6 Powerful Women Leaders Of 2023 Successfully Attempting To Alter The World

Swati Sutaria Vakharia, Tuhina Goyal, Monika Chaudhary, Sonam Chandwani, Shilpa Bhatia and Gurleen Kaur Tikku

1. Swati Sutaria Vakharia -

Nabhi Sutra, started by a mother herself, Swati Sutaria Vakharia.Swati was always interested in stretching her entrepreneurial wings since childhood, but her dream came true when she realized that this technique of massaging the belly button lays its deep-rooted focus in the roots of India via Ayurveda. However, she realized that no one had ever realized to tap the market yet. To her surprise, when she lost a lot of hair post the birth of her daughter, she strengthened her focus even more to launch her brand; hence Nabhi Sutra was born. India's very first ayurvedic belly button oils brand, Nabhi Sutra, lays a deep-rooted focus on non-invasive ways to take care of health.

During her breastfeeding phase, she faced a few health issues. Swati knew that precautionary measures were important for herself and her newborn, and this compassion for healing which eventually strengthened her focus even more to launch her brand Nabhi Sutra. Started with Rs 5,00,000 initially, Nabhi Sutra touched Rs 1 crore in revenue in its very first year, followed by Rs 2 Crore in Second Year. They are clocking Rs 5 Crore turnover in this financial year. Swati has been featured in the list of 20 self-made entrepreneurs by Outlook India.

Nabhi Sutra has a Menstrual Pain Relief - Belly Button Oil which Relaxes the veins around your uterine lining, Rejuvenates the body, Gives relief from cramps and Refreshes your mood. They recently launched Mother hair nourishment oil under the brand ADHYAY by Nabhi Sutra. ADHYAY is a brand which caters to 100% ayurvedic and natural solutions to achieve healthy & sustainable lifestyle goals. The range of oils comprises solutions for Hair Care, Skincare, Menstrual pain relief, and Joint pain relief, brain development, Acne, Sleep Inducing oil & more! With this simple yet effective 3 drops therapy has changed more than 3,00,000 lives so far & counting further. Nabhi Sutra's Sleep Inducing oil with Menopause benefits as well.

Swati believed in making a conscious decision for her brand by launching a cruelty-free, 100% Natural, FDA & ISO Certified brand that has seen its roots in the soil of India.The brand has been a preferred choice by a lot of celebrities and has a huge organic followers base. The brand has also launched ADHYAY - SHATA DHAUTA GHRITA SKIN REPAIRING CREAM, that has been the talk of the town lately.

2. Tuhina Goyal -

House of Tuhina is a homegrown jewellery brand started by Tuhina Goyal, a textile and fashion design graduate. The brand is a melting pot of local artisans, small businesses and unemployed women-working together towards flourishing together. H.O.T is actively involved in supporting the artisans and their family. Tuhina Goyal's passion for Indian craft heritage translates into timeless jewellery pieces for her label. Each piece is handcrafted, drawing references from eclectic cultural and everyday references.

The story of this brand started with two ladies approaching for domestic household work, instead the designer asked them to learn basic techniques of handknitting as a trial, which will fetch them some money sitting at the comfort of their house while they take care of their family. This trial was a success, and today these two ladies have become cluster heads of about 100 women in their area. After this first victory, H.O.T has gone ahead and created many more clusters on the same format, imparting a skill to the unemployed women and equipping them to be self-sufficient for life. The women seem to have a new found respect along with their independence in the society.

All products by H.O.T are handmade- from making of the raw material, to weaving of the jewellery, all is done by hand. Tuhina has a strong empathy with the environment and her deep rooted focus towards handmade has led her to conceptualise House of Tuhina , that embodies ethnicity of the rich indian culture with a contemporary appeal.The styles seem effortless and yet exude elegance. The products are being sold in many countries in the world, and thus representing Indian craft across the globe.The pieces are timeless, and can be revisited again and again, and are not limited to changing fashion trends.

House of Tuhina has also been a preferred choice by celebrities like Nora Fatehi, Neha Dhupia,Yami Gautam, Vidya Balan, Dia Mirza, Shakti Mohan, Nauheed Cyrusi, Aahana Kumra, Raveena Tandon, Athiya Shetty, Radhika Apte,Shefali Shah, Tina Datta and etc.

The jewellery line features gold and silver hued pieces with gold beads and pearl details. Statement chokers and earrings, matching sets, and pieces constructed from handcasted units are designed to be worn with everything from traditional wear to casual western ensembles.

