In the vibrant tapestry of the business world, few threads gleam with the radiance of Dr Zarine Manchanda. A powerhouse of vision, tenacity, and boundless compassion, she is a testament to the transformative power of leadership fueled by ambition and empathy.
Dr Manchanda’s journey commenced amidst the picturesque landscapes of Himachal Pradesh, nestled in the Himalayan foothills. Hailing from a notable family, her father, a revered minister and a titan in business, was often hailed as the ‘King of Himachal.’ Growing up, Dr Manchanda relished a life filled with opulence and exclusive experiences akin to a ‘Princess Life.’
However, despite the privileges, her heart yearned for a different path—to become an actress, a cherished aspiration shared by many young girls in India. Driven by this dream, she bid farewell to her regal upbringing, embarking on a transformative journey to Mumbai to make her mark in Bollywood. This transition, however, proved arduous and demanding. Despite relentless efforts and dedication, attending numerous auditions via rickshaws, her desired breakthrough in the film industry remained elusive, leaving her acting aspirations unfulfilled.
A Shining Light
Dr Manchanda’s saga encountered a pivotal turning point when she realized the significance of having a backup plan, an invaluable lesson instilled by her mother. Despite enduring several years of relentless struggles in pursuit of her acting dreams in Bollywood, Dr Manchanda, equipped with her father’s political lineage and inspired by his profound influence as a prominent politician and minister, felt a calling to enter politics. Embracing this new direction, she received insightful advice: establish a charitable NGO Foundation to lay the groundwork for her political endeavours. In 2019, responding to this counsel, Dr Manchanda took the plunge and founded the Zarine Manchanda Foundation, a noble initiative to empower and uplift marginalized communities, cementing her foothold in social welfare and advocacy.
In the four years of its existence, Zarine Manchanda Foundation has administered over 500 charity donation programs for the poorest residents of Mumbai, first in Aarey Colony and then in Andheri. “This became my life mission and purpose,” says Dr Manchanda. Each program filled her with compassion, and she was invigorated each time a program took place. Her commitment quickly became a tireless service to the poor. To provide them hope and dignity so they would understand that, finally, someone was at their side, a Champion for Change to better their lives. “The love, support and blessings I receive from them in doing God’s work is my oxygen; their love and gratitude amazes me!” she adds.
Fortunately for Dr Manchanda, the media took notice, and then the media exposure became astonishing as she was approached virtually daily for coverage. She was featured in almost every prestigious media outlet in India and internationally. Dr Manchanda was labelled the ‘Princess of the Poor’ and received numerous awards for my philanthropy and social activism, including two National Awards, two Governor Awards and the Nelson Mandela Peace Award, which conferred a doctorate upon Dr Manchanda.
With these successes, she focused on her entrepreneurial ambitions like her father did. So she opened India‘s first seven-star café, the Zarine Manchanda Cafe, which became a talk of the town venue for Bollywood’s A-Listers and other VIP guests.
Then Dr Manchanda opened a premium security agency also bearing her name, and she followed that with a cloud kitchen: Zarine Manchanda‘s Heavenly Flavours. Most recently, she opened Mumbai’s first Himachal cuisine restaurant, Flavours of the Himachal Pradesh.
As a young woman entrepreneur engaged in multiple business expansions, Dr Manchanda also received numerous awards from the media and other organizations recognizing these accomplishments.
From Boardroom to Beyond
Dr. Manchanda’s journey is a symphony of diverse pursuits. As CEO of Zarine Manchanda Enterprises, she helms a portfolio of five flourishing businesses, each bearing the mark of her entrepreneurial spirit. But her influence extends far beyond boardrooms and balance sheets. She is a regional director for Mumbai in the BRICS trade alliance, an ardent advocate for women’s empowerment, and a philanthropist whose touch transforms lives.
