Falguni Nayar’s risk-taking instincts meet the new generation’s skills at Nykaa

WHEN FALGUNI NAYAR says that her family has one primary interest — the beauty business Nykaa — it seems like a scene out of a soap opera. Her daughter Adwaita (CEO, fashion) has been with her since the launch of her ₹10,000-crore empire. Son Anchit (CEO, beauty) joined the business in 2018. The trio, claims Nayar, is a huge strength for each other. “We are believers of ‘long-termness’ in the decision-making that comes when a family owns a substantial part of the business,” says the founder & CEO of Nykaa.

What gives this soap opera a contemporary twist is that the matriarch (Nayar) calls the shots. Nayar likes to call herself a legacy entrepreneur who has the agility of a startup founder. “I am bolder than legacy… In my first year my margins used to be less than 35%, and my marketing cost was more than 55%.”