In May, Adi Godrej announced the succession in the flagship company of the $4.1 billion Godrej group, Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL), naming his second daughter, Nisaba, as the executive chairman. The 39-year-old broke the glass ceiling in the 120-year-old diversified conglomerate after working as the key architect of GCPL's strategy and transformation in the last decade. "I have worked closely with her and seen her deliver tremendous results," said Adi Godrej.
Nisaba joined GCPL in 2007 and launched "Project Leapfrog" for accelerating domestic growth through innovation and consolidation. The company, under her, expanded its international portfolio through acquisitions in the UK, Indonesia, Latin America and Africa. Almost half the revenue comes from abroad. During the period, GCPL's market value increased 20-fold to over `60,000 crore.
But Nisaba believes that the "best days are yet to come". In the last financial year, GCPL posted a 10 per cent rise in income to `9,608.08 crore despite demonetisation and market sluggishness. Product launches were another key to the growth of the company. Nisaba has also been credited with institutionalising design-driven thinking.