In each of her business ventures, Dr Manchanda integrates a fusion of ‘opulence’ and ‘spiritual allure’ as guiding tenets. Having grown up in an environment akin to a Princess Life, luxury has been an integral part of her upbringing, and she aspires to infuse this element into all her enterprises to ensure that her guests and clientele relish life’s finest offerings.
Take, for instance, her café and restaurant – every aspect, from the décor adorning the walls to the minute details of the crockery and cutlery, exudes elegance and opulence. It’s a concerted effort to provide patrons with an extraordinary and unforgettable experience.
Nurtured by her mother’s emphasis on spirituality, Dr Manchanda’s life is steeped in good karma and noble intentions. This essence also pervades her business ventures. For instance, her café and newly established restaurant feature exquisite Tibetan bells sourced from Dharamshala, a place close to her roots and the residence of the revered Dalai Lama. “We have our staff ring these bells to bless our guests whenever food or beverages are served, a gesture our patrons deeply appreciate. Even within my premium security agency, I emphasize infusing a spiritual charm into our practices. Our staff, serving as guards and bouncers, undergo training to prioritize courtesy, professionalism, and ethical conduct, ensuring clients feel secure and uplifted by their presence,” says Dr Manchanda.
Her deeply rooted spiritual practices are well-known among those acquainted with her. She perceives it as an ever-watchful eye of God, motivating her to serve through virtuous deeds and benevolent intentions. “This unwavering commitment to spirituality defines me and has been a guiding light, infusing my life with meaning and purpose. It’s a quality that has shaped my journey, and I remain steadfast in upholding it, aspiring for a legacy that echoes the essence of my values.”
Championing Women’s Rise
As CEO of her many businesses with her name on the banner, Dr Manchanda knows that the buck stops with her. “Meaning I am responsible for whatever happens on a day-to-day basis with each of my enterprises.” Fortunately, the businesses have all seen impressive success and growth to the point that she is now considering franchising and other business growth opportunities outside of Mumbai – both in different cities in India and internationally.
Dr Manchanda says she does not follow trends! “That has never been my style. My father taught me to be bold, have a unique and far-reaching vision, and lead and not follow.” Trends can be fickle… What is “in” one day can be “out” the next day, so she prefers to be the trend, not to follow the trend. She feels her USP of luxury and spiritual charm brings two highly popular and coveted concepts together that ensure long-standing growth on a global basis because everyone desires these concepts.
Therefore, Dr Manchanda feels that if her initial vision is bold and encompasses appealing and revered concepts, it will bring lasting success without day-to-day fluctuations or, changing course or re-branding. “Because, to my mind, the initial branding is all that matters if the branding brings forth the right USP.”
For Dr Manchanda, as a young woman, the entrepreneurial world opens up huge opportunities. Also, it can help address societal challenges since the playing field between men and women is not exactly an equal playing field yet. But she is determined to show that a woman-owned business can be bold, strong and robust. Business leadership cannot be subordinate or demure simply because it is a woman-owned business!
Dr Manchanda reiterates that she was fortunate to see her father engaged in many successful businesses throughout his life. “His enormous success inspires me quite naturally, but still, I want to run my businesses in my way and some ways, I suppose I carve my unique leadership style as compared to how I saw him run his successful businesses.” But still, there is more than one way to achieve business success, and she feels her business mission and purpose feel authentic and organic. Others noticed this as well, whether it is the media or clients and patrons of her many business enterprises.
Inspiring a Generation
According to Dr Manchanda, leadership requires bold thinking and a bolder vision. To dare to be different. A business USP must carve out new pathways for success and not copycat someone else’s success. From her standpoint, she tries to infuse her leadership style with her passions and interests in her life story. “As I mentioned, I grew up in a Princess Life with all the luxuries a girl could dream of, and I loved that! I, therefore, try to bring this element forward as the purveyor of all things luxurious for India and, soon, for the world.” Spiritual charm is also important to her background, so she incorporates this aspect into her business enterprises.
