Vandana Luthra is a big name among Indian famous entrepreneurs. She is the founder of VLCC Health Care Limited. Which is a beauty and wellness services industry represented in Asia, GCC, and Africa.
Vandana Luthra is also the Chairperson of the Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill & Council (B&WSSC). It is an initiative that provides training under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
She was appointed as the chairperson of the Beauty and Wellness Sector Skill Council in 2014. It is supported by the Government of India and provides skill training for the beauty industry.
Vandana Luthra was ranked 26th on Forbes Asia's list of 50 Powerful Women Entrepreneurs 2016.
VLCC is one of the best beauty and wellness service industries in the country. It operates across 350 locations in 153 cities across 18 countries in South Asia, South East Asia, the GCC region, and East Africa.
Their industry employs 6,000 employees from 39 countries around the world including medical professionals, nutrition counselors, physiotherapists, cosmetologists, and beauty professionals.
Companies self-organize their operations in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya.
In addition, its plants in India and Singapore also produce a wide range of VLCC skin care, hair care, and body-care products.
Vandana Luthra had said in an interview that her entrepreneurial journey has taught her many lessons which have brought many changes in her life. One of the major things she learned is to have a strong core value for the organization and to stand by it at all times. Building a brand takes years of hard work, dedication, and commitment. It is very important to keep going and not look back.
Let us know about the life of Vandana Luthra…
Early Life
Vandana Luthra was born on 12 July 1959 in New Delhi. Her father was a mechanical engineer and her mother was an Ayurvedic doctor.
Her mother was running a social organization named Amar Jyoti. Due to this, she got the inspiration to influence the lives of people.
She completed her graduation from the Polytechnic for Women from New Delhi. After which she moved to Europe to specialize in beauty, food, nutrition, and skincare.
She then did several specialized courses and modules in Beauty Care, Fitness, Food & Nutrition, and Skin Care in London, Munich, and Paris.
She married Mukesh Luthra in 1988. Se is the co-founder and chairman of VLCC Healthcare Limited. She has two daughters.
Overcome all Challenges
During the time when Vandana Luthra was setting up her business, in those days, few women were seen as entrepreneurs only.
Especially women from non-business families were not entering the business sector at all.
She had only two thousand rupees and the flight of dreams was very high. Holding the string of dreams, she started walking to fulfill them.
She took a loan from the bank and chose an unknown path in which she had no experience at all.
The biggest challenge for her was to win the trust of the people and make her mark in order to take her work to success. Because people knew beauty parlors at that time, but the name of the transformation center was completely new to them.
Being a woman, her abilities were also being undermined to be strong in the market. But she neither lost courage nor let her confidence decrease.
Her hard work paid off and her first salon opened in Delhi's Safdarjung area and became a center of attraction for people. Meanwhile, it was also a big challenge for her to raise money to strengthen the business.
She wanted her brand to be glamorous as well as clinical. It was frustrating at first for her to persuade doctors to work on health with her.
When it came to convincing nutritionists and cosmetologists, she faced backlash. But the spirit and determination were strong and after much effort, some agreed.
She eventually added many health experts to his side.
Today her dream and vision have influenced people across the world.
Read This Also: Meet Priyanshi Somani India's youngest human calculator who broke records at the age of 11
Launch of VLCC
When Vandana Luthra started VLCC in Delhi in the year 1989, it was India's first 'Transformation Centre'.
In those days the wellness market was just making a mark in the country and complete wellness became a completely different sector by combining fitness and beauty.
In those days a serial used to come on TV – Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi. In it, the heroine Jassi became very famous because of her looks and costumes. Later her makeover is done and she becomes glamorous from the very simple girl.
Then every passing week Jassi becomes smarter and till the finale, she is seen as a very beautiful modern girl.
Vandana Luthra said in an interview, “We did that makeover for the first time on TV. After this Jassi's show became so popular that women started coming out of the house to change their look. This was a turning point, from here we realized that girls are ready to change themselves, we just have to help them a little bit. Earlier she used to keep unhappy about her normal look. Transformation proved to be a working thing for her.
She also gives a lot of credit to her husband who has always supported her.
Within a month of setting up her first outlet, she attracted many customers and celebrities from the surrounding areas.
As per a report, 40% of its top clients are from international centers.
According to a report, the estimated annual revenue of VLCC is $91.1 million.
Read This Also: Woman entrepreneur Richa Kar who made Ladies Undergarments India's first e-commerce brand
Chosen Path of Women's Empowerment
VLCC company also contributes towards women empowerment at its level. The company's 'Entrepreneurship for Women program promotes and rewards entrepreneurship and talent among women.
Today, women are the heads of seven out of 10 departments of the company in the country. All the lead managers of more than 300 retail outlets in 13 countries are exclusively women.
Each Wellness Service Center and Vocational Training Institute of VLCC is a profit-making, stand-alone center functioning under the supervision of an enterprising Center Manager.
The path of economic self-reliance automatically opens for the women associated with them.
The most important thing for women's empowerment is their economic self-sufficiency. Self-confidence in a financially independent woman's own competence becomes complicated.
Read This Also: Mathura's Malvika turned the art of her hands into a business idea, today celebrities are also her customers
Also Honored with Padma Shri
Vandana Luthra has also been awarded 'Padma Shri' for her significant contribution to the industrial sector.
With the right path, dedication, and willpower, it is definitely possible to achieve the goal.
Vandana Luthra is an example of immense potential hidden in women.
Read This Also: Meet Jayanti Kathale who took a pledge to provide Maharashtrian cuisine through World Famous Largest Maharashtrian Restaurant in the world
Social Welfare Work
Vandana Luthra's Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust pioneered the concept of educating children with disabilities and non-disabled children in equal numbers from Nursery to Class VIII. More than 1000 children get an education in the two schools of that charitable trust.
She is currently the Vice Chancellor of an NGO Khushi. The NGO works on a variety of projects, including vocational training facilities, an education facility for 3,000 children, and a telemedicine center.
She is also an active member of the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga through which she promotes yoga, mental health, and self-development.
Read This Also: Meet Kalpana Saroj who went through tortures like child marriage, partiality, poverty, exploitation and now Successful Entrepreneur
Awards and Honors
- Vandana Luthra was awarded the Padma Shri in 2013.
- She was awarded The Enterprise Asia Woman Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010.
- In 2012, she received The Asian Business Leaders Forum Trailblazer Award.
- She was ranked 26th in the prestigious annual Forbes Asia 2016 list of the 50 most powerful businesswomen in the APAC region.
- She was listed in Fortune magazine's annual list of '50 Most Powerful Women in Business in India' for five years from 2011 to 2015.
Read This Also: Meet Manisha Raisinghani whose dream becomes reality
Publication and Book
- Vandana Luthra published A Complete Fitness Program on Wellness and Fitness in 2011.
- She wrote the book "A Good Life - The VLCC Way" in 2013.
Every woman has to break the shackles of stereotypes and move forward because, in the shadows of subordination and fear, every ray of light seems untouched. That's why struggle and opposition are inevitable.
We salute the relentless efforts and willpower of Vandana Luthra. You are the highest example and inspiration of women empowerment for the women of the country and abroad. It is true that the journey to success can be difficult, but if the decision is firm then anything is possible.
Read More:
0 Comments
Please do not enter any spam link in the comment box.