December 18, 2017

7 pm Onwards

ITC Maurya, Delhi

Presenting Partner

PC Jeweller Ltd commenced operations in 2005, with its first showroom in Karol Bagh, New Delhi. The company has steadily grown over the years and closed FY 2016-17 with 75 stores spread over 18 states. It has opened nine more stores since. That’s not all. The company went public and got listed in its seventh year of existence, and had a billion dollar turnover by its tenth year. Today PCJ has a market cap of more than a billion dollars and is one of the few listed jewellery companies in India.
The company is engaged in the business of manufacture, retail and export of jewellery. The company offers a variety of products including 100 per cent hallmarked gold jewellery, certified diamond jewellery and silver articles. The focus, however, is on diamond jewellery and bridal jewellery. The company also has presence in the branded jewellery segment through Flexia, a unique detachable collection catering to youngsters, working women and young couples, and Azva, which offers consumers high-end wedding jewellery.
PC Jeweller operates five manufacturing plants in Noida, Noida (SEZ) and Dehradun, Uttarakhand. It has an in-house team of over 60 designers who create new patterns and designs on a regular basis based on domestic and international design trends. Apart from its domestic operations, PC Jeweller is also engaged in the export of handmade designer gold on a B2B basis. The company has plans to increase its product offerings in the international market as well.
For high networth individuals, the company has lounges at select stores. But it’s also begun targeting middle and lower-middle income buyers by opening outlets in smaller markets. In addition, PCJ is expanding by creating a franchisee vertical. This is a very cost-effective method of growth and provides a good boost to the margins.
In other words, PC Jeweller is now catering to a diverse range of customers that includes the ultra-rich, the rich and upper middle class, youngsters/young couples and working women, and the middle and lower middle income group.

Title Partner

Gold Partners

TVS Motor Company
TVS Motor Company is a leading two-wheeler and three-wheeler manufacturer in India producing scooters, motorcycles, mopeds and three-wheelers. It ranks among the world’s top ten two-wheeler companies and is the second-largest two-wheeler and three-wheeler exporter in India, distributing to over 60 countries. It was born in 1979 as the flagship brand of the TVS Group, which was founded by TV Sundaramlyengar. Sitting at the helm is Venu Srinivasan whose persistent and diligent leadership has led the Company to become the largest member of the Group in terms of size and turnover.
Headquartered in Chennai, the company is known for its high quality and value-for-money products. It has a presence in all segments of the two-wheeler market and over 33 million customers ride a TVS vehicle in India today.
TVS Motor Company has also created new industry benchmarks with the introduction of the mopeds, premium scooters and scooty categories. The company also has strong -responsible focus and supports The Srinivasan Services Trust to carry out sustainable initiatives that contribute to the lives of communities across regions.
TVS Motor has a strong nationwide distribution network of 4000 certified touch-points including dealers and authorised service centres and continuously seeks to increase its reach. It has four state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities at Hosur in Tamil Nadu, Mysore in Karnataka, Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh and Karawang in Indonesia.
The company is foremost committed to its core ethos of Trust, Value and Service. It has been practising good governance over the years and lays huge emphasis on transparency, accountability and integrity.

WAVE
With nearly 30 years of experience in finance & accounting, thought leadership, mentoring & running multiple businesses, Raju Chadha has an impeccable record of delivering value and scaling large businesses by leading multi-disciplinary business projects and industry growth initiatives. Recently, he was in the news for restoring & re-releasing the iconic Punjabi film Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai which explored the tenets of Sikhism. The process was expensive and painful as every frame had to be restored meticulously but Chadha wanted today’s youth to reconnect with these values and the film was released to rave reviews. This selfless move by him prompted the Indian Institute of Oriental Heritage to confer Honorary Doctorate on Chadha for his selfless contribution towards promoting Indian values & ethos.
As Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the wave Group, Chadha is in charge of the following businesses: Sugar Manufacturing (Wave Industries at Dhanaura, UP and AB Sugars at Dasuya Punjab; Paper Manufacturing at Chadha Papers Limited in Bilaspur, UP; Wave Infratech; WestEnd Malls; Wave Cinemas; and Delhi Waveriders, a Hockey India League. In addition, the businessman takes active interest in Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan, a school for the differently-abled which has transformed the lives of over 800 students till date, and the Ponty Chadha Foundation which channelizes its capabilities towards social welfare and economic development of society at large.

