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Note to readers: Storyboard18's Share The Spotlight aims to highlight inspirational stories of women who continue breaking barriers and setting the precedent for other women marketers, entrepreneurs and communication specialists.

The initiative aims to kick off a movement where people from across these communities step up and share their spotlight with other women. They could be women in their team or any other team, a new group or previous one, from a past workplace or the current one. 

Share The Spotlight calls on us all to come out and share words of praise and encouragement for each other, appreciating and acknowledging the contributions of so many people who make businesses, brands and workplaces better. Learn and understand how to face challenges and seize opportunities while bringing along others on the path to progress. 

This is just the beginning of a long journey to spotlight individuals who are empowering others and bringing change and growth for all. Together we rise.

Welspun India Ltd’s CEO MD, Dipali Goenka’s professional journey began humbly, with small, albeit passionate steps and a clear goal. In this journey, there have been a few moments that stand out, not only for their impact on Goenka’s career but also for the deep sense of fulfilment they have brought her. 

One such milestone is the launch of Spaces in 2003. As a homemaker, Goenka wanted the best quality home textiles for her home, and that is what she offered other consumers as well. “It was an effort to redefine the very essence of home textiles – to craft an experience that would envelop our consumer in comfort, luxury, and innovation. Spaces gave me a sense of purpose and, in many ways, was my true entry into the world of home textiles.,” says Goenka

Goenka further states, “As a woman in the industry, I faced a fair share of challenges, and my second achievement is that I have been able to make the journey a little easier for other women - not just in the textile industry, but also in other spaces.”

Women of Welspun is an initiative by her aimed at recognising, driving, and creating a culture of equal opportunity for every woman employee. “I am proud of the fact that over 25 percent of our talent across functions is women. Welspun Super Sport Women is another such programme to aid women across different stages and sporting disciplines in the traditionally male-dominated field of sports. While all 27 women we support are true rockstars, our champion Manasi Joshi now ranks World #1 in Para Badminton Singles,” shares Goenka. 

Read More:: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/indian-female-sports-persons-are-hugely-under-represented-come-a-long-way-but-have-a-long-way-to-go-megha-desai-engn-7838.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">#ShareTheSpotlight: Indian female sports persons are hugely under-represented: Megha Desai, ENGN</a>

Goenka also counts winning the National Water Award for their Anjar plant being zero freshwater dependent, from the hands of the then President of India, Shri Ramnath Kovindji, as a huge achievement. In collaboration with local municipalities, a unique water system collects, transports, and treats public sewage from neighbouring towns at Welspun’s sewage treatment plant, which is then used for operations at Anjar. 

“What is even more heartwarming, is that we are helping the communities surrounding our Anjar plant with our large rainwater harvesting reservoir that gives them access to freshwater all year round,” mentions Goenka 

Each challenge along the way has helped shape Goenka into who she is today. “One of my biggest failures was when we decided to close our 200+ Wel Home stores. To say that there was immense disappointment is an understatement, but as I look back, that experience taught me to manage my consumer brands better. It helped me deep dive into the challenges and gain learnings. I can proudly say that today, Welspun is the most distributed brand in India, present in over 11,000 stores in 500+ cities around the country." 



<blockquote>“I believe every woman at Welspun deserves the spotlight and acknowledgment for their dedication, and passion as their hard work is instrumental in making us who we are," Dipali Goenka, CEO &MD, Welspun</blockquote>



The COVID-19 pandemic threw another major curveball for the businesses, but Goenka and her team managed it as best they could by optimising the offerings as per the markets’ needs, using existing assets. 

Welspun also forayed into advanced textiles made using non-woven spun lace fabric and have now inaugurated a new plant in Telangana dedicated to manufacturing the same. "Welspun Flooring Limited was also launched in that period, which has registered the highest ever full-year revenue of Rs. 125 crores in FY 22-23.” shares Goenka.

Goenka sincerely believes in the saying, "When women support women, incredible things happen”. She shares the spotlight with four incredibly driven women who have played a huge part in Welspun reaching such great heights.

First is Manjari Upadhye, who leads Welspun’s domestic brands. “She doesn't fear taking risks and making bold decisions, which is evident in how she has effectively managed our emerging businesses. Manjari also recently bagged the most prestigious and well deserved Welspun Group Award. 

Ruchika Arora is Goenka’s next nomination. “She confidently manages Welspun as Senior VP; her passion and discipline are qualities I sincerely admire, and she is one of the strongest pillars of our workforce at Welspun,” says Goenka.

Goenka also nominated Khyati Shah, Welspun’s corporate communications expert. Strategy is her forte and her creativity combined with a go-getter attitude make her one of the most reliable people on the team.

