Groomed by her father Prakash Chauhan, Nadia spent many summer afternoons after school sitting in trucks with the sales team, going from shop to shop to see how their products were doing. It was this early start that has made her comfortable enough to rely on her instincts and take bold business decisions that align with Parle's growth plan.
Chauhan was formally inducted into Parle in 2003 and currently holds the position of joint managing director and chief marketing officer. As joint managing director she faces the challenge of setting the vision for the company, providing and managing the infrastructure and resources to help achieve that vision.
"We have a clear vision for Parle Agro. We want it to grow and be a Rs.3,500 crore FMCG giant in the industry and be number one. Every introduction from Parle Agro is in line with this vision," she says. She also aims at creating a highly differentiated company portfolio and then lay down competitive and dynamic strategies that will help establish this portfolio across the country and in the new markets that they are going to enter this year.
One of the challenges that she faced when she joined the business was that a very large proportion of the company's turnover was coming from Frooti, one single brand, operating in a single country.
Her main agenda at the time was to take the company from a single brand focus to a multi-brand and multi-category focus. And that is what she did. Since 2009, Parle has diversified into new beverage brands such as LMN, Appy and Grappo Fizz, all new products in their category. This focus on innovation is what makes Parle Agro a success story. Her biggest risk so far has turned out to be her wildest success.
In 2009 when Chauhan decided to launch the baked snack Hippo, it was the only contender in the health snack segment. The strategy worked well for Hippo. In just two years, it became third in market share, after Kurkure and Bingo. "We have always been clear that we will not launch a product that already exists in the market," she says.
The thrill of the dynamic FMCG industry is what drives her, "I thrive on challenges. It is my opiate. So I love the rapid change in pace, strategy and the constant challenges the industry poses. It pushes me to think harder and do better."
The coming year will be bigger and better for the company, with an aggressive focus on the growth rate and expansion plans on the anvil. "We will improve our market efficiency throughout the nation. There will be new launches in the food segment to increase our market share in the snack food and confectionery category. We will also focus on international expansion," she says.
Having spent her holidays and hours post school in office, watching her father work and being involved in major initiatives of the company in Mumbai, Chauhan has a passion for the brand and the business which has just gotten stronger with time. "I think it is my passion and the fact that I never dreamed of doing anything else that allows me to do a good job," she says, adding that when most people join a business, they want to change everything.
"Maybe often because they don't know the journey of the company. Having been involved early, I knew why we were where we were. That allowed me to plan with greater ease, about where we wanted to take the company, without changing its core values."
Sanjeev Jaju, director, Parle Agro, reiterates the fact when he says, "Nadia is very ambitious and bold in her business approach. I have known her for over 12 years. She has her father's knack for business and that has helped her be a quick decision maker and a dynamic leader."
Her professional role models have been her father and her husband, Raj Kurup, founder and chief creative officer, CreativeLand Asia. "Their passion for work and their endless commitment is something I try and emulate, also the simplicity with which they approach the challenges that come their way inspires me," she says.
A natural workaholic, she says she never faced the crisis of balancing work and home until she got married and had a baby. "I became a mother two years ago and ever since, Nia, my daughter has been the centre of my life," she adds.
Chauhan admits that being a mother changed things, "but, post delivery, I was working from home within a month. And when I had meetings, my one-and-ahalf-month-old daughter, Nia, would be there with us. I take her to work with me and she stays there the whole day in a nursery. People joke that she has started off at the company at a much younger age than I did," she laughs.
For her the trick to achieving work-life balance lies in ensuring that one's entire support system is right. "When I joined office, Nia was about two-and-a-half months old. The first step was to create a nursery for her in office and the second was to plan out lots of activities that would keep her busy and her mind stimulated," she says, adding that setting a routine for oneself and one's child is important, especially in order to get quality time together.
"Being mentally prepared is the most important aspect. It can get exhausting and stressful, but if you are prepared, there is nothing that can stop you from doing it," she adds.
She says her inspiration for life comes from new experiences, "everything I come across, adds to me." A voracious reader she is currently hooked to Haruki Murakami on her iPad. Also a fitness freak, she enjoys exercising and horse-riding. She used to play an acoustic guitar, but admits there is little time for it now.
"It's always an action-packed day, although we start at 9.00 a.m. and officially close at 5.00 p.m., most days are longer than that for me." She reserves her evenings for her family with occasional night-outs with friends. "I often have an early dinner and plan ahead." It is important, she believes, for women to do so because, "it keeps you ahead of things and helps you strike a balance. Since a happy mind is always a far more productive mind, it counts."
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