the first woman ever to lead a Fortune 500 company in India and the only woman banker on that list of giants anywhere in the world.

When she became the chairman, many doubted her capabilities to work in a corporation as she spent most of her time outside the headquarters. She had her tenure for four years after retiring in 2017.

Arundhati Bhattacharya – 4 Year Term as the Chairman of SBI

During her tenure, she identified the problems and transformed SBI from a stable state-run lender into a customer-friendly and competitive bank. SBI also introduced the work-from-home scheme for women. During her term, SBI rose 57%.

Navigating the Bank to its Toughest times

She navigated the bank to its toughest of times and completed the merger of 5 Associate banks and Bhartiya Mahila Bank. This merger resulted in the creation of a banking behemoth with more than ₹37 lakh crore in assets.

Focused on the spread of digital platforms

Arundhati bhattacharya story — **SBI Buddy Digital platform**

Arundhati focused on the technology and the spread of digital platforms with products like SBI Buddy. The results were healthy. The SBI group saw ₹5.83 lakh crore worth of mobile transactions (with a market share of 44.5 percent) during FY17. Its consolidated net profits stood at ₹2,006 crore in the quarter ended June 2017.

SBI Launched its First Dedicated Branch For Startups InCube

SBI arundhati bhattacharya — **SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya, at the launch event of InCube**

The main purpose of the ‘SBI InCube’ was that the bank would help, guide, and counsel entrepreneurs in starting a new company or business enterprise. At the launch event, SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya said,

“SBI is striving to make its structure more amenable to the requirements of startups. We want to be a part of the growth of startups and India itself. We will support entrepreneurs in their ventures and let them do their job of innovating. ”

This was a great initiative by SBI to help startups under the leadership of Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya.

Performance Appraisal System in SBI

SBI was India’s first and largest commercial bank to launch a performance appraisal system named Saksham. It was launched so that the employees could analyze their monthly performance against assigned targets.

Work-from-home facilities for Women Employees

On International Women’s Day SBI provided provided its employees the facility to work from home, a move that will especially benefit its women workers. Arundhati Bhattacharya played an important role here.

SBI introduced Lateral hiring from institutes like IIT & IIM

SBI planned to hire specialist job roles from institutes like IIT & IIM.

Arundhati Bhattacharya – Achievements

In 2014, Fortune magazine named her as the 24th most powerful woman in the Asia-Pacific region.
From 2014 to 2017, she was consistently ranked as the most powerful woman in business on Fortune India’s list.
In 2015, Forbes ranked her as the 30th most powerful woman in the world.
At the 10th India Business Leader Awards in 2015, she was recognized as the Outstanding Woman Business Leader of the Year.
In 2016, Forbes listed her as the 25th most powerful woman in the world.
In 2016, Foreign Policy magazine recognized and ranked me as one of the “FP Top 100 Global Thinkers”.
Felicitated with the “Woman of the Year Award” for Banking and Financial Service by the then-governor of Maharashtra in 2016.
In 2017, India Today magazine listed this person as the 19th most powerful individual in India out of the 50 on their list.
In 2018, she was awarded the title of “Business Leader of the Year” at The Asian Awards.
In 2018, she was honored with the ninth V.C. Padmanabhan Memorial Award for Excellence.
Harvard Business Review Ascend published an interview titled “The Making of SBI’s First Woman Chairperson, Arundhati Bhattacharya” in 2018.
India nominated her for the World Bank’s managing director and COO position.

Arundhati Bhattacharya – Life Beyond SBI

State Bank of India’s first female chairman, Arundhati Bhattacharya, retired in 2017 after 40 years, one month and two days after joining the country’s largest lender as a probationary officer. After leaving SBI, her journey has been incredibly fascinating:

Piramal Group

She served as a Non-Executive/aIndependent Director on the board of Piramal Group. She resigned from her position in April 2020, after serving since December 2018, to become the Chairperson and CEO of another company. At Piramal, Bhattacharya’s experience and insights went beyond her role, guiding the company’s strategic direction and decision-making.

Wipro Limited

She served as an Independent Director on the board of Wipro Limited from December 2018 to April 2022. Her appointment brought a wealth of experience and leadership to the company, particularly in the areas of finance, risk management, and corporate governance.

Reliance Industries Limited

Arundhati joined the board of Reliance Industries (RIL) as an independent additional director and has been appointed to the RIL board for a period of five years starting from October 17, 2018. The appointment comes days after India-focused private equity firm ChrysCapital Advisors LLP announced Bhattacharya as an advisor.

SWIFT India

In 2018, SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya was appointed as the new Chairman of the SWIFT India board. Arundhati Bhattacharya’s contributions to SWIFT India were instrumental in the organization’s growth, success, and contribution to the Indian financial sector.

CRISIL Limited

CRISIL Ltd appointed Ms. Arundhati Bhattacharya as Additional Director (Independent) of the company on 16 October 2018. As of 2020, she has resigned from the role and will be joining as a Chairperson and CEO for the India operations of Salesforce, USA.

Salesforce

Arundhati Bhattacharya currently holds the position of Chairperson and CEO at Salesforce India. Her responsibilities include developing the company’s growth strategy and defining Salesforce’s relationship with the ecosystem of customers, partners, and communities across India.

Arundhati Bhattacharya’s Famous Quotes

Arundhati Bhattacharya’s journey from studying journalism to being the First Female Chairperson of SBI and her life beyond SBI is an inspiration to all the women out there. Her thoughts are worth remembering…

“India does not have a problem of people grabbing share from a fixed pie. India is one of the few nations where the pie is getting bigger”

“Private sector has no issue in coming into infrastructure sector. They know very well that infrastructure is one area that can give you very steady long-term returns”

“In order to ensure long-term investment, it is important to make infrastructure as transparent and as bankable as possible – should be a win-win for all”

“Theoretically, every probationary officer has a chance to become chairman”

Conclusion

Arundhati Bhattacharya is one of the most powerful and influential leaders a country has ever had. Under her leadership, SBI grew its network to around 17,000 branches and services over 330 million customers with a presence in 36 countries. She executed the smooth transition that SBI underwent, which was evident in the way fearlessness and risk-taking ability were planted in the banking sector’s DNA over the period. She has inspired many women entrepreneurs to step up and join the Startup ecosystem.

FAQs

Who is the First Women Chairperson of SBI?

Arundhati Bhattacharya was the first female chairperson of the nation’s largest bank, SBI. Under her leadership, SBI grew its network to around 17,000 branches and services over 330 million customers.

Who is the Current Chairman of SBI?

Dinesh Kumar Khara was appointed as the chairman of SBI on October 7, 2020.

What is Arundhati Bhattacharya’s Education?

Arundhati Bhattacharya’s education was at St. Xavier’s School, Bokaro. She studied English Literature at Calcutta’s Lady Brabourne College and then at Jadavpur University.

When did Arundhati Bhattacharya retire as the Chairman of SBI?

State Bank of India’s first female chairman, Arundhati Bhattacharya, retired in 2017 after completing her 4-year tenure.

What is Arundhati Bhattacharya’s current position?

Arundhati Bhattacharya, former chairperson of the State Bank of India, has been hired by Salesforce USA to lead its operations in India starting in 2020.

December 1, 2023

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw: How Biocon Founder Became India’s First Biotech Queen?

India is among the top 12 biotechnology destinations in the world, comprising around 600 biotech companies. In this article, you are going to find information about such a person who has made wealth all on his own, with sheer hard work and perseverance.

Kiran Majumdar Shaw is an Indian Entrepreneur and Philanthropist who founded a biotechnology company, Biocon Limited in Bangalore, India. She is the Chairperson and Managing Director of Biocon. She received the Othmer Gold Medal for her exceptional contributions to the progress of science and chemistry. Financial Times named her in the business list of top 50 women. Forbes listed her as the 65th most powerful woman in the world. She was also named EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020. She was ranked #2 in the Women Philanthropist list of 2019 by the Hurun Report India Philanthropy List 2019. As of the year 2020, she has an estimated net worth of $4.6 billion.

Kiran Mazumdar is the executive chairperson and the founder of one of the most prominent biopharmaceutical companies around the globe, Biocon Limited. Kiran is a person who is an inspiration to thousands of women out there who are aspiring to become entrepreneurs. Read Kiran Mazumdar Shaw’s Success Story and know more about the journey of this amazing and inspiring woman.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Biography

Name	Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Year of Birth	23 March 1953
Nationality	Indian
Education	Graduate degree in brewing from the University of Ballarat, Melbourne
Profession	Entrepreneur, Brewmaster
Title	Executive Chairperson – Biocon Limited and Biocon Biologics Limited
Net Worth	370 crores USD
Spouse	John Shaw

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Personal Life
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Education
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Professional Life & Career
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Founder of Biocon
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Expansion of Biocon
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Board Memberships
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Challenges Faced in Entrepreneurship
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Success story
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Philanthropy
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Awards & Recognitions

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw Success Story

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Personal Life

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw was born to Gujarati parents in Banglore on 23rd March 1953, in a middle-class family. Her father, Rasendra Mazumdar was the head brewmaster at United Breweries.

Since childhood, she aspired to become a doctor but couldn’t get a scholarship. In 1974, she was the only girl pursuing brewery course and topped in her class. At the age of 44, Kiran got married to John Shaw in the year 1989. John was working as the chairman at Madura Coats but left the job to join Biocon with Kiran. John Shaw is serving as the Vice Chairman of Biocon since 2001.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Education

Kiran initially wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps. She studied at Bangalore’s Bishop Cotton Girl’s high school.

She then took a pre-university course from an affiliate of Bangalore University, Mount Carmel College. She further graduated with a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Bangalore University in 1973.

Kiran wanted to pursue medical college but was unable to get any scholarship in any medical college. Her father then suggested to pursue fermentation science and get trained as a brewmaster, which is a very non-traditional field for women. She went to Ballarat College, Melbourne University in Australia to study malting and brewing. She earned her degree of master brewer in 1975. Kiran Shaw was the only woman who opted for the brewing course and with her intelligence, she topped in her class.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Professional Life & Career

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw with Leslie Auchincloss

Kiran started her professional career from Carlton and United Breweries, Melbourne, where she worked as a trainee brewer. Kiran Mazumdar completed her training in Carlton and United Breweries. She also worked at Barrett Brothers and Burston, Australia, as a trainee maltster.

After coming back to India, she joined Jupiter Breweries in Calcutta as a technical consultant, and after gaining some experience there she worked as a Technical Manager at Standard Maltings Corporation situated in Baroda. She opted to further her career in Bangalore or Delhi but was told that “it’s a man’s profession” and that woman would not be employed as a master brewer in India.

She started looking for work overseas and was given a position in Scotland. Leslie Auchincloss, the founder of Biocon Biochemicals Limited, of Cork, Ireland met Mazumdar before she could relocate. His firm produced enzymes used in the brewing, food packaging, and textile sectors.

He was searching for an Indian entrepreneur to assist in the formation of a subsidiary in India. Kiran worked with the firm, and this was a life-changing opportunity for her. Leslie prepared her to work as a manager at his firm. Kiran went to India and began working for Biocon in a leased garage in Bangalore with an initial investment of 10,000 INR after she had a better understanding of the company’s operations and sales.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Founder of Biocon

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw Founded Biocon Logo

Kiran started with Biocon in 1978, she faced many challenges because of her youth, gender, and her untested business model. No bank wanted to lend her money, thus funding was a big issue.

After getting her first funding she started with her first factory which was in a nearby 3000 sq. ft shed. The extraction of papain (a papaya enzyme used to tenderize the meat) and isinglass were the company’s first efforts (obtained from tropical catfish and used to clarify beer).

Biocon India was the first Indian firm to make enzymes and ship them to the United States and Europe within a year of its founding. Kiran invested her first year’s profits in a 20-acre property, with plans to grow in the future. Kiran transformed Biocon India from an enzyme manufacturing firm to a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company because of her unique thinking and ideas.