Beauty Partner

Celebration Partner

Digital Partner

ABOUT DEVI AWARDS

WOMEN'S AWARDS FOR DYNAMISM & INNOVATION

The Sunday Standard hosted the 12th edition of the Devi Awards in New Delhi on December 18, 2017. This was the fourth time that the awards were held in the capital, where 10 women achievers - carefully chosen from across the country - were honoured. The awards were presented by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Our winners have been chosen through a rating process conducted by the senior editorial team of The Sunday Standard and an independent jury, using transparent methodology. The rating process runs true to the Group motto of 'Favour None, Fear None'.

The Devis

Bharti GandhiEducationist

Hemalatha AnnamalaiEntrepreneur

Hemalatha Annamalai

As founder and CEO of Ampere Vehicles, Hemalatha Annamalai’smission is to build a local Tesla Motors by providing middle-class Indians in rural and semi-urban areas with cost-effective electric vehicles that offer them convenience and freedom, while simultaneously helping the environment and reducing India’s oil imports (which she believes, is “our collective responsibility”). Hema calls personal mobility a “basic need that’s on par with food, clothing and shelter and defines the dignity of an individual.” With her fleet of e-cycles, e-scooters, e-trolleys and special-purpose vehicles that cater to the differently-abled, the CEO’s dream is to put Coimbatore on the map as an electric vehicle city and turn it into a role model for other cities looking to go the electric way.
The fifth of six siblings, Hema has a computer science engineering degree from GCT Coimbatore and an MBA in international marketing from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia. She worked at Wipro Bangalore for a while before turning entrepreneur at the age of 27. Hema says she went solo because she wanted the freedom to do her own thing but very quickly realized that the independence came with strings attached. “As an entrepreneur you need to be extremely disciplined. Everything needs to be planned in advance and you must have a strong support system in place at home,” she says.
Her other advice to anyone looking to turn entrepreneur is ‘identify a mentor early’. Hema says she was lucky to have the support of Ratan Tata who met her at her request but was so impressed by her ideas that he ended up investing in the company. Going forward, Hema is looking to dispel the notion that there is no place for women in manufacturing. “Already, one in every four Ampere employees is female. I want women to be in the forefront of everything I do,” says the CEO.

Kiran ChopraSocial Entrepreneur

Masaba GuptaFashion Designer

Masaba Gupta

Her 1.2 million Twitter followers may shudder at the thought but there was a time when Masaba Gupta was indifferent to fashion. As a career option, anyway. What she really wanted to do was join Shiamak Davar’s dance group professionally but her mother Neena Gupta wouldn’t have it. Next she tried her luck with music but hit the wrong note. The acting attempt fizzled out before it started and Gupta ended up joining SNDT to study fashion. She’d always loved clothes, and had inherited her mother’s knack for putting together stray pieces to create eye-catching outfits. She hated the course but, in her second year, her clothes got noticed by Lakme’s Anil Chopra, and designer Wendell Rodricks, whom she considers her mentor, suggested she apply for Lakme Fashion Week. She did, and the rest is history. People loved the youthful, print-happy, drunk-on-colour outfits and orders started pouring in. Gupta had no experience of the fashion world but with her mother’s help, set up a unit and met the orders. Not everything sold, but Masaba Gupta, the fashion brand, was launched. At age 20. That wasn’t the only first. In 2011, at age 23, Gupta signed up as Fashion Director for Satya Paul, one of India’s oldest and most revered labels. She worked there for two years and drove the brand towards a younger customer base.
Today, back flying solo, running the House of Masaba with a presence across India, the Middle East, Silicon Valley and Singapore, the designer still works intensively with prints. Marrying modernism with tradition, turning mundane everyday objects into magical fabrics, Gupta is never shy to experiment. What she will not do, however, is bridal wear. “I learnt from my mother not to do things that are not natural to me. People tell me the real money is in bridal not prêt but that’s not me. I don’t want to go there,” she says.
Gupta has won several awards, featured in Forbes India 2017 list for ‘30 Under 30’ and is one of the most followed designers on social media. She was also the world’s first designer to do an Instagram show. Little wonder then that brands bend backwards to collaborate with the young creator. So far, she’s obliged Titan Watches, Fiama Di Wills, Tata Nano and Oppo. And Lakme, of course.