Then there's Megha Patil. According to Goenka, “As Assistant VP, she is a huge support to all of us. Her zeal to learn and grow at every step motivates us all at Welspun. She is always calm, rational, and pragmatic, and one of the best people to have around.”

“I believe every woman at Welspun deserves the spotlight and acknowledgment for their dedication, and passion as their hard work is instrumental in making us who we are.”

Read More:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/sharethespotlight-balancing-family-life-work-play-how-anyminds-rubeena-singh-does-it-all-8102.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">#ShareTheSpotlight: Balancing family life, work, play - how AnyMind's Rubeena Singh does it all</a>
 

Know anyone you’d like to share the spotlight with? Join the movement, give them a shout-out on LinkedIn and tag Storyboard18 so we can take it forward.

#ShareTheSpotlight: When women support women, incredible things happen, Dipali Goenka, Welspun

A few days before Pride Month, Starbucks India created a trans-inclusive campaign #ItStartsWithYourName. The film shows a family union wherein a transgender woman meets her parents after a long time for coffee at Starbucks. It is implied that her father has had issues with her identity in the past.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Your name defines who you are - whether it&#39;s Arpit or Arpita. At Starbucks, we love and accept you for who you are. Because being yourself means everything to us. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ItStartsWithYourName?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ItStartsWithYourName</a>. ? <a href="https://t.co/DKNGhKZ1Hg">pic.twitter.com/DKNGhKZ1Hg</a>&mdash; Starbucks India (@StarbucksIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/StarbucksIndia/status/1656133960924012545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Within a few minutes there was a barrage of tweets from people calling Starbucks woke and propagandist.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Tata is big time woke. They own Starbucks, Tanishq (remember that ad?). They fund The Wire, Harvard, Cornell, etc. But are smart enough to sell their products with nationalism (desh ka namak, desh ke truck, army themed ads). Funds all political parties good as well.&mdash; THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) <a href="https://twitter.com/theskindoctor13/status/1656594686331748353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">If you wanted to normalise it, you should have used a transwoman who looks like 99% of them. By using one who looks &amp; sounds like a woman set impossible standards that will lead to more mental health issues in trans people and their self harm rates will go up. Shame on u. <a href="https://t.co/1slId7l4TA">pic.twitter.com/1slId7l4TA</a>&mdash; Eminent Intellectual (@total_woke_) <a href="https://twitter.com/total_woke_/status/1656881240039993344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

An ongoing case demanding legality of same-sex marriage has been taking place in the Supreme court. Storyboard18 has reached out to multiple brands but most have refused to comment on inclusive practices at their workplace or creating a space for queer community in their brands. 

It seems that Starbucks has taken a stand, even though in the past, brands have been accused of using the Pride Month for rainbow washing and clout chasing.

Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/brands-should-go-beyond-tokenism-and-be-more-queer-friendly-say-lgbtqia-influencers-6184.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Brands should go beyond tokenism and be more queer-friendly, say LGBTQIA influencers</a>

Patruni Chidananda Sastry (they/he/she), a non-binary and bisexual drag artist feels as trans people often face discrimination in public spaces whenever they try to access, being a coffee shop and welcoming trans individuals is definitely an example for a lot of brands to be trans-inclusive.

“The backlash we are receiving is a testament that there is hate being induced on us deliberately to curtail our freedom of accessing something as simple as a coffee. Trans people in public spaces have often triggered the conservatives as they want us to not be visible at all. It's high time that brands be with us and ensure to create more inclusive and diverse campaigns as they know those would change the mindset. It's high time brands be loyal to the cause and take risk,” Sastry shares

The LGBTQIA community seems to think that brands should normalise PRIDE instead of sensationalizing it, as Sushant Divgikr says. Divgikr who was crowned Mr Gay 2014 is a social media influencer, reality tv star and drag queen among other things. Watch his views here. 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PrideMonth?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PrideMonth</a> | &quot;Let&#39;s not celebrate Pride for only one month. We are alive all the other months.&quot; ? Sushant Divgikr <a href="https://twitter.com/thedivasushant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thedivasushant</a> asks brands to NOT sensationalize LGBTQIA representation ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pride2023?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pride2023</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/rainbowwashing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#rainbowwashing</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Marketing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Marketing</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/media?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#media</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LGBTQIA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LGBTQIA</a> Here are Divgikr&#39;s views <a href="https://t.co/NWS2PmDIW7">pic.twitter.com/NWS2PmDIW7</a>&mdash; Storyboard18 (@BrandStoryboard) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrandStoryboard/status/1656911868781551618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Like Divgikr, Sastry too feels that the queer community needs publicity as it takes ages to ensure that the bias is gone. “Brands just doing a pride campaign is definitely hypocrisy, brands need to take a stand and invite diverse communities with sensibility and then put it across to people. “

Karthik Srinivasan, a communications consultant says, “I loved the ad. Starbucks has done the same thing in the UK and Brazil. In India, they have incorporated the ad with cultural nuances. The ad was inclusive, honest and truthful. I don’t understand the anger. But in the larger context, Budweiser in the US also did an inclusive and friendly ad with trans people and it also got backlash. If people don’t like something, they don’t want brands to associate with it."