In 1984 Kiran discovered some new dimensions. At Biocon, a research and development team was created to focus on the development of innovative solid substrate fermentation methods. Biocon Pharmaceuticals was the first Indian biotech business to obtain funding from the United States for unique technology.

Kiran started looking for alternative opportunities which were cost-effective as well low-cost. She had also proposed that drug companies be cost-sensitive in marketing to developing countries so that people can afford the drugs they need.

Kiran and her husband John have always seen the need to provide people with the best they can, thus increasing and supplying affordable vaccines and medicines in India and helping society to overcome their medical requirements.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Expansion of Biocon

She managed to establish two subsidiaries of Biocon including, Syngene in 1994 and Clinigene in 2000. Syngene provided a contractual basis early research and development support service while Clinigene focused on clinical research trials and the development of both generic and new medicines. Clinigene was later merged in Syngene and it has a current market cap of Rs.14,270.

She incorporated Biocon Biopharmaceuticals Private Limited (BBLP) in 1990 to manufacture and market a select range of biotherapeutics in a joint venture with the Cuban Center of Molecular Immunology.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Board Memberships

She is a member of the board of governors of the Indian School of Business and a term member of on the board of MIT, USA till 2023. She has been a former member of the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad. She was the first woman to head the board of governors of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB).

She is an independent director on the board of Infosys. She is a member of the General Body of Maharashtra State Innovation Society. She is also a member of the advisory board of the MIT Jameel Clinic.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Challenges Faced in Entrepreneurship

She started with a seed capital of Rs.10,000. Inspite of being a joint venture, Indian laws restricted foreign ownership to only 30% of the company. Thus, 70% of the company belonged to Kiran Mazumdar Shaw.

She faced reliability challenges because of her youth, gender, and untested business model. She was unable to secure funding for her company initially. She tried hard and finally got her first financial backing. She also struggled while recruiting people to work for her startup. She had to face technological changes with an eye to building a biotech business in India, which was then having a poor infrastructure.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Success story

Kiran met Leslie Auchincloss, who is the founder of Biocon Biochemicals Limited, of Cork, Ireland. The aforesaid company produces enzymes to be used in brewing, food packaging, and textile industries. Auchincloss was desperately looking for an entrepreneur in India, who would help her in establishing an Indian subsidiary of Biocon.

Kiran agreed to undertake the offer on a condition that if she did not wish to continue post six months, she would be given the position of brewmaster. She started working as a trainee manager at Biocon Limited, Cork, Ireland to learn more of the business. Post the training period, she returned India to establish the business.

In 1989, Biocon Biochemicals of Ireland was acquired from Leslie Auchincloss by Hindustan Unilever. The partnership with Unilever helped Biocon to establish best practices and quality systems across the world. Unilever then sold its chemical division including Biocon to Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). Her husband, John Shaw invested $2 million to purchase the shares of Biocon from ICI.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Philanthropy

With the great success of her company, Biocon has allowed Kiran to donate and be the support of the people who need help but do not have the resources. Kiran is a firm believer in sharing and cares about people hence giving at least half of her wealth to philanthropic work. This was when she joined The Giving Pledge movement in the year 2015.

With the support of her husband John, she started up with Mazumdar Shaw Foundation in India to help the needful. The key sectors of the foundation are Education, Healthcare, Art & Culture, and a Healthy Environment. The Foundation is involved in numerous health and education outreach programs to benefit the economically weaker sections of Indian society.

Mazumdar Shaw foundation has also established a 1400 bed cancer care center in Bangalore, in collaboration with Devi Shetty. Her goal is to create a world-class cancer center with affordable treatment.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Awards & Recognitions

Kiran Mazumdar honoured by the Government of India

Kiran Mazumdar has been awarded several times for her leadership and success in entrepreneurship.

She has been Conferred with the Bombay Management Association (BMA) Business Leader of The Decade Award in 2022.
She has been awarded with the “Spirit of TiE – Trailblazers Award” by TiE Bangalore on World Entrepreneurs Day in 2021.
Biocon has been recognized among the Top 20 in the The Medicine Maker Power List 2019 under the Business Captains category in 2019.
Kiran has received Padma Shri in the year 1989 and Padma Bhushan in the year 2005.
Recipient of EY World Entrepreneur of the Year (2020) and EY Entrepreneur of the Year India Award (2019).
Recipient of Order of Australia (2020).
Recipient of ICMR’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievement in Healthcare (2019).
Recipient of AWSM Award for Excellence (2017).
Knight of the National Order of the French Legion of Honour (2016).
Recipient of Othmer Gold Medal (2014).
Recipient of Global Economy Prize for Business (2014).
Ranked among the world’s 16 Most Powerful Women in Leadership in 2021 by CEO Magazine.

Kiran is also fond of writing books and she loves reading novels. She has written and has got published two books: ‘Ale and Arty’ and ‘India’s Innovation Challenge for Inclusive Development.

Conclusion

The second richest self-made woman in India is the star and pride of the nation. Nobody knew about Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw but now she is one of the most influential women in the country. She has shown the world that a woman can do everything and is a living inspiration for young woman entrepreneurs.

FAQs

Who is the husband of Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw?

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is married to John Shaw.

How old is Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw?

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw was born on 23 March 1953 and is 69 years old (2022).

What is the net worth of Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw?

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has a net worth of $370 crores as of 2022.

What is Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s education?

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has done bachelor’s degree in zoology from Bangalore University in 1973 and earned a degree as master brewer in 1975 from Melbourne University in Australia.

July 20, 2022

Top 10 Successful Black CEOs in America
There are a lot of negatives associated with the word “Black” when asked, “what does it stand for?”. For a very long period, people of colour and the black community have been misunderstood to a point that they at times feel apologetic for being black. There is a lot of frustration with the violence, racism, and underrepresentation faced by people of the Black race simply because they are Black.

There are powerful leaders like Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King Jr. and many more from the black community who, even when faced with struggles, barriers, misconceptions, racism and other problems have continued to show what it means to be black and proud.

Their work and identity reflect and continue to empower the community and give them the representation that is needed. Let’s look at the top black CEOs of America. These powerful people have shattered barriers and created role models for people of colour to look up to.

1. Muhga Eltigani
2. Oprah Winfrey
3. Dr Tony Coles
4. Robyn Rihanna Fenty
5. Marvin Ellison
6. Ursula Burns
7. Don Thompson
8. Mary Winston
9. Ted W Love
10. Toni Newman

Lack of Representation of Black CEOs

It is the 21st century and discrimination still persists. In general, black people are not promoted to leadership positions as often as others are. Only four CEOs Roz Brewer, Thasunda Brown Duckett, Marvin Ellison and René Jones made it to the list of leading Fortune 500 companies in the year 2021. One of the most talked-about CEO this year Elon Musk’s Tesla was ranked at the 100 in 2021.

We have curated a list of the black CEOs that have been successful in leading some of the top organizations working in industries as diverse as healthcare to consumer goods. Besides rescuing businesses that had their heads above water in diverse industries, these leaders have created space for inspiration for their community in the USA.

Here’s a list of the top 10 Black CEOs in America

1. Muhga Eltigani

Founder & CEO: NaturAll Club

Headquartered in: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Term: 2015 – Present

Industry: Consumer Goods

Muhga Eltigani, Founder of NaturAll Club

Being excited about how women are leading from different dynamics and emerging as leaders in today’s society, Mugha said:

I want to be a part of that. And I want to give back.

Her passion for helping the community love and inspire itself is one of the things that drives her to keep at it. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations; African Studies, and Religious Studies, Muhga Eltigani is a Founder/Chief Executive Officer at NaturAll Club.

NaturAll provides a subscription-based service that aims at promoting clean beauty standards with hair products that are freshly made using ingredients such as avocados, bananas and coconut crème. These ingredients are found to help hair become healthier. The products can be customized according to the person’s hair care needs.

Having a conflicting relationship with her hair, she was inspired by the homemade products of African women while interning in Ghana and visiting family in Sudan. Mugha began experimenting with natural ingredients in her own hair when she decided to embrace the idea, and later shared these recipes on her YouTube channel.

Let go of her law school, making the move to build a startup with co-founder Sam Roberts, pooling in her own personal savings for the NaturAll Club. She has been an active member of various societies including Sphinx Senior Society, Onyx Honor Society and Sigma Loto Rho.

Achievements of Muhga Eltigani

Eltigani has been honoured by Forbes 30 Under 30, Inc. Magazine’s 30 Under 30 in Business, Business Insider, and Essence and received awards that include:
- Stephen Wise Award (Office of the Chaplain at Univ. Of Pennsylvania—April 2014)
- Human Rights Award (Jubilee School – May 2014)
- Sigma Iota Rho (International Relations Honor Society)
- Black Alumni Association Student Leadership Award (University of Pennsylvania, April 2014) (Academic Year 2012-2013; Summer 2013) Sphinx Senior Society
- Foreign Language and Area Studies Award
- Onyx Senior Honor Society
2. Oprah Winfrey

CEO: Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)

Headquartered in: Los Angeles, California

Term: 2011 – Present

Industry: Entertainment

Oprah Winfrey, Founder and CEO of Oprah Winfrey Network

The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams – Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey has achieved it all, from writing a book to hosting her own talk show. She is an actress, producer, publisher, innovator and philanthropist. But just in case it escaped your notice, she is also the CEO of the successful cable network Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

OWN is a joint venture between Harpo, Inc. and Discovery Communications. It was available in 85 million homes when it launched on January 1, 2011. Inspired by the iconic leader herself, she attracts superstar talent to join her in prime time, building a global community of like-minded viewers and leading that community to connect on social media and beyond.

According to a Forbes report for 2020, it was estimated to be 37 million. The net worth of Oprah Winfrey as of 2022 is 3.5 billion dollars.

The global media leader has been involved in various activities, volunteering for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation and Angel Network.

Achievements of Oprah Winfrey

Oprah has received the following awards for her work:
- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress: The Color Purple: Nominated (1986)
- Won Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2011.
- Was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.
- Academy Award for Best Picture: Selma: Nominated (2015)
3. Dr Tony Coles

President, Chairman, and CEO: Cerevel Therapeutics

Headquartered in: Cambridge Massachusetts

Term: 2018 – Present

Industry: Pharmaceutical manufacturing

Tony Coles, CEO of Cerevel Therapeutics

Dr Tony Coles is the CEO of Cerevel Therapeutics. He has also worked for the following organizations in the past as the CEO:
- Ex-CEO of TRATE Enterprises, LLC
- Ex-CEO of Yumanity Therapeutics
- Ex-CEO of Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- Ex-CEO NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Dr Tony Coles has earned the following degrees:
- B.S. degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland
- M.S. degree in public health from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- And his M.D. degree from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
Before working for Cereval Therapeutics Dr. Cole has also worked with, ACE inhibitor drugs, LLC, Merck & Co., Onyx Pharmaceuticals, TRATE Enterprises, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Yumanity Therapeutics.

Cerevel Therapeutics operates as a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, which was formed through a partnership with Pfizer and Bain Capital in the year 2018. The company incorporates an understanding of the biology and neuro circuitry of the brain with advanced chemistry and central nervous system (CNS) receptor pharmacology. To help discover and develop novel therapies focusing on neuroscience diseases. The pharmaceutical manufacturing company has its funding from Crunchbase itself.