3. Monika Chaudhary -

After spending 15 years in consulting and business development with companies like GE and IBM, Monika Chaudhary decided to quit corporate life in 2013 to explore new options. While she was exploring business ideas to promote Indian cultural artforms that corroborated her belief further that the ethnic wear segment for children was a huge, untapped market. Thus, when she was unable to find one, she decided to launch one in 2015 named BownBee!

BownBee is an Indian kids wear brand that specialises in Indian Ethnic and Indi-casual wear for new born babies up to 15 years. BownBee's muse is a child who wants to dress up in comfortable yet contemporary traditional and fusion wear for all kinds of special occasions and festivals. They design traditional and Indo-western outfits in vibrant, breezy and comfortable Indian fabrics to make each celebration memorable for kids. The brand is committed towards bringing alive traditional Indian art & folklore through their intricate prints.

For occasion wear, parents seek uniqueness in design with affordability and quality assurance, something that is hard to find in this unorganised sector. BownBee is successfully bridging this gap through innovation in design, quality, and differentiated sourcing. Their collection is a perfect embodiment of comfort and style. Their designs represent the right amalgamation of modern silhouette with a variety of Indian regional crafts such as Benarasi, Bandhani, Gota, Kutchi mirror work etc to make ethnic wear stylish and comfortable for kids.

Today, BownBee is one of the leading kids ethnic online brands in India with 500+ products across categories. Since the last 5 years, BownBee has constantly been ranked as top 5 Mompreneurs Brand on Firstcry and as one of the top ethnic-wear kids brands on Myntra. The company has been growing with a CAGR of 67% while maintaining healthy gross margins. Currently operational in India and 2 international markets, BownBee aspires to be a global brand, with an aim of being a one-stop-shop for kids Indian wear needs.

Monika has 9 years of experience in kidswear and e-commerce, passionate about spreading her love for India's rich culture and traditions globally. Since BownBee's inception, Monika has been working with artisans and weavers from different states in order to maintain the right blend of local flavour and in-house designs in its products. BownBee started its first in-house manufacturing unit in March 2022 to provide women employment at a remote village in Uttar Pradesh. The company plans to spread this network further and create a stream of employment opportunities for rural women.

Based in Gurgaon, the brand is supported by an experienced and skilled team of 16 people across sourcing, production, quality control, design, sales and marketing. BownBee wants to build its niche by building a national level kids ethnic wear brand that provides variety and quality at an affordable price. In coming years, they plan to expand to new geographies and channels like offline retail through multi brand outlets.

4. Sonam Chandwani -

Ms. Sonam Chandwani has relentlessly defied conventional norms and broken boundaries in an arena predominantly ruled by men. Sonam's origins were unpretentious and devoid of privilege. Unlike numerous legal experts, she lacked the backing of a family lineage or prior exposure to a law firm. Unfazed, Sonam had unwavering faith in her fervor for law and embarked on a mission to establish her own firm, KS Legal and Associates.

Sonam's odyssey was replete with challenges. Through her steadfast commitment to self-education and self-enhancement, she surmounted each obstacle, progressively actualizing her dream.

Throughout her illustrious career, Ms. Chandwani has skilfully navigated complex, high-stakes cases with unparalleled tenacity, attaining monumental victories that persistently influence our legal system. Her extensive proficiency spans corporate law, insolvency law, and corporate litigation, highlighting her adaptability and aptitude in a perpetually evolving legal environment. She has worked with clients like Hindustan Unilever Limited, Axis Bank, Thermax, Cipla, Gammon India, Asian Paints, Shapoorji Pallonji, JM Finance, Walmart India, Hitachi, Aditya Birla, IDBI, Edelweiss, Airtel, Indus Towers, L&T to name a few.

Ms. Chandwani's impact transcends her firm's confines. Her dedication to addressing her clients' requirements and her emphasis on providing exceptional legal services have propelled the firm to unprecedented heights. As the firm thrived, she acknowledged the significance of assembling a committed and skilled team.

KS Legal and Associates' extraordinary journey did not halt there. Under Sonam's visionary direction, the firm extended its footprint across India, with multiple offices catering to a diverse clientele. Her relentless pursuit of excellence reverberated throughout the legal sector, solidifying her reputation as a ground breaker and catalyst for change. At present, the Mumbai-based law firm offers full-service legal solutions to 200+ clients, from business and financial enterprises to banks, financial institutions, private equity funds, government bodies and startups.

KS Legal is a full service law firm offering litigation, corporate, and real estate, labour and employment, intellectual property, banking and insurance and debt recovery. Starting with a modest office and a team of just two, including herself, Ms. Chandwani gradually built her firm's reputation and size, overcoming countless challenges along the way. Today, KS Legal and Associates boasts a team of over 50 plus dedicated professionals, including several talented partners who share her vision and zeal.