Parmesh Shahani, LGBTQIA inclusion consultant and author of the book Queeristan: LGBTQ Inclusion in the Indian Workplace, says “ I am happy that Starbucks has used its advertising to communicate a message of trans inclusion just as many companies and brands like Brooke Bond and Fast Track have done in the past. All of these companies understand that LGBTQIA inclusion is a win-win proposition; all the data indicates that being inclusive makes you more money, makes you more innovative and wins the loyalty of gen Z and millenials - their present and future customers..”

He further states, “Given that 6-10 percent of our country might be LGBTQIA and that society is changing very rapidly in terms of acceptance at colleges homes and workplaces, all these brands have understood that the future is undoubtedly LGBTQIA inclusive and are using their ads to participate in it.”


Shahani feels trolling is a relatively short-term phenomenon in today’s day and age. “But committing to a cause is a much deeper and long term purpose and brands that continue to stand by the LGBTQIA community are sure to have the long term support of not just the community but also millions of straight allies.“

Cancel 'Cancel Culture': Tata-Starbucks faces boycott calls from netizens over trans-inclusive ad

Note to readers: Storyboard18's Share The Spotlight aims to highlight inspirational stories of women who continue breaking barriers and setting the precedent for other women marketers, entrepreneurs and communication specialists.

The initiative aims to kick off a movement where people from across these communities step up and share their spotlight with other women. They could be women in their team or any other team, a new group or previous one, from a past workplace or the current one. 

Share The Spotlight calls on us all to come out and share words of praise and encouragement for each other, appreciating and acknowledging the contributions of so many people who make businesses, brands and workplaces better. Learn and understand how to face challenges and seize opportunities while bringing along others on the path to progress. 

This is just the beginning of a long journey to spotlight individuals who are empowering others and bringing change and growth for all. Together we rise.

“For someone who comes from a non-business background and did not really have the opportunity to pursue sports, getting an opportunity to lead a brand like ENGN is something I am immensely proud of,” shares Megha Desai, co-founder and CMO of ENGN, a sports management company which supports and backs 8 Indian female athletes.

From taking care of their monthly expenses, providing a panel of nutritionists, coaches, psychologists as per their requirement, and creating a premium quality yet affordable performance wear brand, ENGN seems to do it all. 
“It is not only a tremendous challenge but an exhilarating ride that we are all very pumped about. Some of our ENGN athletes and their stories of triumph and overcoming challenges inspire me every single day and my aim therefore is to constantly put the spotlight on these hardworking, talented girls and give them the recognition and platform all deserve,” states Desai, adding, “Female sports persons are still hugely under-represented in India and yes, we have come a long way from 20 years ago but we still have a long way to go.”

Desai doesn’t feel failure is the right word for her professional struggles. The one thing Desai constantly struggles with is finding, hiring and retaining the right talent. When you're leading a new business, attracting the right talent and then hopefully, be able to nurture the same passion and enthusiasm in them is not only imperative but also extremely challenging. 

She says, “Even after having worked for over 21 years, it pains me if a team member is not motivated or there's a disagreement or just a gap in expectations on either side. So that's one big area I try to better every single day plus there are always umpteen daily challenges - operations, product quality, customer satisfaction. There's a constant see-saw of taking stock and prioritising."

Read More<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/sharethe-spotlight-leap-clubs-ragini-das-on-making-money-and-an-impact-and-leaders-to-spotlight-6269.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">#ShareThe Spotlight: Leap Club’s Ragini Das on making money and an impact, and leaders to spotlight</a>

There are lots of women that Desai has learnt from and continues to learn from by just reading about their work, listening to them, following their trajectory - women like Indra Nooyi, Brene Brown, Reshma Saujani, who have done some path breaking work in their respective fields. 

Desai is amazed by the work of Priyanka Khimani and Pranjal Desai. Priyanka Khimani is the founder of Khimani & Associates, a law firm based in Mumbai. “Priyanka and I had interacted during COVID times for a project to aid performing artists and since that time, I have got to know more about her. The way she has risen up in the legal field, especially in music and entertainment, and more importantly, the ease with which she is spreading awareness for newer artists is an absolute joy to watch. Plus, from what I remember, as of today, her firm is filled with an all-women team which is applause worthy,” shares Desai

Pranjal Desai, who is the Regional Head of India & SEA of MediaMath - an independent advertising technology platform is married to a family member of Desai. “Panjal carries this sense of quiet fortitude about her which makes her extremely reliable and someone you can lean on for advice,” says Desai, adding, “She's been a huge force in establishing as well as the growth of MediaMath in India.” 