Tony Coles is an active member of multiple communities and national organizations, such as:
- The board of trustees at Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine
- NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture
- The board of trustees for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Council of Foreign Relations.
Tony Coles is a director at:
- Campus Crest Communities, Inc.
- Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings
- McKesson Corporation, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- Paralympic Foundation
- The U.S. Olympic
4. Robyn Rihanna Fenty

Founder and CEO: Fenty Beauty and Clara Lionel Foundation

Headquartered in: San Francisco, California

Term: 2017 – Present

Industry: Cosmetics

Rihanna Fenty, founder and CEO of Fenty Beauty and Clara Lionel Foundation

“It’s important for me to know who I am. There’s no way for people to know me.” – Robyn Rihanna Fenty

Born in Barbados in 1998 Rihanna has a history of a rough past with her parents’ divorce. In her teens, she enjoyed making music with her classmates and was eventually introduced to record producer Evan Rogers by her friends.

Travelling to Connecticut to work on her four-song demo album that included “Pon de replay” which later became her first hit single. Impressed with her singing skills Jay – Z collaborated with her on one of her other albums Music of the Sun which became platinum. Since her career took off Rihanna has been on a successful journey. She is an actress, a singer, a businesswoman and a mom.

The makeup line that was launched by the fashion, music and beauty icon: Fenty Beauty is very well known. Riris’ cosmetic brand was launched with the aim of inclusivity inspired by her personal style, which has made her a billionaire. Rihanna is the founder and CEO of Fenty Beauty.

Since the launch of the brand, it has become a label for disruption of the market and expansion into other domains as well through collaborations. This includes Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin, Savage × Fenty.

She has also been involved in charity work. She started to honour her grandparents, and she is the founder of the Clara Lionel Foundation which supports health and emergency response programs and effective education around the world. One of her most recent investments includes Destree.

Achievements of Rihanna Fenty:
- Being listed as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People by Time magazine.
- Became the Creative Director for the brand Puma in 2014.
- Winning 9 Grammys, 12 Billboard Awards, and two BRIT Awards.
- Expanding her brand from Fenty Beauty, Savage × Fenty, and Fenty Skincare.
5. Marvin Ellison

Chairman, President & CEO: Lowe’s

Headquartered in: Mooresville, North Carolina

Term: 2018 – Present

Industry: Retail

Marvin Ellison, CEO of Lowe’s

“One of our core behaviors is to show courage, and I ask you to demonstrate that by raising opportunities that need to be addressed.” –

Lowe’s continues to fulfil its commitment to improving the homes and businesses of homeowners, renters, and professionals. It has grown from a small-town hardware store to one of the largest home improvement retailers around the globe. The company has more than 2,200 stores and approximately 300,000 workers in the USA and Canada and generated revenue of $96.3 billion in 2021.

Before joining Lowe’s Marvin served as chairman and CEO of J.C. Penney Co. He is also the first African American to be President and CEO of two Fortune 500 companies.

His early life was marked by poverty and the limitations of living in rural and impoverished conditions. Despite these challenges, he majored in business at the University of Memphis. Juggling odd jobs, he managed to pay for his tuition fees.

Graduating with a Business Administration degree in Marketing and later earned his MBA at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He built his career in retail. He has worked for Target, Home Depot, Global Logistics, and JCPenney.

After leaving JCPenney, he joined Lowe’s and became CEO in 2018. The result of his leadership was an increase in the stock price of the company and its ranking on the Fortune 500 list of America’s 500 largest corporations by revenue.

The committees Marvin is a member of:
- FedEx Corporation, Board Member
- Retail Industry Leaders Association, Board Member
- The University of Memphis, Board of Trustees
- The Business Council
Marvin with his wife Sharyn is committed to serving within their faith and communities. Mainly through the support of organizations that promote higher education, self-empowerment and excellence for minority youth.

South Asian CEO’s | Top Asian CEOs of Fortune 500 Companies

The CEOs of top companies are mostly South Asian mainly from India. So, Here is a list of South Asian CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.

StartupTalkyATHUL C K

6. Ursula Burns

Former CEO: Xerox Holdings

Headquartered in: Norwalk, Connecticut

Term: 2009 – 2017

Industry: Information technologies and services

Ursula Burns, Former CEO of Xerox

“Dreams do come true, but not without the help of others, a good education, a strong work ethic, and the courage to lean in” – Ursula Burns

Known as among the first black women to be a CEO and succeed as the head of a Fortune 500 company. Born in New York and raised in a low-income housing project in Manhattan Ursula was raised by a single mother.

She obtained a bachelor of science degree in the field of Mechanical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of New York University in Brooklyn and a Master of Science from Columbia University. She joined Xerox as a summer mechanical engineering intern and later became a full-time employee there.

She was appointed as the CEO of Xerox Holdings in the year 2010. She led the company to success, turning it into a valuable business. In 2015 the company generated $18 billion in revenue. She stepped down from the position of the company after Xerox was split into two publicly traded companies: Conduent and a newly created Xerox.

Xerox Holdings Corporation is a holding company. The Company provides printers, scanners, supplies, and accessories through its subsidiaries. The company also serves the health care, insurance, government, and retail sectors across the globe. Xerox had previously focused only on document technology, for which Ursula was named as chairwoman, a $1 billion division.

Achievements of Ursula Burns:
- Serving as Chairwoman of VEON in 2017
- Being the first African-American woman to lead an S&P 500 company.
- Being a founding member of Change the Equation, a CEO-led non-profit program to boost STEM education in 2010 that was launched by the Obama administration.
- Being a member of the Uber board of directors.
7. Don Thompson

Former CEO: McDonald’s

CEO: Cleveland Avenue

Headquartered in: Chicago, Illinois

Term: 2015 – Present

Industry: Restaurant

Don Thompson, Former CEO of McDonald’s

Born in 1963, Chicago Don Thompson paved the way for the many firsts in the history of McDonald’s for the black community. He pursued a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University in Indiana. Graduated with a defence systems job as an engineering specialist with the Northrop Corporation in the Chicago suburb of Rolling Meadows.

Starting as a robotics engineer at McDonald’s he worked for the company for twenty-three years. As he was promoted, he also became the first Senior Vice President and Restaurant Support Officer for the company in the Midwest division. As a CEO, the job definitely came with many challenges as it required constant travelling for him.

He developed innovations for the global market during his time as an executive. He made impressive changes overseeing the menu that was curated based on local markets, field operations, and more. As a result, the company’s improvement rate and success increased. Thompson served as the CEO of the world’s fastest-growing food chain: McDonald’s globally for five years, which made history.

MC Donald’s is the place that truly stands for food, folks and fun where you can unwind and spend some quality time with your loved ones over food. Be it for birthdays or breakfast, MC Donald’s has become the go-to place for people of all age groups.

Quoting on what it felt like being the CEO: Thompson admitted that he had not given much thought to the question of what it would be like to be the CEO of McDonald’s, but nevertheless grabbed the opportunity when offered the role not just for his benefit, “but for those who look like us and came up like us”.

Don Thompson served on the Board of Directors for the following companies:

McDonald’s Corporation, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Catalyst, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Purdue University

Don Thompson is a member of the following organizations:
- The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club
- The Economic Club
- World Business Chicago
- and the Brazier Foundation
Achievements of Don Thompson
- He was the first black CEO at McDonald’s in almost a century of history.
- He has been listed as Black Enterprise’s 2007 Corporate Executive of the Year.
- One of BLACK ENTERPRISE’s 100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America.
After quitting his job, he still continues to engage himself in different initiatives to empower the black community. Thompson currently is the CEO of Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education (The CAFE) which he founded in 2014 with his wife Liz Thompson with the goal of bringing equity to the black community and breaking racial barriers. Currently, he lives with his wife Elizabeth and two children near Chicago Land.

8. Mary Winston

Former CEO: Bed Bath & Beyond

Term: 7 months

Headquartered in: New Jersey, New York

Industry: Retail

Mary Winston, Former CEO of Bath & Beyond

Winston is a well-respected leader who has served as an EVP & chief financial officer for a large fortune 300 retailer, as well as two other large companies, leading sizable financial organizations for years on large public company boards and audit committees for many years.

She is also the first black woman to head a Fortune 500 company after Ursula Burns and is listed as one of the most powerful women in corporate America.

Winston has extensive experience in all aspects of finance and accounting, as well as M&A, organizational strategy, cost restructuring programs, corporate governance/ compliance, and investor relations/communications.

This e-commerce business dealing with retail has a wide range of categories some of which include: bedding, bath, kitchen, dining, storage and cleaning and much more. Aiming at one goal: making people feel at home. In addition to this, the company fosters a culture that is diverse and equity-based, as well as customer-centric.

The corporate and retail industries are now the only industries that she has experience with; the others include retail, publishing/media, manufacturing and pharma.

Her public boards and memberships include:
- Acuity Brands, Inc.
- Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
- Dover Corporation
Achievements of Winston
- Corporate Directors to Watch, Issued by Directors & Boards Magazine—Jan 2017
- Most Powerful Corporate Directors Issued by Savoy Magazine, January 2016
- Most Powerful Women in Business in 2015, 2010, 2006
9. Ted W Love

CEO: Global Blood Therapeutics

Headquartered in: South San Francisco, California

Term: 2014 – Present

Industry: Biotechnology

Ted Love, President and CEO of Global Blood Therapeutics

Ted Love is the president and CEO of Global Blood Therapeutics. Earned his B.A. in molecular biology from Haverford College and an M.D. from Yale Medical School. He completed his residency and fellowship training in internal medicine and cardiology at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. He later served as a faculty member in the department of cardiology there.

Global Blood Therapeutics has a history of ten years of remaining committed to its goal of changing the paradigm of how SCD (sickle cell disease) is treated. They develop and create treatments for people living with blood-based disorders, starting with sickle cell disease. GBT has also developed the first drug that was approved by the FDA targeting the underlying cause of sickle cell disease rather than just its symptoms.

He has held a variety of positions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
- President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Nuvelo
- Served as Senior Vice President of Development at Theravance Inc.
- Worked at Genentech, Inc. holding several senior management positions
- Chairman of Genentech’s Product Development Committee
He has been on the following boards:
- Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.
- Predix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- Santarus, Inc.
- Affymax, Inc.
- ARCA biopharma, Inc.
- The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee)
10. Toni Newman

CEO: Black AIDS Institute

Headquartered in: Los Angeles

Term: 2021 – Present

Industry: Healthcare

Toni Newman, CEO of Black AIDS Institute

She has earned her identity and is proud of it, facing challenges like finding herself in a world where she fought to earn it. Despite losing her family and friends’ support, employment and shelter. Toni still found the courage to continue to seek the path that was right for her. The estimated Net Worth of Toni Newman is $1 million dollars.

Toni Newman is a member of the African American transgender community. Born in North Carolina, she earned her BA degree in sociology from Wake Forest University and has been studying at the ALU School of Law, a current candidate for her Juris Doctorate (JD).

Toni Newman is also the author of the best-selling memoir I Rise-The Transformation of Toni Newman, which has been nominated for two Lambda literary awards in the categories of memoirs and transgender non-fiction. Which was also adapted into a feature film with the title “The Heart of a Woman”

Committed to ending the HIV epidemic formerly known as the African American AIDS Policy Training Institute. It was founded by Phil Willson in 1999. Black Aids Institute is a national non-profit organization making people aware and ending HIV in black America while engaging and working with black institutions and leaders.

Newman has experience working in:
- Chair Of the Board of Directors for TransCanWork, Inc
- Faculty Member at Transgender Strategy Center
- Co-Founder/CEO at SPI Productions LLC
- Interim Director of Employment Services at SF LGBT Center
- Executive Director at JAMES ST. JAMES INFIRMARY
- Development Director at Maitri compassionate care
- Fundraiser/ legislative assistant at Equality California
- Interim Director of Development and Communication at T.H.E. (To Help Everyone) Health and Wellness Centers
- Interim Executive Director/President at LYRIC
Why do Some of the Top CEO’s Take a $1 Salary?

You might have heard CEO’s of billion-dollar companies like Elon Musk take 1 dollar as a salary but How do they lve With just one dollar salary?. Let’s find out.

