Women Leaders Capitalizing on New Opportunities for Retailers in Asia

By: Rachita Sharma, Managing Editor | Thursday, 24 August 2023

With new-age, digital first businesses entering the market, retail has emerged as one of the most dynamic industries. The retail sector has been witnessing a dynamic landscape filled with technological advancement. Today the sector is witnessing a boom with the adoption of being more consumer-centric than ever.

Over the past few years there has been a generation shift in consumer behaviour which has in turn opened new opportunities for retail players in Asia.

According to Nielsen’s Consumption Global Survey 2022, almost 50 percent of respondents identified themselves as regular shoppers of omnichannel retailers. Needless to say, an omnichannel presence is critical for retail success.

Retailers should also work towards closing the gap to the ‘new standard’. This would include optimizing costs, assets, and network footprint. Retailers must also build astute partnerships to drive growth, and adopt digitization to decrease transaction friction.

Our endeavour at Women Entrepreneur magazine has always been to highlight remarkable women leaders across geographies and industries. In keeping with our motto, the current issue of the Women Entrepreneur Magazine features a list of ‘Top 10 Indian Women Leaders in Retail from Asia- 2023'. Compiled by a panel of industry veterans, CEOs, CXOs and the Women Entrepreneur Magazine editorial team, the list features prolific women who have not only crafted illustrious and innovative businesses, but have proven their mettle as leaders across the diverse businesses playing a key role in contributing towards strengthening the workforce.

The issue features Jia Rajput. Having completed B.A (Hons) in Industrial Design and also a Minor in Technopreneurship from the National University of Singapore, Jia is a strong build professional who is driven by a passion to lead her company- House of Rajput.

To say the least, this entrepreneurial journey has been exciting for this mom to a toddler of 18 months. Though she falls under the cracks of ‘mom guilt’ whenever she is not spending enough time with her toddler, she feels grateful to have learned to be easy with herself and be better at multitasking, and managing her situation presently with patience.

Sonia Kapoor, Director, Online (E-Commerce), The Estee Lauder Companies is another prolific leader who speaks to us about the professional journey. Sonia was involved in the Smart Banking project during her time at Citibank, participating in the early days of the digitalization of banking in Japan. At Estee Lauder Companies, she led the launch of six brands on a new online third-party platform during the pandemic, requiring innovation, and dedication, and instilled a mantra for success in her team.

Read on and do let us know your thoughts.