The POWER Suit

For entrepreneur Devita Saraf, it's all about being powerful and glamorous and taking 2023 by the horns

- AINEE NIZAMI AHMEDI

Devita Saraf is an unconventional name for a cover girl; You’re probably wondering how a fashion magazine’s cover shoot worked itself into the schedule of this businesswoman. It is the vision to break this very stereotype and question the traditional perception of the business that leads Saraf into this space. She is the founder, chairperson and CEO of Vu Group, a frontrunner in the field of luxury tech and is often named one of the most powerful people in business. Her vision is to portray a businesswoman beyond her boardroom achievements, setting her apart from the rest.

She is known for her fashion as much as her leadership skills, so it’s an interesting chat as we sit down with the trailblazer to talk about her career, her journey, and her sense of style.

ELLE: YOU USE THE MONIKER ‘MODEL CEO’ TO TALK ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY AS AN ENTREPRENEUR. TELL US A BIT ABOUT THAT.

 DEVITA SARAF (DS): A couple of years ago, some of our distributors suggested getting an actor or a cricketer to endorse and popularise the brand. However, my graphic designer decided to take a picture of me dressed in pink, and that ended up on the front page of a leading newspaper as our brand’s ad. It was so rare for a CEO, let alone a young Indian woman, to be the face of their own business. Major publications took note of it and called me India's ‘Model CEO’. That stuck, and since then, I’ve been invited to speak internationally, do fashion shows, magazine covers, and a lot more as the ‘Model CEO’. People consider being a model and a CEO to be some kind of an oxymoron–It's almost like beauty and brains can't coexist (laughs).