StartupTalkyDamini Bhandary

Conclusion

Overcoming barriers, shattering stereotypes and paving the way for future generations. They have proven what they bring to the table and what they can do to create change, as black CEOs with the power to lead. All the while giving back to their communities will drive success at some of the most successful organizations in America.

FAQs

Which company has black CEO?

Some of the companies that have black CEOs are:
- Craig Arnold, Eaton
- Rosalind ‘Roz’ Brewer, Walgreens Boots Alliance
- Thasunda Brown Duckett, TIAA
- Marvin Ellison, Lowe’s
- Janice Bryant Howroyd, ActOne
- Paul Mola, Roswell Biotechnologies
- Toni Newman, Black AIDS Institute
Who was the first black woman CEO?

Ursula Burns was the first black woman CEO. She became the CEO of Xerox in 2009.

Who was the first black CEO?

Clifton R.Wharton, Jr. was the first black CEO of TIAA-CREF he took the charge of the company in 1987.
June 3, 2022

The Successful Journey of Suchi Mukherjee: Founder & CEO of LimeRoad

Growing at a 30% compound annual growth rate, the ecommerce industry is certainly emerging as one of the most popular industries in India. Online marketplaces of varying niches, are rising and dominating the Indian market that was once known for its mom and pop stores. LimeRoad, one of the first women’s social shopping sites, is currently among the most well-known shopping destinations of the Indians.

Dealing primarily in clothing and accessories for men, women, and children, at the end of 2017, LimeRoad claimed to have scaled 150% in terms of revenue, traffic, and more and had also successfully secured the 2nd spot in the online fashion vertical, as mentioned by Suchi Mukherjee.

Suchi Mukherjee is an Indian Entrepreneur, and the face behind the successful online shopping site, LimeRoad. Founded in 2012, Suchi Mukherjee is the Founder and CEO of LimeRoad, who founded the company with Ankush Mehra and Prashant Malik. While Malik has parted with the organisation, Mehra is still serving as the Co-founder and Director of A.M Marketplaces Pvt. Ltd., the parent company of LimeRoad, and Mukherjee is helming LimeRoad.

She aimed at creating the largest women’s-only marketplace in South East Asia. She has been conferred with various awards owing to her contributions in ascending business and comprehending consumer technology. In 2011, Global Women’s Forum voted her No. 1 among 15 “Rising Talent- global leaders under 40” via World Women’s Forum.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the Life and Career of Suchi Mukherjee and the successful journey that Suchi experienced to date, which starts from her Early Life, and includes Suchi’s Education, Career at LimeRoad, Awards won by Suchi Mukherjee & more.

Suchi Mukherjee – Biography

Name	Suchi Mukherjee
Born	6 July 1973
Birthplace	Haryana, India
Position	Founder & CEO, LimeRoad
Nationality	Indian
Education	University of Cambridge
Profession	Entrepreneur
Awards	INFOCOM Women of the Year (2015), Unicorn Startup Award (2016) & more
Marital Status	Married
Children	2

Suchi Mukherjee – Early Life and Education
Suchi Mukherjee – Career and Joblife
Suchi Mukherjee – The Birth of an Entrepreneur
Suchi Mukherjee – Personal Life
Suchi Mukherjee – Honors & Awards

Suchi Mukherjee – Early Life and Education

Suchi Mukherjee hailed from a middle-class family in Haryana, India. She was a bright student in her school and college. Suchi studied at St Stephen’s College in Delhi, and was then enrolled in the University of Cambridge from where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with Maths. She is a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholar & Fellow and a Chadburn Scholar. She holds a University record in Development Economics. Suchi is the Elected Member of Newnham Associates from the University of Cambridge in 2008.

Soon after she got admitted to The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), from where she obtained an MSc degree in Finance and Economics. She is also a British Chevening Scholar at LSE.

Suchi Mukherjee – Career and Joblife

Suchi started working in a sector that was focused on Telecoms Media Technology (previously financial institutions) at Lehman Brothers Incorporation. She was a Senior Associate, Corporate Finance at the company and worked there for five years (July 1998 to June 2003).

Post that, she joined Virgin Media, where Suchi became the Director of Change & Business Development and worked for 2 years. She was a member of the Consumer Division Management Team of the firm. The company grossed a revenue of $2.5 billion under her leadership. She worked there from June 2003 to May 2005.

eBay Inc was the next company that she joined. Though eBay seems to have already lost the ecommerce war in India, as it looks like at least, it was previously among the ecommerce biggies. There she headed the Business Seller Programs and CS. She was a member of the UK Operating Management Team of the e-commerce portal and was prominently promoted in eBay, owing to her managerial and business skills. After 1 year, Suchi eventually emerged as the Director & Member of Executive Management Team at Skype, which was then a subsidiary of the Pierre Omidyar-founded eBay Inc company. She examined product and marketing, which included planning, product/UI design, payments, brand management, advertising channels, and more. She performed in the same job role from July 2007 to December 2008, before she was promoted again. Now, this time, it was GumTree, in which Suchi Mukherjee became the Managing Director & GM in January 2009. It was an eBay Inc company. She served at the company for over two years and left the job in August 2011. Under her leadership, the company escalated from No. 3 to No. 1 within a few years.

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Suchi Mukherjee – The Birth of an Entrepreneur

After performing extremely well in her career, and serving at numerous companies in over 5+ job roles, Suchi Mukherjee eventually thought of establishing her own startup that is focused on fashion and apparel for women. Suchi is currently serving as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the e-commerce site, LimeRoad, which was established in 2012. However, what drove her to pursue the life of an entrepreneur is something really interesting.

The Idea Behind the Startup, LimeRoad

The startup story of LimeRoad was kickstarted out of a moment of utter frustration that Suchi Mukherjee experienced. This was just after her second child was born. Suchi was 39 then and on maternity leave. One day Suchi was flipping through a magazine when she suddenly glanced at a very attractive piece of jewellery. However, the jewellery was there in a very small store in Mumbai and it couldn’t have reached her anytime soon. This made her realise 2 very important things that were central to the launch of LimeRoad:

There wasn’t any app/website/portal that helped pretty and interesting accessories to be discovered easily
There wasn’t any platform that allowed people to go through the lists of accessories that were manufactured to be sold outside India

Thus, the aim to create a unique platform where one can find beautiful and affordable accessories and lifestyle products in an easy-to-use interface, was the main idea that drove Suchi Mukherjee to launch LimeRoad, which is now counted among the best female-founded fashion brands in India. The idea was foolproof to the very brim because she was aware of the fact that India was the manufacturing hub for over 21% of the lifestyle products that are sold across the world. This made her realize that it would then be certainly delightful and profitable too to bring all the vendors in the lifestyle product category under a single roof.

“Here is an industry which is our strength. All I wanted to do was to use technology so that manufacturers, designers and sellers could flourish and users could source beautiful products, which currently they were not able to,” said Suchi.

Starting up of LimeRoad

LimeRoad Logo

Suchi found a serious need for a devoted females’ portal where they can find inexpensive accessories and products without any hassles. This is where she found an opportunity to grow rapidly in the market. She kept in mind the needs of the females and knew that the women like to examine other options before being a product. Her masterful understanding of the business led her to get to the root of the real issue of service and product.

Besides, there were plenty of nonidentified vendors who were not allowed to add their products to keep up with the quality. She worked on identifying the right balance between the demands and the supplies. Suchi flew back to India in 2011 with a vision of founding a global brand in the country, after she made all the arrangements, to work on this new startup.

Suchi recalled, “with a passion for driving change and innovation, which is also the core element of Limeroad’s culture, I got together with my co-founders to build something transformational.” Prashant Malik, who worked at Facebook and returned to India to start with something new, and Ankush Mehra, who headed the supply chain of Reliance Hypermarkets, were introduced to Suchi Mukherjee by her common friends when she was evaluating the market opportunity a year before setting up LimeRoad.

LimeRoad was visualised by Suchi Mukherjee and the other founders as the digital equivalent of the 16th century Grand Trunk Road that changed the face of trade in the Indian subcontinent.

Suchi Mukherjee as the Co-founder and CEO of LimeRoad

LimeRoad is hailed as one of the fastest-growing digital shopping platforms in India. It is currently a 50,000+ strong women’s community. From being a startup to the LimeRoad we see today that competes with companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Snapdeal, and more, Suchi Mukherjee’s contributions are undoubtedly huge. It was also under the leadership of Suchi Mukherjee that LimeRoad, today, boasts of having over 50 million visitors.

LimeRoad Challenges

Limeroad, just like any other startup, too had to face a whole lot of challenges when it started up. One of the major problems that the startup faced was the difficulty in finding the right people to build a solid team that could help the company get a blend of skill and a can-do attitude. Although LimeRoad could get over this challenge that was imposed, it tends to pop and test the company every now and then.

Getting the right infrastructure with a high-speed and reliable internet connection was also difficult. Suchi Mukherjee also had to confront numerous legal processes to register a company, which she had no previous experience in dealing with, especially in India.

One other challenge was to find the perfect work-life balance. Suchi felt that being a woman it was tough to be an entrepreneur because back then she also had huge familial commitments. However, one thing is certain Suchi was really supported by her family, which included her husband.

LimeRoad and its Team at Present

LimeRoad was founded as an online shopping platform in 2012 by Suchi Mukherjee, Ankush Mehra, and Prashant Malik. The company is currently headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana, India, where Suchi serves as the Co-Founder and CEO of the company.

Ankush Mehra, Suchi Mukherjee and Prashant Malik from Left to Right – Founders of LimeRoad

It is a social-commerce platform primarily made for women with an improbable diameter of carefully selected retailers. It enables customers to discover the best lifestyle products across categories like apparel, accessories, home, and non-perishable food.

Bollywood Actor Neha Dhupia serves as the Art Director of LimeRoad. Dhupia was roped in by LimeRoad back in May 2014, who eventually picked up stakes in the company and is a regular employee of LimeRoad who draws a salary each month. Neha was originally the choice of LimeRoad because of her glam quotient that everyone is familiar with. Ahti Heinla, Founding Architect of Skype and Michel V Swaaji, Ex-Chairman of Skype, serves as the Advisors of LimeRoad and are among the Board of Advisors of the company. The investors of LimeRoad include Matrix Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Tiger Global. LimeRoad was last valued at $108.18 mn (around Rs 838.5 crore) after a funding round in October 2019.

Suchi Mukherjee- Personal Life

She got married to her long-time boyfriend, Sandeep Kunte, Director Treasury at Barclays Bank. Sandeep and Suchi tied the knot in 2006 and the couple now bears two children, daughter Myra and son Aadit. Suchi first met Sandeep, her future husband, at St Stephen’s College. Until now, no controversies arose against her. Her husband and family are known for being supportive throughout her life to date.

Suchi Mukherjee – Honors & Awards

Both Suchi Mukherjee and the company, LimeRoad have been felicitated with numerous awards and accolades. Here’s presenting a list of some of the most prominent ones:

LimeRoad received the Coolest startup of the year award from Business Today in 2015
Suchi won INFOCOM Women of the Year in 2015
NDTV conferred her with the Unicorn Startup Award in 2016
The Economic Times nominated her for the ET Startup Award in 2017

FAQs

Who is Suchi Mukherjee?

Suchi Mukherjee hails from Haryana, India, and is known as the Co-founder and CEO of LimeRoad, an Indian online marketplace owned by A.M Marketplaces Pvt. Ltd.

Where was Suchi Mukherjee born?

Suchi Mukherjee was born in Haryana, India.

Is Suchi Mukherjee married?

Yes, Suchi Mukherjee is married to Sandeep Kunte and has a son and a daughter.

What is LimeRoad?

LimeRoad is primarily known as a fashion ecommerce marketplace founded by Suchi Mukherjee, Prashant Malik, and Ankush Mehra, which was founded in 2012, and helps the users discover, shop, and share a wide array of fashion products and accessories that are above the mundane.

