WEAVING SUCCESS

THE VICE-CHAIRMAN AND JOINT MANAGING DIRECTOR OF VARDHMAN TEXTILES, SUCHITA OSWAL JAIN, IS A WOMAN WHO MEANS BUSINESS, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO WEAVING SUCCESS IN THE CUTTHROAT WORLD OF TEXTILES.

- WENDY KAY

There’s no doubt Suchita Oswal Jain was born with textiles in her blood and a strong instinct for business running through her veins. After all, she’s a third-generation member of the Oswal family, which meant growing up in India with the founders and operators of the Vardhman Group, a leading textile conglomerate boasting a rich history spanning more than 50 years.

As an only child, she regularly visited the company’s factories with her father, absorbing the business, delighting in the splash of colours and textures, and developing a natural passion for the industry. Surely her date with destiny lay right at her feet with the family company.

Not necessarily. A few minutes of conversation with the Vice Chairman and joint Managing Director of Vardhman Textiles reveals a formidable woman, one who clearly lives by her own decisions, particularly the one she faced three decades ago after graduating from university. While many would have considered slipping into the family business a no-brainer, it required much more thought from Suchita. A lot of thought, followed by a conversation with the boss, her father and Chairman SP Oswal, the son of Vardhman Founder Rattan Chand Oswal.

Having armed herself with a Master in Commerce from Panjab University, the Accelerated Development Programme from the London Business School and Leadership Development Programme from INSEAD, Paris, Suchita was more qualified to secure a job with any number of global companies, or indeed, start a company of her own. Joining the family business just because she could wasn’t an option for this ambitious woman. Genes or no genes, any decision to join Vardhman had to be based on all the right reasons. Fortunately for her and ultimately the company, there were plenty.