For these reasons, leadership feels organic and authentic to me because it reflects Dr Manchanda’s personality, background and upbringing, passions and interests. These concepts are coveted worldwide, and they are highly desirable commercial concepts. “By crafting my business USP in this way, I feel that leadership becomes a natural extension of myself, and it becomes easy to lead.” Such leadership can also become inspirational because others sense the authentic passion that Dr Manchanda has for the enterprises that bear her name and follow her own USP.
Fulfilling Clients Wishes
While it is often said that ‘expectation is the twin of disappointment,’ Dr Manchanda believes that customers and clients of her businesses should expect and demand a lot from her, her managers and her staff. Their user experience should not only reflect that high expectation but must also match it. “This is what we strive for in our customer engagement practices in all my businesses. “
This is why she mentioned earlier that she believes the concepts of luxury and spiritual charm are, in fact, commercially viable. In fact, 100% of customers and clients would desire a marriage of luxury and spiritual charm because both concepts are revered and embraced all over the world.
Dr Manchanda wants her customers and clients to have a unique experience whether they are in her café or restaurant or have hired her security guards. Because these clients have an affinity for good taste, high standards and luxury, she expects that she can fulfil their needs repeatedly because of her USP. So again, the user experience must match the customers’ high expectations. “That is the entire premise of my business success and why I have loyal and recurring clientele and customers.”
Again, the innovation originates with the initial business vision and operational business model. “When the concept is innovative, and Mary’s desirable concepts, innovation is in motion. It is virtually foolproof because I am simply giving people what they want. That is my innovation.”
Initiatives for Success
For Dr Manchanda, the important thing as CEO is to bring forth a bold vision from the beginning, and she believes she has done that in each of the businesses that bear her name. The branding is similar, combining luxury and spiritual charm for each enterprise.
“When the initial concept is bold and favourable, business growth is consistent and logical. From this standpoint, we have not had to encourage her any transformative experience that changed our operations markedly or brought us abundant success from the brink of some business disappointment.”
Of course, the vision starts with Dr Manchanda, but then she has to instil such values and principles into her management, who, in turn, implement those values and that vision in their employees and staff.
Thus, the commitment to excellence starts with division and is then crafted daily with specific guideposts and milestones that guide management and staff to achieve those results synchronised to stay true to the initial vision.
The user experience of their clients and customers always remains Dr Manchanda’s primary focus. “I want these clients and customers to enjoy a unique and memorable experience when they engage with any of my businesses.”
“Our management and staff constantly seek inputs from our customers and clients as to their satisfaction with their experience. Of course, with any of my businesses, there can be an isolated instance where a client or customer is unsatisfied, but when these issues are brought to our attention, we work quickly. I believe effectively to remedy that to the best of our ability.” All CEOs know that the ‘Customer is King’ and the customers’ inputs must be honoured and addressed to the maximum extent possible. Only in this way can a business ensure consistent client engagement positively and innovatively.
Workforce Empowerment
Dr Manchanda says that her employees are the cornerstone of all her businesses. “While my name is on each of my businesses, and I may be the face of the overall Enterprise, on a day-to-day basis, my employees are the face of the companies to our various clients and guests.”
To ensure that the daily operations match her vision, Dr Manchanda goes through a painstaking process to first hire management and then staff who buy into this vision with the specific skill set to implement these practices on a day-to-day basis.
The hiring and training process is of supreme importance because, as a business owner, she only wants to take steps forward, not to take steps backwards, but also endure steps sideways or back if hiring and training are not done by her exacting standards. For the most part, her employees and management have been incredibly loyal because they believe in the concepts of luxury and spiritual charm and can bring these elements forward daily with their customers and clients.
Whether it is the security guards or the waiter staff in her restaurant or café, Dr Manchanda wants work uniforms and costumes to reflect her USP so that the first impression clients and customers have when they enter the premises or hire the security staff is positive and unique. When the first impression is strong, the rest of the client relationship develops more comfortably and favourably.