What is the valuation of LimeRoad?

LimeRoad was last valued at Rs 838.5 crore ($108.18 mn) in October 2019.

June 1, 2022

Opinions on Gender Pay Gap in India – Know From Actual Women Entrepreneurs

What is your opinion on the Gender Pay Gap in India? Have you experienced it? As the number of women working in every profession shot up, the difference in the wage gap between them and their counterparts became ever so evident. We call it the Gender Pay Gap.

It is only in recent times that women have come on board calling out this ill practice in almost every profession. Even Hollywood and Bollywood actress has been witness to this unfair idea of being paid lesser than men. Having the same amount of education, skill set, expertise and experience but still being paid than your peers (men) is not only frustrating but highly disappointing. We dive deep into the issue as we listen to a few professionals share their own experiences.

Bunisha KhajaMohaideen – Co-Founder, Terabite Ekarts

Bunisha KhajaMohaideen – Co-Founder, Terabite Ekarts

Gender Pay Gap is predominant and non-measurable especially in the unorganised sector when compared to organised sectors because of lesser opportunity towards education, employment and training programs. In organised sectors, recent corporate policies, amendments and framework helps to narrow the Gender Pay Gap whereas Social injustice in the unorganised sector widens the gap even furthermore. So we need to empower women from the bottom level of the social pyramid if we really need to overcome gender based pay disparity. Startups like Terabite ekarts are empowering independent women entrepreneurs and self help groups through opportunity, technology, training exposures to stand on their own with promising business models.

I have not experienced any gender biased pay gap so far and look forward to providing similar exposure to women in our startup.

Women Entrepreneurs on Why They Chose Entrepreneurship

It is Sunday. You wake up in the morning, as usual and grab the newspaper to gothrough the headlines and you are pleasingly surprised to know that SBI iswilling to step up and invest in the already troubled Yes Bank. Well, this maysound like any other acquisition news but there’s something differ…

StartupTalkyAshwini

Dr. Shikha Baghi Bhandari – CEO & Owner, Timeless Aesthetics

Gender pay gap is a clear and present issue. India is growing in terms of technology and economy however, is there an equal spread among the masses, I obviously think not.

Not lacking in skill but the lacking in compensation, is simply outrageous and unfair. It’ll remain so as long as women don’t break the glass ceiling and declare their presence. Best way to accomplish that is to start your own business. Become your own boss and spread equality as it should be.

Given the nature of my profession, it is primarily dominated by women so I cannot say that I have witnessed the gender pay discrepancy. However, there are those I know socially who confess to this phenomenon frequently to me. I wish I could put forth solutions to it but sadly, it requires a higher level of reformation.

My trainings allow women to be able to earn properly in the market. My trained professionals are running their own businesses both in India and abroad. and those who can’t muster enough means, I hire myself.

My staff is treated on an equal scale. Merit first and skill second, regardless of what gender you are born with.

The Challenges Women Face as Entrepreneurs

For a long time now, Bollywood and the storybooks have been raking mullahsthrough selling the idea of a fairy-tale. Something that’s so deeply rooted andthen marketed in and around women that many have started believing that afairy-tale is the ultimate destination for a woman in our country and e…

StartupTalkyAshwini

Shradha Vyas – Founder, Carpediem

Shradha Vyas – Founder, Carpediem

Yes of course, the gender pay gap is real and not a myth. Men are normally considered more capable, more “get the work done” type. But what many don’t realize is that, Women are the ones that are better in planning, better in delegating, better in managing etc.… I did experience the pay gap when I was in my third job, after a decent years of experience in my belt, that a male colleague with the same / even lesser experience than me had been given a promotion even though my results were much better. But in the end of the day, hard work matters and that’s lead me to opening my own Company where we not only promote gender equality in all aspects, but we also have a healthy competition between the genders.

What prejudices do women face as entrepreneurs?

Women in Entrepreneurship! Even after 73 summers of independence, this phrasepleasantly raises a few eyebrows. And the ‘pleasantly’ that I added before theraise doesn’t sound as pleasant as it should be. Rather, it is a matter ofconcern for our country. According to a census, women make only arou…

StartupTalkyAshwini

Adhvika Agarwal – Co-founder, ORCO

Gender Pay gap exists in India and at every level. When we talk about blue collar jobs, the women are differentiated on the basis of strength and it is already assumed by people that a woman doesn’t have much strength and hence should be paid less. Talking about white collar work, getting paid less is a different thing all together, women are not even considered for job ! Even in 2021, you will see number of job posts on LinkedIn mentioning that only male candidates will be preferred. We are living in 21st century now and such differences are just absurd

When I was working, I experienced this first hand. It was that time of the year that makes some people nervous and others excited. The time of appraisals. I knew I had done well. But the increment wasn’t what I had expected. When I confronted my manager, I was told that since the company already compensates for my travel they would cut down on my increment. I was taken aback when I heard this. And as expected I didn’t last too long in that company.

I personally believe women can put as much hard work as men in any kinds of jobs and its time the industry starts treating women equally and giving them the due credit

Do You Wonder How Women Manage Work and Family?

“The dawn of globalization has opened up great avenues for business models andthey are no longer perceived as male or female-dominated. Today, the emphasis isgiven to what an individual has to offer and how his/her ideas contribute to thebigger picture without any focus on gender.” This is India …

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Vanya Chandel – Founder, Forfurs

Vanya Chandel – Founder, Forfurs

According to United Nations, legal restrictions have kept around 2.7 billion women from accessing the same choice of jobs as men and as of 2019, less than 25 per cent of parliamentarians were women and one in three women experience gender-based violence. This women’s day we should promise ourselves that we will do better by other women and ourselves. Be a little more kind and bold and go after things we want fearlessly. Raising our voice against injustice towards other women and uplifting and empowering each other, co-existing and collaborating and creating a safe and happy world for women everywhere. Happy Women’s Day!

Chahat Aggarwal- Founder and CEO of Impact Study Biz

Chahat Aggarwal- Founder and CEO of Impact Study Biz

Having done my fair share of stints in the corporate world, of course I have experienced a pay gap due to no other reason but my gender, which truly was heartbreaking. And without a shadow of a doubt, I find the gap to be absurd. The phenomenon is a roadblock to India’s path to achieving decent working conditions and inclusive growth. Economic women empowerment will help women in so many spheres. Its after-effects are truly immense. Fortunately, we are making progress, but it is low and needs to accelerate.

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Bhakti Dalal – Independent Communications Consultant & Founder, BDCC

While Gender Pay Gap in India exists, it is slowly but surely diminishing.

Today, companies and organisations, (at least in metros and larger cities) are realizing that gender is not a factor that determines the quality of work. This realization is enabling people, regardless of their gender, to demand for fees/remuneration based on the output they deliver.

Yes, there of course is an apparent initial sense that women may not command the same pay as men but once the work ethic, style and output has been demonstrated, in my opinion, businesses are definitely evolving from their tradition mindsets. I have been fortunate to work alongside businesses (that although seem very one specific gender biased), they have been extremely professional when it comes to work.

How to Be Successful – Get Advice from Actual Women Entrepreneurs

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Somali Singh – Co-Founder, Teknofeet

As a topic gender pay gap needs to be addressed holistically.
The pay gap is rooted in all segments of society. In India, the pay gap exists at all levels. In most cases, the pay gap increases with the job experience reflecting the fact that there is a considerable bias and stereotyping that exists in society. In my view, a 360-degree approach could be taken which starts right from educating about ‘discrimination in the workplace and removing conscious and unconscious bias in terms of women workforce, reinforcing diversity goals for organisations of all levels and creating an environment of ‘equal wages for all talent’ at all levels.

Ms. Ravina Jain – Founder & CEO, The Skin Story & The Beard Story

The highly prevalent gap in gender pay has its roots in the dominant patriarchal system that is slowly and steadily changing for the better. However, even this has not slowed down or halted the progress of leadership-oriented women to reach for their dreams and aspirations. On the other hand, the very mold that had kept many into the shadows is becoming the precise platform on which these women are launching their enthusiastic ventures, transforming the prevalent culture by redefining the socio-political prejudices and embarking on their journeys that are made of heart and hardships.

Ms. Pooja Nagdev – Founder, Inatur

In my opinion, Gender Pay Gap is a thing of the past. More than gender, merit is the key determinant of pay. Today women are leading some of the biggest organizations all over the world including India. They are excelling in the fields like Medicine, Healthcare, Politics, and even Space Exploration. There are equal employment opportunities. The government and administration have ensured that these opportunities are available not just in urban but rural areas. Minimum Wages and Statutory employee benefits do not discriminate between genders. Not just pays, there are private and public sector efforts to ensure that women have equal opportunities in education, nutrition & health to pave way for an equal and progressive career.

Anamika Pandey, Founder, Naario

In my opinion, the gender pay gap in India is very real. Not just in offices but at home. For instance, being a stay-at-home mom is a full-time job but are any of our homemakers really paid for it? I do not think so.

One of the reasons we started Naario was to bridge this gap. Even when you look at corporates and how the pay gap is, you’ll not be surprised. A fairly big reason for this is that women are not seen as primary bread winners in India. An earning women is always viewed as secondary or additional income source. I had fallen prey to this mentality too and it took years to let go of this bias.

But there seems to be a ray of hope in the tunnel. With the Governement boosting the participation of women in the organised and unorganised sectors, there will be less information asymmetry in terms of pay scale. And that I think is the first step towards bridging the gap!

Ms.Ankita Dabas, Global CMO & Chief India Business Officer, LaunchMyCareer

India has been marking its place among the major economies of the world. However, despite the economic development gender pay gap persists in India. Pay in any organization should be skill-based and not gender-based. Women put as much effort into their work as men do, hence, the pay gap beyond a reasonable amount should not be accepted. In case any woman in any organization is subdued with lesser pay as compared to their male counterparts, she needs to understand the reason for the gap, and upskill herself in case of the skill-based gap. If the gap is non-skill-based, she needs to raise her voice against the discrimination and ask for raise. Women should realise their importance and their work’s significance. The situation in metros cities has been fast evolving towards gender-equal pay, however, a lot is still to be desired in other parts of the country.

Namrata Rupani, Founder & CEO, Capture Life Dental Care & Studio Capture Life

As an entrepreneur, I can assert with conviction that the thrill and euphoria of nurturing your own business and achieving your dreams far exceed any and every challenge along the way. In most sectors and setups, gender pay does exist as a phenomenon that is primarily driven by the prevalent patriarchal setup. However, it’s the support system of leading woman entrepreneurs that has helped build a constructive and conducive environment for young potential entrepreneurs to be groomed for success and excellence.

Sargam Dhawan Bhayana, Founder & Director, Tressmart

The difference in earnings between men and women is still a very wide gap. In a world where women are successfully leading in politics, sports, healthcare, technology, manufacturing and businesses, wage inequality remaining a challenge, is a very shameful scenario. Wage equality gaps in India, in a way also impact the progress of gender equality at a national and international level.

Though the scenario is changing now, there is a huge gap that still needs to be bridged as far as gender pay gaps are concerned. The labor force in india is divided into the organized and unorganized sector, making this gap even more prevalent in the rural areas where women are facing disparity in wages at a much larger scale. Even though the Constitution of India grants us equal rights as women, and we are entitled to equal wages for equal work, it is not always implemented in reality.

Even though India has come a long way in addressing these issues, there is still a lot that needs to be done. To truly become a progressive nation, the government should make it their agenda to close the gender pay gap by emulating what has been done in more progressive Western countries to uplift women.

Shreya Sharma, C.E.O and Founder, Rest The Case

While I think it is getting better I think we still have a long way to go. Your pay is usually defined by your position and your gender often affects your growth, women have time and again faced this kind of discrimination without people seeing the work they could have put in. I have always believed that people should get paid for the work they put in and not what gender they are. They should get the pay they deserve.

