Falguni Nayar

"I have always said there are no glass ceilings. I don’t think men are waiting to not allow women to do what they want. I think women have to want it for themselves. And if they want it for themselves, they will have it"

"Today, there is a generational shift happening. When I started, there were only nine women in a class of 150 students in our MBA school. When it came to their life journeys, a lot of women used to give up. But today’s new generation of women are not giving up. It is important to be able to juggle between personal life and work at that point of time (when you are getting married, becoming parents) because I feel you should continue working even if you take a break for some time."

"Let the spotlight of your life be on you. For too long women have been afraid to dream about themselves. We have given them chance to be born, lets give them the chance to dream"

"For women there are no glass ceilings. Women need to dream for themselves. The empowerment and support has to come from home. From family, you need to be empowered to pursue your dreams than what companies do. I am a big believer that women empowerment has to begin at home"

"We are a very open organisation. We listen to our customers and all the ideas come from them. They tell us to bring this particular brand or open a store here. We have been very active on social media"

"I was aware of the e-commerce in US so we thought if we could marry e-commerce with the problems of Indian beauty industry and come up with a multi-brand retailer having a focus to deliver beauty experience to e-commerce will be the right way to go ahead"

"Since then, consumers from the old age group are also buying beauty products, but the initial success was from millennials"

"We've spent the last decade building a truly omnichannel beauty ecosystem, one that spans across all channels to serve the modern Indian consumer. We believe that focus on both online and offline retail — is critical for both beauty brands and beauty consumers. Today, we are proud to announce that we have crossed the 250 stores milestone. This makes us the largest network of beauty specialty stores in India, with a presence in 82 cities. Our physical retail business is not only expanding its footprint, but it is also doing so profitably"

"We launched Nykaa Fashion to meet two key market needs: the vast potential of the fashion industry and a growing consumer desire for a trend-focused, premium shopping experience. We've stayed true to this vision, focusing on curating a high-quality assortment and enabling discovery"

"Nykaa is well positioned for success as we are operating in this high growth environment where BPC and Fashion are the fastest-growing categories in discretionary consumption. The online BPC market alone is projected to grow threefold from FY25 to FY30, reaching $15 billion. Similarly, the online fashion market is projected to more than triple in the same period, reaching $60 billion"

"I wish I had a co-founder from the technology field, that would have given me a great start"

"Keeping the ship at an even keel can help weather the travails of running an enterprise through the highs and lows"

"Age is no bar"

"Sense the opportunity"

"Be intentional and focused"

"Decision-making will not always be easy, and often there will be no straightforward answer. So, trust your gut to an extent, it will guide you well"

"And remember, no matter what anyone says, it is never too late to start all over again"

"Don't be afraid to take risks along the way. You are blessed to be entering a world that is now increasingly risk-friendly. Spend the early years of your career taking the right risks and make some bold bets on yourself. Test what you like and what you don't. Take on roles that put you outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself"

"I think what business you choose to build should be based on conviction; it doesn't have to be your favourite product or anything like that. I saw a business case and a business need for beauty. And that's what I chose"

"I really like the beauty industry. It's a fantastic industry. I know most of the big players in the industry, the CEOs and their senior management teams....And it's a good business. I really love the brand-building aspect of the business. Happy place, I would say, definitely"

"What I really appreciate is people who build brands. And that also is something I am a very keen observer of. What I'm really proud of is the brand Nykaa and how we built that. And it was a very conscious attempt to really build a very consumer-loved brand. And I put in a lot of effort, both organisational and personal effort towards building the brand"

"And today I think Nykaa's 'brand reality' is ahead of its 'commercial reality," she said. "I go to the smallest towns, like two hours away from Manali, and the little girls know Nykaa. So I think the brand is what I really value the most"