Read More:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/sharethespotlight-there-is-no-harm-in-being-a-vulnerable-leader-its-a-sign-of-strength-says-mindpeers-kanika-agarwal-6426.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">#ShareTheSpotlight: 'There is no harm in being a vulnerable leader. It’s a sign of strength,' says Mindpeers' Kanika Agarwal</a>


Know anyone you’d like to share the spotlight with? Join the movement, give them a shout-out on LinkedIn and tag Storyboard18 so we can take it forward.

#ShareTheSpotlight: Indian female sports persons are hugely under-represented: Megha Desai, ENGN

Note to readers: Storyboard18's Share The Spotlight aims to highlight inspirational stories of women who continue breaking barriers and setting the precedent for other women marketers, entrepreneurs and communication specialists.

The initiative aims to kick off a movement where people from across these communities step up and share their spotlight with other women. They could be women in their team or any other team, a new group or previous one, from a past workplace or the current one. 

Share The Spotlight calls on us all to come out and share words of praise and encouragement for each other, appreciating and acknowledging the contributions of so many people who make businesses, brands and workplaces better. Learn and understand how to face challenges and seize opportunities while bringing along others on the path to progress. 

This is just the beginning of a long journey to spotlight individuals who are empowering others and bringing change and growth for all. Together we rise.

In her 23 years long career so far, Preeti Nayyar’s biggest achievement has been her decision to always take up an untested path, non- traditional verticals and business setups. "I derive my entire learning and strength from these risks that I have taken ever since I was a young executive. I firmly believe that we are a product of the choices that we make,” says Nayyar, who is senior vice president at the music juggernaut Universal Music Group. 

In her first job, a 21 year old Nayyar chose a field sales job when given an option to be a tele-call executive. In her subsequent jobs, she chose retail sales over corporate sale, she chose non- traditional revenue over inventory sales, she chose travelling to all growth markets (Tier 2 cities) as compared to just managing 8 top markets. “I was happy learning about melas in hinterland. My choices have empowered me the most. This is also a reason why I am in the music Industry today and still choosing non-traditional business,” shares Nayyar. 

Read More:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/hl-sharethespotlight-we-fail-every-time-an-employee-is-unhappy-or-unmotivated-says-lulu-raghavan-landor-fitch-7132.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">#ShareTheSpotlight: “We fail every time an employee is unhappy or unmotivated,” says Lulu Raghavan, Landor & Fitch</a>

In business, low phases and failures are inevitable but failure is also a great opportunity to reinvent. There was period when Nayyar felt that she was ready to take up bigger challenges in her role and that her strength was not being utilised by her organisation (at that point of time) in an optimal way. 

Nayyar says, “I had always worked as intrapreneur in my corporate career and I was getting restless as I was not able to find opportunities to innovate. I think it was my momentary inability to see beyond what was happening around till I realised the power of “Blue ocean” strategy again!”

Nayyar has chosen Anupama Mandloi – a seasoned producer of Impactful content, ex MD of Fremantle Media India and a media veteran to share the spotlight with. "I am nominating her for all the human and meaningful content that she has been producing since a while like the documentary – Aunty Sudha Aunty Radha." Mandloi, known for being the impact producer for Coral Woman, an Indian documentary about climate change has been changing mindsets and behaviours by producing movies that give birth to movements.

Read More:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/share-the-spotlight-mistakes-is-what-will-keep-my-learning-going-says-disha-singh-of-zouk-7330.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">#ShareTheSpotlight: Mistakes are what will keep my learning going, says Disha Singh of Zouk</a>

 
Know anyone you’d like to share the spotlight with? Join the movement, give them a shout-out on LinkedIn and tag Storyboard18 so we can take it forward.

#ShareTheSpotlight: "My choices have empowered me the most," says Preeti Nayyar, Universal Music Group

Note to readers: Storyboard18's Share The Spotlight aims to highlight inspirational stories of women who continue breaking barriers and setting the precedent for other women marketers, entrepreneurs and communication specialists.

The initiative aims to kick off a movement where people from across these communities step up and share their spotlight with other women. They could be women in their team or any other team, a new group or previous one, from a past workplace or the current one. 

Share The Spotlight calls on us all to come out and share words of praise and encouragement for each other, appreciating and acknowledging the contributions of so many people who make businesses, brands and workplaces better. Learn and understand how to face challenges and seize opportunities while bringing along others on the path to progress. 

This is just the beginning of a long journey to spotlight individuals who are empowering others and bringing change and growth for all. Together we rise.