Diksha Chhabra, Founder, Diksha Chhabra Fitness Consultations

Diksha Chhabra – Founder of Diksha Chhabra Fitness Consultations

Gender pay gap has been an existing issue not just at national but global levels.. there is no denying that women get less acknowledgement for their hardwork and participation at the work front compared to their male counterparts and this has its roots laiden from ages with the belief that women are inferior and should settle for less..
No matter how advance we become as a workforce , this thought will take time to diminish and over the years the gap is reducing with more awareness, flexibility, recognition and voice amongst women and the employers.

Studies show that the gap is bridging and factors that are working as catalysts are setting the right policies and approach of paying as per cerebral aptitude and not by the gender one is born with.

Neha Bagaria, Founder & CEO, JobsForHer

Neha-Bagaria – Founder, JobsForHer

The pandemic has just widened the gender pay gap further in India with women being left behind on pay raises and bonuses. According to ADP’s study ‘People at Work 2021: A Global Workforce View’, in India only 65 per cent of women received a pay rise or bonus for taking on extra responsibilities or a new role compared to 70 per cent of men.

We need to be cognizant of the fact that women typically under-report their achievements and give more credit to their team members than men do. Reporting managers need to be cognizant of these biases when evaluating women’s performance and ensure that gender pay parity is maintained in their teams.

Conclusion

Although, many organisations may refrain from acknowledging the fact that gender pay gap is a global reality and that women are being paid lesser than their male counterparts because, well, they’re women. Feminism across the globe are on the rise and have taken up this issue due to the consequences and unfair nature of this practice.

It’s not fair to be having equal talents and still being considered a runner up in the long run. Women work twice as hard in their professions just to make sure no one accuses them of playing the “women card” for climbing the corporate ladder. It’s difficult enough that they are required to juggle multiple fronts at home and work. Women therefore are no longer passive about this situation seek full fledged attention and demand an equal opportunity and remuneration, rightfully so. If an opportunity arises where you have a say in this matter, please speak up and do the right thing!

March 8, 2022
Top 9 Schemes Financing Women Entrepreneurs in India to Fly High and Shape Up their Dream
India has been the victim of patriarchy for ages and this has led to the downfall in women-specific matters. Earlier, various social taboos restricted women from studying and working. Entrepreneurship was something out of reach for them. But in recent decades, things have changed a lot.

Women have now achieved a lot. Not a single sector is being left where they are not successful with flying colours. Despite restrictions and lack of social support, women’s entrepreneurship is rising. As a result, the government has taken steps to boost women to come forward and give way to their dreams and career.

Gone are the days when lack of capital was a barrier for women to start a business. Several schemes and benefits are being introduced by big organizations for women’s development. Also, this development is heading towards the economic growth of the nation and it is an inspiration for many.

A report by TOI states that more than 1 lakh projects are running under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program since its start. Well, if you are a woman and have a top-notch business plan, you are in the right place. Read out the article below to find out which scheme suits you the best.

Annapurna Scheme
Udyogini Scheme
Stree Shakti Scheme
Bharatiya Mahila Bank Business Loan
Cent Kalyani Scheme
Mudra Yojana Scheme
Dena Shakti Scheme
Mahila Udyam Nidhi Scheme
TREAD Scheme

Annapurna Scheme

The State Bank of Mysore and Bharatiya Mahila Bank is offering Annapurna Scheme to women interested in starting a food catering business. This government launched scheme provides a loan of up to Rs 50,000. Further, the loan is being used as working capital to buy products such as utensils and kitchen equipment.

Moreover, a guarantor and collateral in the form of the asset are needed to avail this scheme. The best part of this scheme is that you can repay the amount within three years.

Also, women who avail of the loan get a grace period of one month before the repayment process begins. But, the interest rates depend on the market rate. The lender gets the benefit by not paying the EMI for the first month.

Udyogini Scheme

Udyogini scheme was started by Women Development Corporation to provide loans to women who want to start their small ventures. In this scheme, any woman who wants to start a business categorized under 88 small-scale industries will get a loan of up to Rs 3 lakhs.

The industries include fisheries, groceries, trailering, poultry, dairy, bakeries, etc. Apart from that, if someone starts a business in the agricultural sector, they will be provided with an interest-free loan.

Besides, the government also proposes to give up to 30% subsidy on loans to make the repayment affordable for women entrepreneurs. Moreover, the scheme also offers training to women about business planning, pricing, and feasibility. The scheme helps micro industries to grow and support underprivileged women from rural areas to earn their livelihood.

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Stree Shakti Scheme

Started by various branches of SBI, this scheme is beneficial to women entrepreneurs associated with the Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP) run by the state agency.

Women with majority ownership in small businesses are eligible for this program. Here, women can avail of a 0.5% concession on loans above Rs 2 lakh, and no security is needed when the loan amount is up to Rs 5 lakhs. Also, you can avail of a loan of up to Rs 50 lakhs.

Bharatiya Mahila Bank Business Loan

The scheme, implemented by Bhartiya Mahila Bank merged with the State Bank of India. It is a boon for women who want to run their businesses in the retail sector. The scheme allows for a loan of up to Rs 20 crore for a manufacturing enterprise.

Also, a concession to the extent of 0.25% on the interest rate ranges higher starting from 10.15%. Besides, the collateral-free loan is being offered up to Rs 1 crore under CGTMSE (Credit Guarantee Fund Trust For Micro and Small Enterprises) cover.

Cent Kalyani Scheme

The Cent Kalyani scheme was started by the Central Bank of India. It offers loans to women involved in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, retail trading, or any agricultural practices.

Here, a loan of up to Rs 1 crore is offered to women entrepreneurs without any collateral or guarantor. The interest rate in this scheme depends on the market rate. Additionally, it requires no processing fee and the tenure is of up to 7 years.

Mudra Yojana Scheme

The Mudra Yojana Scheme or the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) scheme was launched in 2015 by the government of India in order to help the startups and entrepreneurs in India. A “government scheme for small units” is also a great initiative for the women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs-to-be who are willing to start with small enterprises like beauty parlors, tailoring stations, tuitions etc.

With the Mudra scheme, loans worth Rs 50,000 – Rs 50 lakhs can be availed of by women. Here, they should only have to provide collateral and guarantors in case the loan amount they request is over Rs 10 lakhs. The 3 plans that are under this scheme are:
- Shishu plan – This extends loans up to Rs 50,000 for new businesses.
- Kishor plan – This offers individuals and businesses loans that range between Rs 50,000 and Rs 5 lakh for the enterprises that are already established.
- Tarun plan – This extends loans between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh for the expansion of businesses.
Dena Shakti Scheme

Dena Shakti Scheme is one of the schemes offered by the Dena Bank, which empowers women entrepreneurs, where the women who are employed in the fields of agriculture, retail, manufacturing, are small enterprises or micro-credit organizations are hugely benefitted. The Dena Shakti Scheme offers women entrepreneurs up to Rs 20 lakhs for the women employed in the above-mentioned categories, whereas it extends loans up to Rs 50,000 in the micro-credit category.

Mahila Udyam Nidhi Scheme

Mahila Udyam Nidhi Scheme is another scheme centered on the women entrepreneurs of India. Launched under the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), this scheme offers the women entrepreneurs of the country financial aid up to Rs 10 lakhs, which they can use to set up small-scale ventures. The upgrading and modernisation of the existing products are another vertical that is greatly empowered by the Mahila Udyam Nidhi scheme. The funds received through this scheme allow the women business leaders to have a time span of 10 years within which they need to repay the funds they receive, where there is a 5-year moratorium period.

TREAD Scheme

The TREAD Scheme, expanded to Trade Related Entrepreneurship Assistance and Development, is a government of India scheme that is focused on women who lack access to bank credit. Providing for business projects, conducting training and counselling sessions are some of the main focuses of the TREAD scheme. The scheme provides up to 30% of the total project cost via the government grant as per the assessment of the lending organisations, while the remaining 70% would be financed by the lending institutions themselves. The TREAD scheme offers a maximum of Rs 5 lakh per project.

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Conclusion

With the onset of women entrepreneurship in India and its fast-rising growth, government and non-government institutions are keen on supporting them. Fund generations and capital formation is now not a barrier anymore for women who either want to start a business as their dream project or want to earn their livelihood. The economy now needs contributions from women with the belief in their talent and hard work.

If you are one of them who want to start a business at an early age as your dream career or think of supporting your family, go on to avail the benefits of the schemes and funds by several institutions.

Now no more struggling to collect funds and no more arguments with family. Your power is within you. You need to wake up and make yourself aware of the benefits that revolve around you and are meant for you.

FAQ

Which scheme is meant for women entrepreneurs?

Annapurna Scheme, Udyogini Scheme, Stree Shakti Scheme, and Cent Kalyani Scheme are some of the schemes that are boosting women entrepreneurs.

How do I become a female entrepreneur?

Becoming a female entrepreneur is not easy still in this male-dominated society. Having a clear vision, identifying market opportunities duly, learning business skills, networking, planning finances are some of the fronts that a woman entrepreneur should develop on.

Who is the most famous female entrepreneurs?

Indra Nooyi, Vandana Luthra, Falguni Nayar, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw are some of the most famous entrepreneurs in India.
March 7, 2022
List of Indian Clothing Brands Founded by Women
Indian women are no longer bound to a housewife’s job in today’s society; instead, they are redefined. They freely and enthusiastically contribute to the household and lead a business. Currently, the retail business is booming, and women are eagerly joining this sector to get information from a fresh perspective. It is a profitable job, and there is an intense desire among women to work in retail. A constantly rising tribe of female entrepreneurs has been carving out a name for themselves in various fields and businesses.

In a society where gender stereotypes abound, there are 6 Indian clothing firms created by women who impact the fashion retail sector and are critical in the development of successful enterprises.

Indian clothing brands Founded by Women
- Biba
- WROGN
- IMARA
- Indya
- Vajor
- Okhai
Conclusion
FAQs

Indian Startups founded by Women

Indian clothing brands Founded by Women

Here are some of the top Indian clothing brands that are founded by women.

Biba

Founder : Meena Bindra
Founded: 1988

Biba- Indian Clothing Brand founded by Women

BIBA was established as a brand in 1988 by designer turned entrepreneur Meena Bindra. After years of wholesale distribution to traditional retailers, it opened its first exclusive store in Inorbit Mall of Mumbai in the early 1990s.

BIBA was one of the first few brands to employ the shop-in-shop model.

In 2012, it was named the Most Admired Women’s Indian Wear Brand of the Year by Images, and at the CMAI Apex Awards. BIBA was named Best Women’s Ethnic Wear Brand of the Year.

BIBA has attracted people across India with its characteristically North Indian design sensibility. It has created the BIBA Girls, a children’s collection.

BIBA now has a presence in 76 Indian cities, with 192 exclusive brand locations and over 250 multi-brand outlets, and Biba Apparels’ annual sales are projected to be about Rs. 600 crores.

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WROGN

Founder: Anjana Reddy
Founded: 2012

Wrogn – Indian Clothing Brand founded by Women

Wrogn is a Bengaluru-based startup started by Anjana Reddy and owned by Universal Sportsbiz. On November 20th, 2012, it was established. Sachin Tendulkar was one of the first investors, buying 21% of the company in 2013. Wrogn then enlisted Virat Kohli as a brand ambassador before investing with him. The brand has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2012, coinciding with Virat Kohli’s meteoric ascension in the cricketing world. The income for the fiscal year 2016-17 rose to an incredible Rs 101 crore.

In 2018, Wrogn reached a new high when it became the official clothing partner of IPL team Royal Challenger Bangalore. With its youth-centric design and marketing, the fashionable sports brand has struck a chord with the youth.

Universal Sportsbiz, the brand’s parent company, has raised Rs. 91.5 crores in funding from Altera Capital, Accel Partners, and others.

