Power Heiress: Nisaba Godrej

Nisaba, a Wharton and Harvard Business School alumnus, is leading several transformations within the group. One of her first assignments involved turning around Godrej Agrovet, where she shook things up by changing the senior leadership and taking tough portfolio decisions. She followed this up with strategising the global expansion of Godrej Consumer Products, now the group’s largest and most profitable company. Currently, she is busy re-imaging the group through strategy, design thinking, various product innovations and human capital experiments, from her marble-white and ultra-modern space office at the group’s Vikhroli headquarters. Godrej’s recent product successes have included breakthroughs in hair colour, insecticide and home and car fragrances (the launch of the super chic Godrej Aer). She has also empowered the company to recruit differently from college campuses across the nation, tapping into the power of young dreams, instead of resumes. Recently, Godrej was in the news for investing in Hopscotch, a Mumbai-based e-commerce start-up selling children’s products.

On proving herself: “When you’re in a family business, you walk around with a big nepotism sign on your head – until you actually prove you can do something.”

Pet cause: Girls’ education. She supports Dasra, is an active board member of Teach For India and drives the Group’s CSR initiatives.

Passionate about: Design, trekking, equestrian, and water sports.