Shahnaz Husain Group

According to Shahnaz Husain, Founder & Chairperson of The Shahnaz Husain Group, "We are expanding our footprints across the globe. We will take Ayurveda and Brand India to more countries within a year." Shahnaz Husain's contribution towards woman empowerment is also noteworthy. Very early in her career, she encouraged ordinary housewives to open salons in their own homes, training them in beauty and offering the Shahnaz Herbal name. This provided them the opportunity to embark on a career and attain financial independence and yet, be close at hand to attend to home and family. Her success has inspired thousands of women to follow their dreams with faith and courage. She is also the pioneer of vocational training in beauty in India. More than 35 years ago, when only apprenticeship training was available, Shahnaz started her beauty institute, to provide professional and comprehensive training in beauty. Shahnaz has also been committed towards empowering the less privileged section of the society through her free beauty training courses for speech and hearing impaired and visually challenged students. She has also written a beauty book, which has been put in Braille. She also helps in providing career opportunities to such physically challenged students. According to Shahnaz Husain, "Empowering lives has been the motivation for our endeavours." Shahnaz Husain has received several prestigious international awards. In fact, during the month of September 2012, she achieved the unique distinction of being honoured with THREE prestigious international awards in London, in one month. She received the "Outstanding Ayurvedic Innovation Award" at the House of Commons in the British Parliament. The award was presented to her by Mr. Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communications and Local Government. She also received the "Woman of the Year" Asian Achievers Award from Asian Business Publications Ltd (ABPL), as well as the prestigious Olympia Award for "Outstanding Contribution in Ayurveda and Plant Cosmetics" at the Olympia Show in London. Such international awards celebrate Shahnaz Husain's spirit of enterprise and recognize her phenomenal achievements at the international level. She became the first woman to receive the World's Greatest Woman Entrepreneur Award from Success magazine of the USA. Her other international awards include the Arch of Europe International Gold Star in Madrid, Spain, the Quality Excellence Award in Geneva, Cannes and London, Golden America Award in New York, the Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur Award in London, Woman of the Millenium Award in USA, Woman of the Year Award from the Governor of California, USA and the WQC International Star Award in Paris in November 2007 and Leonardo da Vinci Diamond Award by International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, U.K in 2008. Recently, Shahnaz Husain received several awards in quick succession. These include the Leonardo Da Vinci Diamond Award and World Medal of Freedom, in Washington DC in July 2009. The Award acknowledges individuals who have distinguished themselves and contributed to their country and society. In October 2009, she received the prestigious International Star Award 2009, in Geneva, in the Diamond Category, for Quality Excellence. The award is recognition of the Quality Excellence of Ayurvedic products. On the 7th November 2009, she received the Jewel Award 2009 in London for Outstanding Entrepreneurship and Woman Empowerment. She was also honoured with their Asian Women Power 100 Award, recognizing international achievements of top individuals. She has also received the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award at Mumbai, from Enterprise Asia, Malaysia, the prestigious GR8 Women Achievers Award for entrepreneurship and the Woman of Substance Award from the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI). Shahnaz Husain was also honoured with the prestigious "Most Admired Beauty Personality - Retail Category Award" from the Images Group, as well as the "Asia's Leading Woman in Business"Award from WIL Forum Asia, in Malaysia. She also recently received the Outstanding Ayurvedic Innovation Award in Shanghai, from the China Chamber of Commerce. She was also honoured with the "PHD Chamber Outstanding Business Woman 2012" Award, as well as the Glory of India Award recently in Dubai for her outstanding innovations in Ayurvedic beauty care. She also received the Golden Peacock Entrepreneurial Leadership Award in London in 2014, for Ayurvedic Innovations. In 2006, Shahnaz was honoured with the Padma Shri Award. The prestigious Padma awards are the highest Indian civilian awards and are conferred for exceptional and distinguished service towards the country, as well as distinguished achievement in one's chosen field. She is the first person from the beauty sphere to receive the Padma Award. Indeed, there is no doubt that it is Shahnaz Husain who single-handedly put India on the world beauty map and had the Indian flag flying high at the cosmetic capitals of the world. Thus, she has been recognized for her total dedication and commitment to promoting India's herbal heritage for the last three decades. It is not only her franchise-based enterprise, but also her marketing strategies that are truly unique. Even at a time, when the demand for the product is sustained through advertising, she has not relied on commercial advertisements. In fact, she was invited to speak at Harvard Business School on how she established an international brand without commercial advertising, highlighting the strategies she adopted to establish her global network of franchise ventures. She also spoke at University of Oxford, to the students of Oxford Business School on Women Entrepreneurs in India - Challenges and Opportunities, as well as the London School of Economics on India's rising global influence. In April 2013, she spoke to students at MIT on Brand India and woman empowerment. Recently, she achieved the dual honour of speaking at the House of Lords and House of Commons in the British Parliament and also walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival 2013. One of Shahnaz Husain's greatest achievements was attending U.S. President Obama's Summit of Entrepreneurs twice in one year, first in Washington DC in April 2010 and then in Mumbai in November 2010, during the President's visit to India. Having distinguished herself as a pioneer and business leader, Shahnaz was selected to attend the prestigious Presidential Summits from among a field of many highly qualified aspirants. For Shahnaz it was recognition of her relentless efforts to promote Ayurveda worldwide. Shahnaz Husain's innovations and spirit of enterprise are well matched. Never losing sight of the basic nature principle and Ayurveda, her contribution to her field is unprecedented. Through her career, regular columns and books, she has created an awareness of the dangers of chemical treatments that has influenced minds and market demands. Her career is a portrayal of how she has translated her ideas into reality, living life by her values and unique philosophy. Fighting for India's rights and recognition, Shahnaz has held press conferences worldwide. Among the reasons for her unprecedented success is her remarkable vision, which recognized the immense potential and relevance of Ayurveda. Says Shahnaz, "It is a dream come true to see the worldwide recognition of Ayurveda. I strongly believe that Ayurvedic care can lead the international beauty industry within the next decade. It has been tested by the most exacting test of all.....the Test of Time! To others, work is their career, but to Shahnaz Husain.... selling India's herbal heritage is the sole purpose of her existence. Today, Shahnaz Husain is a legend in her own lifetime, while her organization is a magnificent expression of her dreams, hopes and aspirations. bottom logo