Neerja BirlaEducationist & Mental Health Activist

Neerja Birla

Neerja Birla’s mission in life has always been to try and help people from all sections of society to lead fulfilling, enriched lives. She holds her role as mother to her three children very close to her heart and generally maintains a low public profile, except when it comes to the causes that she feels most strongly about–education and mental health.
As founder-chairperson of Mpower, which she has created to change people’s attitude towards mental health, Birla hopes to spread awareness, alleviate the stigma about mental illness and provide quality care to affected individuals, particularly the young. “There’s a huge lack of information and awareness about mental health issues. This gap makes youngsters who are battling such problems feel as if they have something to be ashamed of. So they hide away and the problem goes undiagnosed and untreated,” says Birla. But hopefully, not for much longer. Through Mpower Foundation, which makes mental health care services accessible to members of economically-backward families; awareness-building workshops at schools, colleges and corporates; and a Centre that offers diagnostics, treatment and counselling for all psychiatric conditions, Birla is working to ensure that “people treat mental well-being just like physical well-being.”
The lady’s belief in the power of education is reflected in her dedication to her role as Chairperson of The Aditya Birla World Academy, a pioneering educational institute in Mumbai. The school functions in line with Birla’s staunch belief in the holistic development of children, and has been ranked the 3rd best international school in Mumbai and the 6th best international school in the country. Birla is also Chairperson of The Aditya Birla Integrated School, which provides a state-of-the-art holistic and personalised learning environment for children with learning and intellectual disabilities. It has been ranked Number 1 in India under the Schools for Special Needs category by EducationToday.co. Birla is very active in all the organisations she runs. From setting the strategic direction to overseeing day-to-day operations to ensuring that every operation is in-line with her vision, she does it all. In addition, she serves on the boards of Pratham and Make-a-Wish Foundation and is actively involved with NGOs such as Muktangan, Save the Children and Seva Sadan.

Ritu DalmiaChef & Restaurateur

Ritu Dalmia

There’s nothing in her lineage to explain why Ritu Dalmia is the brilliant chef and restaurateur that she is. And yet, there she stands, in her mid-40s, as one of India’s most celebrated chefs and co-owner and manager of six restaurants and a catering division in Delhi and a restaurant in Italy. The story might well have gone some other way. Born in then-Calcutta to a Marwari business family, Dalmia joined the family stone business when she was just 16. Her work kept taking her to Italy, where she developed a liking for the local cuisine and learnt how to cook it proficiently.
In 1993, at age 22, she set up Mezza Luna, a Mediterranean restaurant with an Italian accent, in Delhi’s Hauz Khas Village. The food was excellent, Mezza Luna’s fortunes weren’t. It sank without a trace. India was clearly not ready for more than mac and cheese. An undeterred Dalmia moved to London, where she opened Vama, an Indian fine dining restaurant, with fellow chef Andy Verma. The restaurant was a big success and won rave reviews. But Delhi beckoned, and in 2000, she came home to open her first Diva. The fine dining restaurant was an immediate hit, and Dalmia never looked back, going on to open one winning restaurant after another and managing a staff of 200. With Cittamani, her new eatery in Milan, Dalmia has come full circle. She started her restaurateur life trying to introduce India to genuine Italian food; now she’s getting Italians to taste and enjoy the flavours of the Indian subcontinent. Cittamani’s menu is a fusion of Indian and Italian elements; with Dalmia cooking locally-sourced Italian ingredients with Indian techniques.
Dalmia’s entrepreneurial spirit and contribution to the hospitality industry has been recognized by many institutions, including the Indian Federation for Culinary Association, which in 2016 recognized her as one of India’s 25 biggest Chefs. This September, she was awarded the Ordine della Stella d’Italia, Italy’s highest civilian honour. Dalmia has hosted Italian Khana and Travelling DIVA on NDTV Good Times and authored three cookbooks, Italian Khaana, Travelling DIVA and DIVA Green: A Vegetarian Cookbook. In case anyone’s wondering, this Dalmia is no vegetarian.