“As a woman, I started a production in a male-dominated industry and scaled it up from 0 to 150 artisans, and now we have a strong team of 600 artisans working with us. I'm proud of how we've scaled our team from a few members to a big, strong backend across different departments, such as search engine marketing, revenue growth, customer experience, and social media,” says Disha Singh, co-founder Zouk. Singh is carrying on the heritage of being Proudly Indian in all of Zouk’s products and is aiming to build an India-inspired lifestyle brand from India for the world.


In a chat with Storyboard18, the entrepreneur tells us that she doesn’t consider her professional challenges as failures as long as she discovers new things and learns from them. “Every day we make mistakes be it in the marketing department or sales department or supply chain department or production. Across my journey, be it Zouk or previously as well, I have made a lot of mistakes and going forward I may make a lot of mistakes but that is what will keep my learning going because of that only I will keep growing,” she says

Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/sharethespotlight-ghazal-alagh-puts-the-spotlight-on-three-women-entrepreneurs-6233.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">#ShareTheSpotlight: Ghazal Alagh puts the spotlight on three women entrepreneurs</a>


Singh is inspired by the professional journeys of women like Aditi Handa, co-Founder of The Baker's Dozen, Akriti Gupta, founder of Jollee and Aakanksha Gupta, founder of The Other Circle. Singh endorsed Handa because of her passion, the depth of knowledge she has about each of her products and for her clarity of vision for the brand she wants to build. 

Singh also shares the spotlight with Akriti Gupta because of Gupta’s hustle attitude in building a category disruptor in a fragmented kids segment. “She has the vision for building an enduring brand with the right set of people she needs for this journey,” says Singh about Gupta.


Aakanksha Gupta was nominated by Singh because the former, in a very short span of time, has built a loyal clientele and for the grasp she has in this cluttered media industry. “Her drive and love for creating long-lasting PR for brands and not only momentary uplifts is amazing.” 

Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/hl-sharethespotlight-we-fail-every-time-an-employee-is-unhappy-or-unmotivated-says-lulu-raghavan-landor-fitch-7132.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">#ShareTheSpotlight: “We fail every time an employee is unhappy or unmotivated,” says Lulu Raghavan, Landor & Fitch</a>


Know anyone you’d like to share the spotlight with? Join the movement, give them a shout-out on LinkedIn and tag Storyboard18 so we can take it forward.

#ShareTheSpotlight: Mistakes are what will keep my learning going, says Disha Singh of Zouk

Note to readers: Storyboard18's Share The Spotlight aims to highlight inspirational stories of women who continue breaking barriers and setting the precedent for other women marketers, entrepreneurs and communication specialists.

The initiative aims to kick off a movement where people from across these communities step up and share their spotlight with other women. They could be women in their team or any other team, a new group or previous one, from a past workplace or the current one. 

Share The Spotlight calls on us all to come out and share words of praise and encouragement for each other, appreciating and acknowledging the contributions of so many people who make businesses, brands and workplaces better. Learn and understand how to face challenges and seize opportunities while bringing along others on the path to progress. 

This is just the beginning of a long journey to spotlight individuals who are empowering others and bringing change and growth for all. Together we rise.

Lulu Raghavan set up Landor in India and then twelve years later took over as the Managing Director of Landor & Fitch India after the integration of the two agencies globally. "From being the first employee on the ground to leading the largest branding and design consultancy in India today, it has been an incredibly rewarding professional journey full of memories, learnings and opportunities for further growth,” says Raghavan

Having already worked in the San Francisco, New York and London offices of Landor across naming, brand strategy and client services prior to setting up in India, Raghavan knew what processes had to be established and what kind of culture had to be nurtured. “The challenge was new business as we didn’t have a huge body of work to show in India. We relied heavily on other offices supporting us and here my relationships from working abroad in the various Landor offices helped hugely. Everyone was eager to help us succeed in India,” shares Raghavan. 

Once the office was established and there were a few successful projects (the rebranding of Café Coffee Day, the brand architecture of the Taj Group, design of T3 in Delhi, to name a few), the emphasis was on going beyond a small scale and niche operation. Raghavan had to learn to manage a larger team, adapt processes, hunt more vigorously for new business and continue to build the reputation through marketing and PR. Spotting an opportunity in Sri Lanka and through a successful partnership with Brand Finance Lanka, Raghavan and her team served a wide variety of clients and expanded the scope of the company's influence.

 Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/sharethe-spotlight-leap-clubs-ragini-das-on-making-money-and-an-impact-and-leaders-to-spotlight-6269.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">#ShareThe Spotlight: Leap Club’s Ragini Das on making money and an impact, and leaders to spotlight</a>

The most exciting phase of Raghavan’s career at Landor & Fitch began after the integration. In the past two years, her focus in India has been on leading the integration of two very different cultures to create a unified one in line with the global strategy, curating and empowering a leadership team, setting a clear ambition, broadening and deepening relationships with key clients through enhanced offerings, partnering more closely with the sister WPP companies and relentlessly focusing on being the best place to work. 

