“Our customers are at the core of our hearts”

As the Festival of Lights, Diwali holds special relevance in the hearts of Indians. What are your memories of this the festival?

My memories of Diwali have always been around my family, my loved and dear ones. It was always magical. Delightful celebrations, gleaming lights, a happy home and surrounded with lot of love. Right from the start my family had imbibed the culture in us to purchase diyas (lamps) and decorations from the local vendors. Another memorable Diwali moment that I recreate with my son, Manan, now is to visit the cow sheds, orphanages or the old age homes and celebrate choti (small) Diwali with them and help the underprivileged. These are tiny delights, which are etched in our hearts forever.

What special offers has Emami lined up for Diwali this year?

As a part of our brand portfolio expansion, we are coming up with lots of exciting products and variants to meet the ever-changing needs of the consumers. We are aspiring to enlarge our consumer base by targeting new audience of various ethnicities. We draw confidence from our roots of being a brand, which is strongly rooted on Ayurvedic, herbal and natural formulations and equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

We also have exciting consumer offers on our pivotal brands like Fair and Handsome, 7 Oils in One, Kesh King and Creme21 to get you ready for this festive season.

As the Director of a famed heritage Indian brand, how do you see Emami evolving under your leadership in the coming years and what is your message for Gulf News readers on the occasion of Diwali?

This Diwali, my heart goes out to the families who have lost their dear ones in this pandemic, nevertheless I want them to be more optimistic in their life and be kind enough on themselves to be able to focus on the forthcoming times of their lives and be happy.

As an organisation, we have not just survived but flourished in terms of finding opportunity in the market to establish new range of products in health and wellness and making them available at every retail outlet. Consumers and our customers are at the core of our hearts.

We now live in a refreshed new world, our businesses will look and operate differently in the next 10 years. Thus, we are gearing up for that and ensuring that our employees and partners are empowered to possess a new arsenal of skills and mind-sets to lead effectively. I encourage all to live like global citizens and suggest them to think globally and embrace diversity. My personal mind-set is that of a futurist and thinking ahead of the curve yet keep the consumer at the core of everything that we do.

Embracing technology and meeting the consumers at digital, social and e-com platforms is our core focus now. Within the international business, I am working towards nurturing a collaborative approach, fostering greater teamwork, productivity, innovation and creativity. Growing with a holistic purpose, rethinking from brands, product and community engagement is our strategic priority.