IMARA

Founder: Anjana Reddy
Founded: 2015

Imara – Indian Clothing Brand founded by Women

IMARA, which was also launched in 2015 by Anjana Reddy, the CEO and creator of USPL, has struck a chord with fashion-conscious young urban women. The brand began by selling at Shoppers’ Stop stores and is now available on fashion websites such as Jabong and Myntra. With the opening of exclusive brand locations around the country, IMARA is pursuing an omnichannel approach.

The brand offers the young a wide range of styles and experiments to choose from, all at reasonable pricing. Since February 2020, Kareena Kapoor Khan has been the brand spokesperson for IMARA. Jacqueline Fernandez was the company’s previous brand ambassador.

IMARA now has 210 places of sale across India, with the goal of doubling that number in the next two years.

Indya

Founder: Shivani Poddar and Tanvi Malik
Founded: 2016

Indya – Indian Clothing Brand founded by Women

Shivani Poddar and Tanvi Malik launched Indya, an omnichannel quick fashion business, in 2016. New-age silhouettes with classic embroideries, designs, and motifs are the focus of the brand.

The brand now has over 300 retail locations around the country. With 25 own-stores throughout India, Indya has taken the first step in its offline journey, with many more to follow.

HSE, Indya’s parent business, has positioned itself as a one-stop-shop for all urban, twenty-something women’s fashion demands. HSE also owns FabAlley, a fast-fashion Western wear brand with globally contemporary garments and accessories, and Curve, a plus-size Western wear brand. All three companies have their own distinct style signatures and are tailored to today’s ladies.

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Vajor

Founder: Natasha AR Kumar
Founded: 2014

Vajor – Indian Clothing Brand founded by Women

Vajor is an e-commerce women’s wear Fashion & Lifestyle company started by Natasha AR Kumar in September 2014.

On April 17th, 2018, it established its first retail location in Delhi. The business plans to open ten to twelve new stores in Goa, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Pune, and Jaipur in the near future.

Vajor has also opted to broaden its product offering by entering the menswear and ethnic clothing segments in order to reach a larger audience. Women’s clothing, footwear, handbags, jewellery, accessories, and home décor are now available.

Okhai

Founder: Kirti Poonia
Founded: 2008

Okhai – Indian Clothing Brand founded by Women

The Tata Chemicals Society for Rural Development established the Okhai Centre for Empowerment in 2008. Kirti Poonia, a TAS participant, saw that Okhai’s products merited the world’s notice. In 2015, she transformed the NGO into a full-fledged e-commerce company.

Apparel, accessories, and handicrafts are among the items produced in Okhai. These items are available for purchase in retail showrooms in Mithapur and Ahemdabad. The items are a combination of the Tribal Women’s traditional art form and the designer’s designs. In 2015, Kirti established the Okhai website. The goods were gradually added to platforms such as Tata Cliq, Amazon, Nykaa, and others.

In the near future, the firm intends to generate Rs 50 crore in sales by 2025, employing 1 lakh craftsmen in India and pushing for fair salaries for Indian artisans while offering clients with cheap and sustainable design.

With the staff on board, Okhai intends to move the project forward at a faster speed. They also plan to open ten physical retail locations while expanding online and expanding into related sectors.

They also want to develop in the areas of maternity wear, sustainable children’s clothing, Diwali and Holi-themed items, emotion, and theme-based collections.

Conclusion

Women are now in charge of everything, from traditional woman-friendly businesses like cottage industries to cutting-edge startups.

There are around 8 million female entrepreneurs in India, and women hold 10% of all official businesses. According to studies, female-owned firms in India are predicted to increase by up to 90% in the next five years, compared to similar enterprises in the United States and the United Kingdom, which are expected to grow by 50% and 24%, respectively.

FAQs

Who are the top women entrepreneurs in India?

Some of the top women entrepreneurs in India are:
- Vandana Luthra – VLCC
- Shradha Sharma – YourStory
- Falguni Nayar – Nykaa
- Upasana Taku – Mobikwik
- Suchi Mukherjee – LimeRoad
- Mansi Gupta – Tjori
- Nisaba Godrej – Godrej Consumer Products
- Sugandha – Docttocare
- Gazal Kalra – Rivigo
- Vani Kola – Kalaari Capital
Which are the top clothing brands in India?

Some of the top clothing brands in India are:
- Peter England
- FabIndia
- W for Women
- Raymond
- Allen Solly
- Mufti
- Indian Terrain
- AND
- Pepe Jeans
- Mufti
Which are the Popular Indian Brands of Clothing for Women?

Some of the most popular clothing brands for women are:
- Zara
- Biba
- Global Desi
- Globus
- Levis
- W for women
- AND
- Forever 21
- Only
- The Label- Ritu Kumar
November 22, 2021
Top 6 Popular Female-founded Fashion Brands in the World

When it comes to fashion, women’s style and sense are considered the most superior ones! It’s never a waste to spend your money in a women-run business. And it’s pretty amazing how women are growing in every field.

From bringing our very first cloth to creating an entire wardrobe collection for us, women have always been there. In today’s time, there are women at every top position and especially in fashion, you’ll find some fabulous women designers.

Women, being considered to have the best knowledge of fashion sense and when these turn into designers or top-clothing brands’ owners then, the products are enchanting. From glamorous clothing to glitter handbags collection to sexy and bold lingerie, women have created a huge range of products. And you’ll be amazed at how some of the most famous brands across the globe are owned and run by women. Speaking of which, we have presented this article where we have described the top fashion brands founded by women all across the globe. So, let’s get started!

Cambridge Satchel Co.
MaisonCléo
Simonett
Kitri
Nubian Skin
Henning
FAQ

Cambridge Satchel Co.

Founder- Julie Deane and Freda Thomas

Founding year- 2008

Julie Deane and Freda Thomas

Cambridge Satchel Co. is a very famous British manufacturer, started by Julie Deane and her mother. They started the company with the mindset of creating a sparkling timeless style in British fashion. The brand, Cambridge Satchel Co. is quite famous for its iconic satchel piece which literally blew the internet by becoming the fashion sensation of all time and has also been seen on the arms of style packs.

The Bowls Bag

Cambridge Satchel Co. always brings out the most iconic product range. The brand’s latest launched product- The Bowls Bag is inspired by the Crown Green Bowls bag concept. Today, Cambridge Satchel Co. is considered one of the most preferable clothing brands for women.

MaisonCléo

Founder- Marie Dewet and Cléo

Founding year- 2017

Marie Dewet and Cléo

MaisonCléo started on the very famous social media platform, Instagram by the French mother-daughter duo. The brand is famous for using reclaimed fabrics for manufacturing their super fancy and comfortable, vintage-inspired designs.

Although MaisonCléo does not provide the ultimate 24×7 service or purchasing as they manufacture products in a limited number. The main reason behind this is it’s a time-consuming but efficient process of manufacturing. All this fabric-related information is available on the E-commerce stores in order to provide the users with transparency of pricing.

However, the brand is working on tactics to overcome this. So far, they have developed a Net-A-Porter for accessing all ranges of styles anytime.

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Simonett

Founder- Simonett Pereira

Founding year- 2020

Simonett Pereira

Simonett, a brand created with a distinctive sense of fashion which also, resembles empowering women of all eras. The brand is known to have an individualistic approach towards fashion and style. The founder worked with many independent designers from all around the globe and developed a sustainable practice and design in women clothing.

Simonett Pereira believes that, when one knows their worth and talent, then there isn’t a single thing that can stop them! Her favourite piece from her collection is the Kika pants, which is presented by workwear manufacturers in vegan leather.

Kitri

Founder- Haeni Kim

Founding year- 2017

Haeni Kim

Haeni launched her brand with the belief of creating distinctive design collections and innovative pieces for women of the modern era. Kitri is known to have the most premium women clothing designer with great pricing options.

Kirti also creates clothing in limited numbers in order to prevent bumping into someone with the same attire.

Nubian Skin

Founder- Ade Hassan

Founding year- 2013

Ade Hassan

Nubian Skin is widely known for its unique approach towards women’s fashion by creating skin-tone hosiery collections. In the market of white women clothing, women of colour couldn’t get enough options. And that’s what inspired Ade Hassan to start her Nubian Skin, for women of colour. Nubian Skin manufactures all kinds of clothes including Nude lingerie, hosiery and intimates for all colours of women.

Henning

Founder- Lauren Chan

Founding year- 2009

Lauren Chan

Henning is a very popular clothing brand for plus-size women. For plus-size women, there are limited options of clothing luxury and Lauren Chan, being herself a plus-size consumer, faced great difficulty in finding the right clothes size for her. Fashion often excludes plus-size women, and that’s why She launched a brand specifically for plus-size women.

Henning creates a great collection for women’s clothing of all categories and brings luxury fashion and styling options for women from sizes 12 to 26.

Top 5 Female-Founded Fashion Brands in India in 2021

As Female Entrepreneurs are taking over the world here’s a story of 5 female entrepreneurs and how they embarked on their fashion startup journey.

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Conclusion

Women and fashion are the perfect combinations of all time. They create brands with an incredible concept and promote women empowerment at all costs. In today’s clothing market, there is a great range of options for all shapes and colours of women. And for this, the biggest credit goes to that woman. Through this article, we presented how women are exceeding in the fashion world. Stay tuned for more such content!

FAQ

What are the most famous clothing brand in the world?

Nike, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, and Gucci are some of the most famous clothing brands in India.

Who is the most influential person in fashion?

Princess Diana, Rihanna, Zendaya, Audrey Hepburn and Harry Styles are some of the most influential person in fashion.

Who is the world’s best female fashion designer?

Jeanne Lanvin, Jeanne Paquin, Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Claire McCardell are some of the world’s best female fashion designer.

November 17, 2021
Top 5 Female-Founded Fashion Brands in India in 2021

There are startups budding everywhere. Great companies that started just from an idea and now are building their empires that are huge and vast. With their growing consumer base and stand undistinguished in the market with their offerings promising consistency as brands.

Mostly, women are just stereotyped into being homemakers. And are often not associated with terms like business entrepreneurs. But here are some women defying the odds and stereotypes created by society and are also running successful startups in the fashion industry.

We have curated a list of Fashion startups that are run by women with their stories. So if you are looking for that little spark of inspiration to get you some motivation.

This is the sign to stop doubting yourself and start that business that you are wanting to.

There is an integration/fusion of cultures in this age. People have embraced the idea of a kaleidoscopic approach which has been possible with the help of globalization. With sustainability playing a new and important role in this industry. The industry has a wide scope and a lot to offer trends and styles. Let’s browse through how female entrepreneurs are changing the game with their ventures in the world of fashion.

Nykaa
Chumbak
LimeRoad
Zivame
Baggit
FAQ

Nykaa

Founded in: 2012

Founder: Falguni Nayar

CEO: Falguni Nayar

The wealthiest self made Female Billionaire in India

Nykaa is everywhere and the brand just got its Initial Public Offering (IPO) and has attracted 32.59 billion dollars worth already. Describing itself as India’s one-stop online cosmetics and beauty store, having forty six locations across India and is associated with over 2400+ brands. It is India’s largest online shopping beauty store for cosmetics, beauty products, health products, and more.

Nykaa has four apps on the Play Store: Nykaa Fashion- Online shopping app; Nykaa – Beauty Shopping app for buying makeup and cosmetic products. It has a different segment that caters to men too, and those apps include: Nykaa Man- men’s grooming store and superstore by Nykaa, which is a business to business (B2B) shop.

The e-commerce platform provides seamless shopping experience providing premium as well as affordable products through its omni-channels. The founder, Falguni Nayar, who has completed her Master of Business Administration (MBA) in finance, a student at Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, after joining the Kotak Mahindra Bank and serving for almost eighteen years, quit to go after her dream to start the venture. P.S. She has also been the managing director at the bank.