Leading a creative consultancy comes with numerous people challenges. “The hardest part of my job is finding, hiring and retaining the best talent. You need to create the right culture that allows highly creative people to do their best work every day and to also work effectively in teams," says Raghavan. 

Raghavan is a big fan of Simon Sinek’s work. Sinek who is an author and inspirational speaker taught Raghavan that leadership is about truly caring for every single person in the organization. When people feel included, valued, trusted and secure, they develop a sense of belonging which will intrinsically motivate them to advance the interests of the organization and give their 100 percent every day. “Letting someone into the organization is like adopting a child and welcoming them to your house,” is what Simon says and she wholeheartedly agrees. 

“We fail every time an employee does not succeed. We fail every time we don’t manage the growth ambitions and aspirations of an employee. We fail every time an employee is unhappy or unmotivated. We fail every time a team falls apart.,” says Raghavan, adding, “We’ve lost many highly talented employees over the years for one of these reasons or the other. It still pains me every single time it happens because I view it as a personal failing.”

<blockquote>You need to create the right culture that allows highly creative people to do their best work every day and to also work effectively in teams," Lulu Raghavan, MD, Landor & Fitch</blockquote>

Raghavan’s biggest learning has been the importance of getting the culture right. According to her, a great culture breeds exceptional creativity which attracts the right clients. Along with her leadership team, she has been doubling down on culture which is especially important as the business scales even further. 

Raghavan is very inspired by the professional journeys of two highly respected women leaders at WPP – Kyoko Matsushita (CEO, WPP Japan) and Rose Herceg (President, WPP Australia and New Zealand). Matsushita was the Global CEO of Essence before taking over her current role as CEO of WPP in Japan. She is known to be a leader who places a huge emphasis on culture and collaboration. “I hugely admire her journey from client side (Sony, EA, Mobile Game Studio) to agency side. She’s breaking all sorts of glass ceilings being a female CEO of Japanese origin in a traditionally male dominated industry and country. I had the opportunity to meet her in person in Cannes last year and was wowed by her simplicity, humility and warmth,” shares Raghavan

Herceg is the President of Australia and New Zealand. She is a strategist at heart but also an entrepreneur and author who has published three books on business leadership and innovation. She is one of Australia’s leading social forecasters and futurists who is now the top boss. “I’m so inspired by how she can wear so many hats as a leader," says Raghavan, adding "While I’ve not had the opportunity to meet Rose in person, I’ve heard her at various online forums and have been energized by her intellect, passion and leadership." 

Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/sharethespotlight-failure-is-like-the-pain-after-the-workout-which-will-ultimately-bear-good-results-says-unmisha-bhatt-tonic-worldwide-7081.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">#ShareTheSpotlight: “Failure is like the pain after the workout which will ultimately bear good results,” says Unmisha Bhatt, Tonic Worldwide</a>
 

Know anyone you’d like to share the spotlight with? Join the movement, give them a shout-out on LinkedIn and tag Storyboard18 so we can take it forward.

#ShareTheSpotlight: “We fail every time an employee is unhappy or unmotivated,” says Lulu Raghavan, Landor & Fitch

Note to readers: Storyboard18's Share The Spotlight aims to highlight inspirational stories of women who continue breaking barriers and setting the precedent for other women marketers, entrepreneurs and communication specialists.

The initiative aims to kick off a movement where people from across these communities step up and share their spotlight with other women. They could be women in their team or any other team, a new group or previous one, from a past workplace or the current one. 

Share The Spotlight calls on us all to come out and share words of praise and encouragement for each other, appreciating and acknowledging the contributions of so many people who make businesses, brands and workplaces better. Learn and understand how to face challenges and seize opportunities while bringing along others on the path to progress. 

This is just the beginning of a long journey to spotlight individuals who are empowering others and bringing change and growth for all. Together we rise.

As a young girl growing up in Ambala, Swati Bhargava, co-founder of CashKaro and EarnKaro never imagined that she would eventually study at The London School of Economics, work at Goldman Sachs in London, or start and run a successful multi-million dollar business in India. “For me, having done all of this has been an achievement that wasn’t quite on my vision board as I was growing up,” says Bhargava. 

