Partner, Anil & Co.

Meghna Shah Bhambhani comes from a business family. Her grandfather started Anil & Co., an export company dealing with premium quality spices. Six decades down, the third generation of the family has been handling the business and Bhambhani joined just a year ago.

This opportunity in the family business didn’t come easy to her. After completing her MBA in marketing from Welingkar Institute in Mumbai, she decided to join MNCs to gain experience. Over 13 years, she has worked with Cadburys and Aditya Birla Group. She was on a sabbatical for five years after her son was born but returned determined to make a difference.

Within a year, she has been instrumental in expanding the family business into retail under the label Carpe Victus. “It’s often the left over spices that go into the Indian markets, after the best quality is exported. I wanted to change that. At present, we are supplying to various hotel chains and soon plan to be available in the market,” she says. Carpe Victus literally means ‘seize the food’. Bhambhani says she got name from the popular phrase carpe diem (seize the day) hanging on the walls of her cabin.

She is grateful to her family and her husband who have been a constant source of support and encouragement. “My grandfather and parents always treated me and my brother equally, be it in terms of opportunities or education.”

Her advice to fellow women: “Just keep marching on. You can afford to pause, but never stop.”