Nadia Chauhan

Nadia Chauhan, 25, Joint MD & Chief Marketing Officer, Parle Agro

As the scion of the promoter family, Nadia was learning the basics of business in her school days.
When she finally joined in 2003 as a marketing executive, her main task was to expand Parle Agro's product portfolio
Eight years down the line, Nadia is at the helm of the company, which has entered newer categories like food and juices, grown the turnover from Rs 400 crore to Rs 1,500 crore with a 40% growth rate, and increased its market share in the fruit-based beverage category to 85%.

When in doubt, always ask
I firmly believe the starting point of a successful leader is good induction into the business. My visits to the office and plants during weekends since the age of 11 helped me grasp little bits about brand building, business culture and operations. With a good induction, leaders can draw their future strategies based on both past performance as well as the current scenario.
Another way to success is to work at the ground level and be passionate about the job. For instance, during my early days, I was part of the launch of our jelly drink, Jolly Jelly. Since this was the first time any Indian brand had launched a jelly product, there was a misconception that the product was non-vegetarian. In those days, there was also no concept of vegetarian and non-vegetarian logos. We went to Mumbai's Juhu beach and marketed the product as 100% vegetarian. That worked miracles and the sales increased.
Since I attained a leadership role while in my 20s, there were apprehensions about how to work with people who are much older. I realised that one needs to give equal importance to everyone and view things with an open mind.
Also, never fear to ask a question even if it is basic. I have made it a point to ask 'why' six times whenever someone comes with a new business proposal or for an approval. This only helps the person improve his/her idea and concept about the subject.