Shining Bright as Gold
Dr Manchanda wants her employees to take pride in their job and the company they work for. “My employees now see all of the media coverage and awards that I have received, so they understand that they are a part of something special and unique, and this gives them a lifelong opportunity to contribute and grow with my businesses as they continue to expand.”
Speaking about the challenges she faced, Dr Manchanda says that to date, all of her businesses have been blessed with strong growth and remarkable success. “Of course, when I think of adversity, it is in knowing, for example, that my Foundation and Cafe were both launched before COVID-19 and both had to endure the extreme downturn when Mumbai was essentially shuttered as a city for months and months.” The pandemic forced the café to be closed during the various lockdowns. For an extended period, it prevented them from engaging in any charity programs for the poor––even though this triggered even more pain, anguish and hardship for Mumbai’s poorest residents.
Nevertheless, they persevered, and Dr Manchanda insisted on paying her employees their full salary even when they could not work due to the various lockdowns. But this decision proved smart in the long run because the staff and management recognised her commitment to them. “I believe this helps ensure a long-term commitment to me, and my business is from their side,” says Dr Manchanda.
Expanding Her Bold Vision
As a young entrepreneur and successful businesswoman living in India, Dr Manchanda’s plan has always been to first succeed in Mumbai, which she believes she has done. She is now expanding her businesses into other Indian cities and overseas. Happily, this expansion process is now unfolding as they assess franchising and other business expansion opportunities for her security agency, Café and restaurant. And, of course, the same holds true for her beloved Foundation.
Dr Manchanda says, “As my father taught me, it is important to have a bold vision and to be ambitious, which I am. I can say truthfully and without arrogance that I believe in the USP of my enterprises and the perfect storm they create by marrying two commercially viable and desired concepts of luxury and spiritual charm.”
With her initial successes, Dr Manchanda is confident that sometime soon, she will be one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in India, and her ambition is to be one of the most acclaimed and credentialed women entrepreneurs anywhere in the world.
On various social media, Dr Manchanda has followers worldwide who seek employment with her companies and want to act as investors for franchising opportunities or other business development and growth. This network is indeed global, as the requests and expressions of interest come from worldwide.
“This fills me with pride because, from the beginning, my focus was global and international once I achieved the strong stepping stone of garnering so much favourable media coverage and receiving so many prestigious awards first in India.”
A Heart for Humanity
Beyond her entrepreneurial success, Dr Manchanda is pleased and proud of the various prestigious accolades and appointments she has received in the past few years.
First, in 2021, she was appointed Regional Director for BRICS – India’s trade alliance with other member countries of Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa as administered by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
More recently, in June 2023, Dr Manchanda was appointed by the National Council of News and Broadcasting as Chairperson and Editor in Chief for the states of Maharashtra, Goa and Himachal Pradesh. This position focuses on media reforms, freedom of the press and human rights.
In addition to all the above, Dr Manchanda intends to contest elections as MLA candidate in Andheri in April 2024. For this purpose, she recently registered her National political party, the Zarine Manchanda’s People’s Party, to launch her political career.
This is a logical next step for her due to her NGO foundation’s substantial success and media recognition. Dr Manchanda and her team have helped thousands of Mumbai’s poorest residents through various charity donation programs over the past four years. The charity work helped build her political base and shows Mumbai’s poorest residents and all citizens of India and the world her intent and commitment to bring compassion and dignity to those most in need and to do so with a determination that can only succeed.
As the daughter of a prominent politician, Dr Manchanda is extremely confident in her ability to lead and govern as she saw her father achieve his political aims through his dynamism, charisma and commitment to all citizens of Himachal Pradesh. “Of course, I will lead my party in my unique way, which will infuse many of the values my father taught me or that I saw in him, but also in my unique way based on my own life experiences in Mumbai and to align with my political ambitions,” concludes Dr Manchanda.