Starting CashKaro with Rohan Bhargava has been a true game changer for Swati. “I spearhead investments and corporate activity at CashKaro, and the experience of raising over Rs 235 crore so far has taught me so much. We also managed to get Mr Ratan Tata to invest in our business, and that’s one achievement that will always remain special to me. In addition, I personally have worked hard to create an amazing work culture at CashKaro which is something I am incredibly proud of,” shares Bhargava

Read More: <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/storyboard18/brand-makers/sharethespotlight-there-is-no-harm-in-being-a-vulnerable-leader-its-a-sign-of-strength-says-mindpeers-kanika-agarwal-6426.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">#ShareTheSpotlight: 'There is no harm in being a vulnerable leader. It’s a sign of strength,' says Mindpeers' Kanika Agarwal</a>

Throughout her professional journey, Bhargava has thrived in male-dominated environments, overcoming gender stereotypes and not letting any biases hold her back. “Whether at Goldman or Indian tech start-up scene, there have always been more men than women. I’ve learnt though that each one of us has to carve our own place with our hard work, business acumen and confidence and therefore, I’ve never let the lack of role models or support deter me,” says Bhargava, adding, “I continue to approach my work with the same excitement and commitment as I did in my first job in 2005, and the desire to keep learning just keeps pushing me forward.”



<blockquote> "I learnt the importance of having a great leadership team a bit late in our startup journey," Swati Bhargava, co-founder, CashKaro <blockquote>

As far as professional challenges go, Bhargava feels that the importance of a team is something she learnt later on. She says, “I learnt the importance of having a great leadership team a bit late in our startup journey. If I had prioritized the hiring of senior personnel earlier and invested more resources in this area, we might have been able to grow even faster.”

Bhargava has shared the spotlight with Vani Kola, MD of Kalaari Capital. “I admire Vani’s grit and ability to stand up for herself, the people she cares about and the opinions she holds. She genuinely makes an effort to encourage more women to stay in the workforce, to move forward in life and even start their own businesses. There are only a few people who back action with words, and Vani is definitely one of them,” says Bhargava.

Bhargava also loves the work Aabha Bakaya is doing in building an ecosystem for women in India. “Through her venture, Ladies Who Lead, Aabha has brought together so many women CXOs, entrepreneurs, corporate professionals. LWL today is a network like none other and Aabha has done all of this on her own, which is super inspirational!” says Bhargava

Bhargava also gave a shout-out to entrepreneurs whose products she herself uses and loves. The common thing between them all is that they have created products, services and categories from scratch, recognising what India really needs. They are Vaishali Gupta of mCaffeine, Kindlife’s Radhika Ghai, Malika Sadani of The Moms Co, Rashi Narang who founded Heads Up For Tails, Shreedha Singh of The Ayurveda Co, JetSetGo’s Kanika Tekriwal, Vineeta Singh of Sugar and Ghazal Alagh of Mamaearth.

Read More: <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/storyboard18/brand-makers/sharethespotlight-grapes-digitals-shradha-agarwal-on-intrapreneurship-aspirations-and-the-woman-she-wants-to-spotlight-6656.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">#ShareTheSpotlight: Grapes’ Shradha Agarwal on intrapreneurship, aspirations, and the woman she wants to spotlight</a>

Know anyone you’d like to share the spotlight with? Join the movement, give them a shout-out on LinkedIn and tag Storyboard18 so we can take it forward.

#ShareTheSpotlight: ‘I’ve never let the lack of role models or support deter me,’ says Swati Bhargava, CashKaro

Durga Gawde, artist, activist and drag king, auditioned for a very big brand. “I suggested that they make the actor gender-neutral instead of a cisgender woman as it is more inclusive. Everyone agreed except the client. The client checked out my socials and upon discovering that I use ‘they’ pronoun, they let me go. Cisgender people don’t have to go through this.” shares Gawde.

Interestingly, Gawde’s manager who is a cisgender straight male makes sure Gawde is well-compensated in their brand collaborations, which again puts the focus on cisgender privilege.

This raises a very important question – Are most brands pinkwashing and promoting performative action? Currently, the call for action for this community seems to be limited to only Pride Month. Dunzo through their campaign “Make room for more pride” has raised questions about whether Pride is seasonal and just limited to June.

Some influencers from the LGBTQIA community are demanding that brands go beyond tokenism and are seeking acknowledgement, accountability and actual change instead of performative action.

Current representation in Indian ads

“It is extremely important to get queer people from a diverse spectrum, not just gay men, not just cis gay men, not just cis gay women but trans people, queer femme people, non-binary people and let them be a part of the decision-making process. If you are collaborating with queer people, collaborate with a diverse group of queer people, and then when you bring all of these people in, you let them be the decision-makers, and let them decide what they want to say,” says Anwesh Sahoo (he/him), the youngest winner of Mr. Gay World India 2016.

“A lot of brands put a rainbow around logos, merchandises but that will only make the profile grid on your Instagram look beautiful but will do absolutely nothing to elevate the status of the queer people in our country,” he says. 

