Lavanya Nalli

Lavanya is Chairperson Nalli Group, a $100M national retail chain specializing in textiles and women’s ethnicwear. Established in 1928, the iconic brand from South India is a category- killer in saris, and famous for its Kanchipuram silks. She started her career with Nalli in 2005, focusing on growth & business development, operational excellence, and new business initiatives. Under her stewardship, Nalli also diversified into other businesses and newer formats.

Lavanya graduated from Harvard Business School with an MBA in 2011, and worked at McKinsey & Company advising CXOs of Fortune 500 companies on issues ranging from top-line growth & profit improvement initiatives, change management programs and multi-channel strategy. By 2017, Nalli had expanded its footprint to 34 stores. The Economic Times named Lavanya as among corporate India’s fastest rising women leaders. She has also been named by Forbes as “Asia’s Women to Watch” in 2016,and Economic Times “40 under 40” in 2020. She is a frequent speaker at industry events, and is an ambassador for the Government of India’s innovation efforts and “Champions of Change ” program. She is a member of YPO (Bangalore Chapter), and an Aspen Fellow. She’s a published author of 3 children’s books, and also an avid fitness enthusiast.