Chumbak

Year: 2009

Founder: Shubhra Chadda and Vivek Prabhakar

CEO: Shubhra Chadda

Sold home with her husband to start their own venture

Shubhra Chadda

With a collection of fashion and home products, Chumbak is an e-commerce store for everything. According to reports of 2020, Chumbak has established forty four stores across India and has its presence in at least twelve cities.

Have you ever worried about what could be the perfect gift for someone’s special occasion? Or been crazy about quirky things? That integrates culture, uniqueness, and funk all in a cool way. Chumbak has got you! People who travel often love to get things back as mementos from their trips, to look back, and remember the precious times. But there is no particular place in the Indian market made exactly for this purpose, nor exactly on the web platforms back then.

There are many gaps in the Indian market that need bridging and usually go unnoticed by the people. Shubhra realized this and took notice of the fact that many people were looking for things to take back after a trip to India.

Here begins her story of Shubhra after being a mother for a year who wanted to do something and embarked on her journey to being an entrepreneur. The couple sold their home to set-up their venture: Chumbak. Their home decor & fashion stores have a ranging variety of products selling perfumes, laptop sleeves, bags, water bottles, other home decor items, apparels for women and more.

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LimeRoad

Year: 2012

Founder: Suchi Mukherjee, Prashant Malik, Ankush Mehra

CEO: Suchi Mukherjee

Rising above the mundane

Sachi Mukherjee

Having led many organizations like Lehman Brothers Incorporation, Virgin Media, eBay incorporation, Skype, Gum Tree and driving them to success with her potential, brilliance and skills. Sachi Mukherjee wows you with her knowledge graduating from the St. Stephens College in Delhi she holds a BA degree in Economics with Math’s from University of Cambridge. She is also a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholar and Fellow, a Chadburn Scholar who has completed her master’s from the London School of Economics in finance and economics.

Having received the Unicorn Startup Award in 2016 by NDTV is just one of the accomplishments among many for Lime Road. Lime Road is an e-commerce platform that in the initial stages only served as a platform catering to women, only now it has extended selling clothing and accessories for women, men and kids.

It started with the aim of creating a shopping experience that people find mesmerizing. Engaging users allows them to create personal looks and collections and have the option to share it with your friends.

Zivame

Year: 2011

Founder: Richa Kar

CEO: Amisha Jain

Going beyond just lingerie

Richa Kar

Think outside the box and the whole society calls you crazy. The story of Richa Kar is somewhat the same; she dared to do things differently and do it anyway, even though she did not have her parents supporting her idea of starting a business of selling lingerie online.

Her mother was embarrassed by the idea and had no support from her father. Zivame has both online and offline stores with new launches. The inspiration for starting Zivame that struck Richa was derived from tracking sales of Victoria’s Secret, and she realized that there was no such market in India.

Started with her savings and borrowing money from her friends with the vision to help women shop for intimates online. After going through tough times with receiving criticism came the positive feedback. Dedication and hard work got Richa through her journey to getting investors and later receiving funding for her venture. The story on the official site describes it as going beyond just lingerie. Driving with innovative ideas that were not given much thought about before, influencing women in different ways.

Baggit

Founded in: 1985

Founder: Nina Lekhi

CEO: ‎Nina Lekhi‬

Fueling the road to success with failure

Nina Lekhi with Shraddha Kapoor

Home-grown premium brand: Baggit, made and designed in India. Which provides bags and accessories made in a vegan, sustainable, and cruelty-free way for women, was started by Nina Lekhi back in 1985 with her hardwork and following her passion. She started Baggit with only seven thousand rupees, which was borrowed from her mother. Now Baggit has one thousand retail stores in India, two hundred and eight employees, and the brand is worth Rs 111 crores.

A student who did really well until the eighth grade and an role model for others, things changed for Nina Lekhi when she neglected much of her studies, not putting much work and having fun in the world with her perspective of how college should be like she flunked in her first year of college at Sophia’s Polytechnic, Mumbai.

Giving failure a direction to feel the sense of purpose after being called with labels like “duffer” and “stupid” she tackled them by proving herself. Nina’s parents were very supportive and encouraged her to build on the lost self-esteem and confidence.

With a head full of curiosity for the world of the retail industry and parents that stood by her. She took up two part-time jobs, for Mike Kriplani Fashions in the retail sector and at Shyam Ahuja, selling carpets at the age of seventeen, getting first hand experience.

Having people around her who were into businesses and an environment that cherished entrepreneurship starting her own venture felt like a natural move for her. Doing exhibitions and marketing her products at the retail stores where she worked and word of mouth getting her clients, setting up her first store at Kemps Corner with her brother to the slowly climb to the hill of success made it all work.

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Conclusion

With a hint of inspiration, passion and courage, you can do it all. Quit that job, dare to dream, believe, fail, and break for, and stand out when the world asks you to fit into the box. Start small, start somewhere if you believe in what you do. There will be setbacks and a lot of society doubting you. Take it from these women, defy the odds, and do it anyway.

FAQ

Who is first woman entrepreneur in India?

Kalpana Saroj, CEO of Kamani Tubes is known as the first women entrepreneur of India.

Who is the richest female entrepreneur in the world?

Oprah Winfrey, Jenny Just, Michelle Zatlyn, and Katrina Lake are some of the richest female entrepreneur in the world.

Who is the first woman entrepreneur?

Madame C.J. Walker is the first woman entrepreneur in the world.

November 13, 2021
Journey of Ayushi Gudwani – Owner of FableStreet

In an exclusive interaction with StartupTalky, Ayushi Gudwani – the Founder & CEO of FableStreet gets candid about her early life, interests, career & startup challenges.

Ayushi Gudwani has been a work-wear consumer for years and went through the predicament of finding great pieces to wear to the office. She always found it hard to find styles that fit well and are comfortable and long-lasting. That triggered her thoughts and she ended up co-founding FableStreet. It started with a vision to make women feel confident and comfortable by addressing their work-wear needs.

Know the journey of FableStreet from Ayushi Gudwani | Founder & CEO of FableStreet

Tell us about your early life, interests and hobbies.
How’s your everyday work-life looks like?
Tell us about your job responsibilities. How they have changed over time?
What challenges did FableStreet face?
Tell us about your superpowers.
Which online tools do you use the most and would like to recommend as well?
What has impacted you most in your career?
How’s your workspace setup look like?
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
If you get a chance to start your career again, what would you do differently this time?
Frequently Added Questions – FAQs

Tell us about your early life, interests and hobbies.

Ayushi Gudwani | Owner of FableStreet

I was born and raised in New Delhi in a typical Indian family, with a strong focus on academics. I was a topper throughout my high school and undergraduate. After the completion of my engineering from NSIT (Delhi), I went to pursue MBA from IIM Calcutta where I was awarded a silver medalist. Post that, I joined McKinsey & Company in 2008, before venturing out to start FableStreet in 2016. So I have geeky typical engineering + MBA background, not very exciting! Personally, I am an optimistic person as well as a dreamer and executioner. I derive my energy from people around me and rely heavily on my teams and family. My hobbies and interests include a fitness regimen, travelling, music and indulging in Thai food once in a while.

FableStreet Success story – Fablestreet Founder,Revenue.Funding,Business Model

FableStreet is an apparel startup that designs premium workwear for women. This is the success story of FableStreet’s founder Ayushi Gudwani. Read about Fablestreet Funding,Revenue and Business Model.

StartupTalkyVidhi Punamiya

How’s your everyday work-life looks like?

Being an entrepreneur is fulfilling but chaotic. It means having a never-ending workload that just seems to pile up like Jenga. I usually wake up at 6 am and start the day with a nice cup of tea and newspaper. Then, I make a to-do list of the agenda I need to take care of that day as well as the week, which is then passed on to my team. I also spend some time on my phone to check how the previous day’s sales are doing and resolve any urgent issues that need attention.

My teammates know how much I love going to the office on workdays and meeting them and engaging with them on a day-to-day basis, be it to discuss work or simply share a laugh. A typical workday would consist of team or one-on-one meetings, problem-solving, focusing on product development, etc. And to find balance in life, I spend time with my family, read books and chill on Netflix.

Tell us about your job responsibilities. How they have changed over time?

As a Solopreneur, the first couple of years, in terms of job responsibilities, were different than they are now. I managed operations, oversaw the hiring process and pushed myself to learn every aspect of the business. But all that has eased over time, as the team grows and expands.

My core responsibilities include solving the problems to ensure that we are on the right track, thinking through a strategic lens for the business, focusing on team health to build capabilities, boost morale and support them professionally and personally, networking and building partnerships and looking at opportunities for future funding and growth. Lastly, I also make a mental note to be prepared every day to face and solve any last-minute fire-fighting circumstances that may occur in any of the teammates, no matter how big or small.

What challenges did FableStreet face?

As a business owner and strategist, one is always experimenting with new things – it is a continuous trial and error process. We need to understand and accept the fact that 1 out of 3 ideas will work in any set-up/venture. Eventually, counting each and every setback is exhausting and also takes the joy out of working on your ideas. So, whatever I am working on, I give my best shot. One day at a time – that’s the only mindset I function with.

FableStreet site that caters for the need of all professional women out there.

Tell us about your superpowers.

Tenacity, multitasking, passion, a strong belief in my business idea and knowledge of my target audience and competition along with strong people skills, emotional quotient and understanding of what drives people. I believe these are the super-strengths that I’m managing till today.

Knowledge of your target audience keeps you ahead of your competitors.

Which online tools do you use the most and would like to recommend as well?

Even though I like being connected to people and my teams, I am not a big gadget freak and do not use multiple tools/apps. I follow the traditional method of making to-do lists either on paper or Google sheets/ Excel sheets for tracking and planning of daily work. I prefer one-on-one discussions and team huddles to operate my business. Lately, Zoom and Google Hangouts have been helpful for remote team discussions.

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What has impacted you most in your career?

My previous work experience at McKinsey & Company and the people I worked with, in terms of leadership skills, problem-solving, aspirations and vision are a big part of who I am today. They have shaped me into the person I am today. Working with such inspiring people helped me learn what leadership means and how to care for individuals and teams.

I saw people genuinely care about my professional growth and that is something I would like to give back to my organization. I also learned how to dream big and act small with no end to visioning – that if you can’t solve the problem, no one else can. At a personal level, it has been my family and the values they have given me, had shaped my views and how I lead my life.

How’s your workspace setup look like?

We have an open seating arrangement at work to ensure open communication, approachability and quick problem-solving within the teams. I am usually placed between my team and that’s how I like to work when I am in the office.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

One of the best pieces of advice I have got is that people are your biggest asset. As an employer, you need to make sure that you genuinely do right by them. From a business point of view, it would be to think big, act small and conserve cash. This is something that holds true everywhere.

If you get a chance to start your career again, what would you do differently this time?

I would like to achieve a B-school degree from abroad, primarily in the USA. The reason being that the quality of schools and education is fairly different there. I love my alma mater (IIM Calcutta) and had an opportunity to spend some time at UCLA Anderson School of Management and I absolutely loved that.

Frequently Added Questions – FAQs

What is FableStreet?

FableStreet is a premium work-wear brand for women that helps women to find tailor-fit clothes on all body types.

Who is Ayushi Gudwani?

Ayushi Gudwani is the Founder and CEO of FableStreet.

Who is the owner of FableStreet?

Ayushi Gudwani is the owner of FableStreet.

Is FableStreet available online?

Yes, you can get FableStreet clothing from their own website or other e-commerce sites such as Myntra, Ajio & Nykaa.

What is the FableStreet funding to date?

FableStreet has raised a total of $2.9M in funding over 2 rounds.

What is the USP of FableStreet?

The USP of the FableStreet includes a proprietary and R&D-backed tailored Fit algorithm which gives a great fit with just 3 body measurements. The company offers a “My Style, Your Fit” solution to address the problem of women across shape and size.

September 25, 2021