Patruni Chidananda Sastry (they/he/she), a non-binary and bisexual drag artist whose workplace is open about queer identities but doesn’t have a gender-neutral washroom yet, says, “Brands are usually picking up stories about trans people or people who are homosexual. Stories of other identities like non-binary people and bisexual people are not picked up. Time and again we see the same people and individuals involved in these brands. Sexuality or gender is all about perspective. I see transness in a far more different way than other people.”

Reiterating Patruni’s point, Gawde says, “Brands should consult queer people while making content for them. A cisgender heterosexual person will never have the lived experience of a queer person, so we need queer voices in decision making,” adding that there is no proper representation of a trans person in the media. “They are either a joke, a psychopath or a murderer.”



<blockquote>“Brands should consult queer people while making content for them. A cisgender heterosexual person will never have the lived experience of a queer person, so we need queer voices in decision making," Durga Gawde, artist, activist and drag king</blockquote>



Certain industries like makeup seem to be queer-friendly. Anastasia Beverly Hills India collaborated with Sushant Divgikar for their bridal campaign. During Pride Month last year, Norvina Pro Pigment Volume 6 palette was launched and it was attended by a lot of people from the LGBTQ community. 

Expectations from brands

Sahoo suggests that brands should acknowledge that the status of queer people is abysmal at this point, especially in small-town India. Brands with their own HR policies consider the way forward for non-discriminatory policies, same-sex partner benefits, and psychological and financial support to trans employees in their transition.

“That is where inclusivity really begins. That is when more and more people will come in and suggest policies,” states Sahoo, stressing the need for brands to support NGOs like Naz Foundation that successfully opposed Section 377 which criminalised homosexuality. “If you go to an NGO where trans people stay, look at the living conditions, so many insecurities they constantly believe in, people never made them feel belonged.”

Like Sahoo, Gawde highlights the lack of systematic support and calls for urgent attention towards health and medical insurance for trans people, “The more a queer person embraces their identity, the more they get away from the heteronormative society. It is like playing with fire and so financial independence is necessary,” she says.

Citing the example of certain clothing brands which claim to be inclusive, Sastry shares, “These brands bring in trans and non-binary people yet they still have a gender label, a man and woman section.”

Brand collaborations and experiences

Recently, alcohol brand Absolut launched a new campaign called Absoluteally where we see a diverse range of queer influencers providing food for thought. In one of the ads under the campaign, world gold medalist Dutee Chand implies that gender is a spectrum and far beyond than he/she and that people in love should be called partners. In another ad, our preconceived notion about drag is questioned when Alex Mathew, who goes by the moniker mayathedragqueen, says drag is an art form and not a representation of one’s gender.

Sahoo praises dating app Bumble and alcohol brand Absolut and shares that both of these brands let queer people be completely part of the process. From getting on a call with these influencers to having them fill up questionnaires to get a better insight into the minds of these diverse set of people “they heard us and let us narrate our stories; they were good allies,” he says. 

The tech space seems to be quite queer-friendly and inclusive, as per Sahoo, who has worked with companies like Google, and Meta, more specifically WhatsApp and who is keen to associate with Amazon and Netflix too. 



<blockquote>“If you are a good ally, you would pay all influencers the same way, you won’t just look at us as queer influencers,” Anwesh Sahoo, the youngest winner of Mr. Gay World India 2016</blockquote>



Apart from the tech space, even the advertising community seems to be inclusive. Gawde who has worked with Johny Walker, Publicis Sapiens, Soho House, and Vice, says when she was invited as a speaker on a panel discussion on inclusivity by Publicis, she felt “it was one of the most inclusive corporates she has associated with”. 

Sastry who has also worked with Absolut has collaborated with local brands like Saucy, Kothaceru, Blur and Sugar talks about how some local brands have shown support by allowing Sastry to be themselves with their beard in the ad. 

Even Absolut ensured that Sastry’s partner was in the ad where Sastry talks about bisexuality and articulates the nuanced relationship between their partner, a heterosexual woman and them. Sastry talks about how brands can use queer narratives and gain from them while sharing that they have always underquoted in their initial conversation with the casting agency, “I see there is a parity but I am still not that commercial,” they say.

Sahoo too addresses the pay disparity in the industry. Confirming that some brands do pay quite well, he points out that queer people can contribute to India’s growth and uplift its economy via pink money. “If you are a good ally, you would pay all influencers the same way, you won’t just look at us as queer influencers,” says Sahoo.

Addressing the pay disparity, Sanjali Giri, vice president - international brands & retail, House Of Beauty said, “The brand’s foundation has been built upon the idea that everyone is equal hence we do not look at our queer consumers any differently,” and added, “The brand also strongly believes that makeup is for all genders and not specifically for women alone and translates this in its very specific marketing campaign showing this inclusivity.”

INDRANI BOSE

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