Rohini IyerCelebrity Image Consultant

Rohini Iyer

Founder & Director of Raindrop Media, Rohini Iyer was born and brought up in Mumbai, the city of celluloid dreams. Obsessed with cinema, with a passion for writing, this college dropout started off as a film journalist at the age of 16. She worked with several publications and channels before switching tracks and setting up Raindrop Media in 2002, counting on her strong media interactions and her insider knowledge of how the film industry functioned. The gamble worked, and within a few years, Raindrop was India’s biggest celebrity image and reputation management agency. Today, the company’s glittering client roster includes Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Sonam Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput, Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ekta Kapoor and Farah Khan from the film industry as well as tennis player Sania Mirza. Iyer runs a tight team of over 50 persons in Mumbai and Delhi with plans to set up offices in London, Dubai and Los Angeles.
Ask Iyer about her working style, and she says: “I go by instinct. I don’t like to play by the usual rules. You know how my agency got its name? It was raining the day I went to register the company, and the song Raindrops keep falling on my head was playing in my head. Voila.” Fifteen years later, Iyer is still responding to her gut. “I like doing things on my own terms, without any compromise. And yes, I’m pretty fearless,” she says. She’s not kidding. Raindrop’s impact is such that Iyer, as its creator, not only features regularly in the entertainment industry’s power lists but also gets counted among the most influential and inspiring women in the country today.
Earlier this year, she was awarded the Woman of the Decade in Celebrity Media at the Women’s Economic Forum in London. Iyer’s success story has also wound its way into author Sudha Menon’s book Devi, Diva and She-Devil and Vodafone’s coffee table book Women of Pure Wonder.

Sangita JindalArt Impresario

Sangita Jindal

As Chairperson of the JSW Foundation, Sangita Jindal strategizes and oversees social development projects across nine Indian states. The programmes at the JSW Foundation span a wide range of interventions and focus on the holistic development of the girl child. They also provide skill development opportunities and empower women across India, through health, education and livelihood-oriented projects. In addition, the Foundation works with the Indian government to devise strategies to eliminate malnutrition.
Significant as her work at the Foundation is, that’s not all that Jindal does. A philanthropist who believes in the transformative power of art, she set up The Jindal Arts Centre in 1992 at National Center for Performing Art, Mumbai. This soon became a hub of interdisciplinary arts activities, like performances by Mallika Sarabhai and The Mystic Park, film screenings, art residencies, Carnatic music courses and Western music appreciation courses.
From 1994, Jindal began acquiring art seriously. Today, the Jindal Corporate Collection of Art consists of approximately 500 paintings by leading contemporary Indian artists.
In 1996, the collector created Art India magazine, to give a platform to artists and critics to engage in intellectual dialogue with each other. The magazine has been the key chronicler of the local art scene for over two decades now, and acts as an important forum for discussing, interrogating and appreciating art practices. In addition, Jindal’s efforts to preserve our heritage for future generations has led to extensive restoration work at the Hampi temple complex in Karnataka. The Hampi Foundation was conferred the UNESCO-Asia Pacific Award for Merit for Cultural Heritage Conservation for the work done at the Chandramauleshwar Temple.
Jindal is also an Eisenhower Fellow and is on the Board of Trustees of the World Monuments Fund. She has recently been inducted as a key member of the UN Women Business Sector Advisory Council.

Susmita DevPolitician & Social Campaigner

Susmita Dev

Sushmita Dev is one of the better-educated young parliamentarians in India today. After studying political science in New Delhi, she got her Bachelor and Master of Law degrees from Kings College, University of London. She was called to the Bar of England & Wales Middle Temple, London in 2000 but returned to work in India. Born and brought up in Silchar, in Assam, she feels strongly about the development of the North-East, and particularly her home state where she is involved in multiple development projects, including the execution of low-cost sanitation programmes in rural and backward areas. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly from Silchar in 2011, and to the Lok Sabha in May 2014.
Dev is president of the All-India Mahila Congress and is on many parliamentary committees, but it’s the Committee on Empowerment of Women & Children that she feels very strongly about. That’s because the cause she’s most passionate about is ‘gender justice’. Earlier this year, she started the ‘Women for 33%’ campaign, which seeks to gather public support for giving women 33% reservation in all elected bodies, from Panchayat to Parliament. Dev believes that “once passed, the legislation will change the power equations in country forever.” It has so far been supported by over 33 lakh people.
Dev has also started a ‘tax-free wings’ campaign, which seeks to get Indian women easy access to sanitary napkins. As she points out, only 12% of India’s 355 million women use sanitary napkins, only because unnecessary taxation makes them too expensive to buy. Believing that it is imperative to remove the taboo around menstruation and enhance the reach of female sanitary products–thereby ensuring that no girl is disadvantaged owing to gender–Dev’s campaign is focused on getting total tax exemption for the production and distribution of eco- and health-friendly pads and a minimal tax on disposable sanitary napkins. Her online petition seeking support for the issue on change.org (change.org/taxfreewings) has won the support of over 3 lakh people across India and parliamentarians across party lines. The matter is now pending before Delhi High Court.