Meet woman, Harvard alumnus, who left high paying job in US to lead family's saree business in India

Lavanya Nalli is an Indian businesswoman who is the vice-chairman of her family business, Nalli Silk Sarees. She is a fifth-generation scion of the Nalli Group. Lavanya initially joined the group in 2005 for four years but left it to pursue an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

Thereafter, she worked at McKinsey & Company (Chicago) for over two years. She returned to India and worked in Myntra as vice president for revenue. Lavanya quit Myntra in 2015. Lavanya made her comeback to Nalli in 2016 as its vice chairman heading the e-commerce and Omnichannel platform.

The 39-year-old has 18 years of experience in retail, strategy, ops and e-commerce. She is the first woman from her family to join the business.  Nalli has an engineering degree in computer science from Anna University in Chennai. During his tenure from 2005-2009, Nalli doubled its revenues and expanded from 14 to 21 stores. She lives in Bengaluru and is married to  Abhay Kothari whom she met in Harvard. The duo tied the knot in 2011.

READ | Meet woman who plays key role in Rs 661 crore company, daughter of billionaire with Rs 9,990 crore net worth

Lavanya focuses on new business development and growth opportunities, retail store operations and private labels. Established in 1928, Nalli has been a leader in the textile and retail business and a household name for exquisite silks. Lavanya's childhood was spent in her grandparents’ home in Chennai.