Beyond her legal practice, Ms. Chandwani is passionately committed to sharing her knowledge and expertise. She frequently speaks and lectures at various educational institutions, inspiring the next generation of legal professionals. In addition, her thought leadership is reflected in her contributions to esteemed publications.

5. Shilpa Bhatia -

Launched in 2005 by Shilpa Bhatia, The Clothing Rental (TCR) has been providing rental services when this was not even a tapped industry and wearing rental clothes was considered a taboo. The limited space in our closets, coupled with the efforts to find something trendy and edgy, has made it clear that it was time to give clothing rental a try.

Shilpa Bhatia, an ex-stylist who has worked with an indomitable spirit to bridge the gaps in the clothing-rental industry by laying much needed efforts and imparting knowledge to their vast clientele dotted worldwide. Shilpa started renting out clothes to stylists for celebrities,commercial and editorial shoots, and soon realised that there was a vast market for high quality rentals. A decade later, in 2015, with The Clothing Rental opened its doors to consumers in an attempt to bring affordable fashion within reach for everyone.

When she started out, convincing designers was difficult, but now, some of the biggest names in the industry reach out to the rental-companies to off-load their garments. Today Renting is the future of fashion, not ownership. It is also more sustainable.The market is completely adaptable to circular fashion movements and clothing rental solutions, their model is fairly simplistic right now - they offer a complete solution for all occasions.

Catering to both men and women, their customers can not only rent, but also buy select merchandise from their store or online website. While a lot of clothing-rental companies are underperforming and some have even shut down post pandemic, The Clothing Rental continues to provide great service at a fair price and has managed to thrive through turbulent times.

Shilpa feels that today not only the millennials but also their parents see the economic value in rentals and find it a financially prudent idea to support a shared economy. Renting clothes helps the customers save money and keep up with trends, along with the positive environmental impact of not having to buy fast fashion only to add more pressure to ever growing issues with landfills.

Speaking on the importance of Rental Business Shilpa concludes,"A bridal lehenga could start at 1.5 Lakhs and aesthetically appealing designer lehengas can go up to 10-15 Lakhs. In comparison, rental lehengas are usually priced between 5k-30k range. And to add to the stress of preserving the fancy outfit or how to store it. Big bulky wedding outfits occupy a ton of space in closets and lie there for years collecting dust. Whereas when one rents they only need to wear it for that one event, often only for a couple of hours and then promptly return it back. Instead of having to worry about enormous Dry-Cleaning bills and making space in one's closet to keep the garment safely."

Overall, the shared economy is still in a nascent stage as more and more people understand the concept of short term use vs long term hold. Clothing is not real estate that appreciates over time and trends change often. Hence a Clothing rental solution is just genius!

6. Gurleen Kaur Tikku -

Gurleen Kaur Tikku is more of a technocrat and a visionary who has been inclined towards helping people get financial advice more accessible and inclusive. She has been working with an indomitable spirit to carry forward the legacy of HareePatti, a successful, financial advisory firm that has been making a difference with her ideas and seeking financial solutions for their customers that have never been sought.

Today HareePatti has successfully completed its 17 years of existence with their customers dotted PAN India and Globally as well. Gurleen Kaur Tikku is recognized as one of the top Health Insurance experts in the country with her knowledge and experience over the last 18 years. While being a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER CM from Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. (FPSB Ltd.),US.She is constantly providing educational and informative videos on insurance which helps people in India and NRIs who are looking to buy health insurance take the right and informed decision.

Not only a Founder, Gurleen is also a mother of Two who juggles her work and family life perfectly well. She believes that being a mother doesn't slow her down, in fact energizes and inspires her to do more every day.

She is also an avid fin-tuber with more than 60k subscribers and counting. Her presence on the Instagram account of HareePatti with more than 1 Lakh followers,boasts of a well-planned Finance Knowledge for their viewers.

Hareepatti aims to provide the right advice for insurance and investments. Not just advice, they believe in educating and empowering customers to make wise and informed financial decisions.Gurleen conducts a lot of workshops where she talks about various aspects like financial literacy, cash flow, financial freedom, and business from home, personal budgets, and a lot more.

Emphasizing the importance of insurance is the best thing they do, as insurance penetration in India is still very low at 4%. Summing it up, Gurleen Kaur Tikku reiterates,"We educate and assist our customers on the importance of insurance and impart knowledge on how to choose health insurance policies with adequate insurance coverage. While there are major imperative things to keep in mind before and after buying health insurance and most importantly how to make sure that your insurance claims are not rejected,"