Women's Day 2023: How The Women Of The Good Glamm Group Are Redefining The Start Up Space When you think of companies that have a clear women led top management, one of the first names that come to mind is The Good Glamm Group, which have Priyanka Gill, co-founder, the Good Glamm Group and CEO, the Good Media Co and Naiyya Saggi, co-founder, the Good Glamm Group and CEO, the Good Community leading them.

When you think of companies that have a clear women led top management, one of the first names that come to mind is The Good Glamm Group, which have Priyanka Gill, co-founder, the Good Glamm Group and CEO, the Good Media Co and Naiyya Saggi, co-founder, the Good Glamm Group and CEO, the Good Community leading them.

Built on a robust content-to-commerce strategy with acquisitions that has made it India-South Asia's largest D2C conglomerate in the beauty and personal care segment, the Group's journey started with the merger of MyGlamm and POPxo. Ever since, they have played with a very clear understanding of content aided commerce which has resulted in The Good Glamm Group having the lowest customer acquisition cost in the country. Soon after, the group went on an acquisition spree and acquired 12 companies across BPC brands, influencer marketing and media companies.

In November 2021, The Good Glamm Group entered the unicorn club with a valuation of $ 1.2 Billion (approx). In July 2022, the group unveiled its overall group structure consolidating the Good Glamm Group companies into independent Brands, Media and Creator divisions: Good Brands Co, Good Media Co. and Good Creator Co., reflecting the Group's focus on unlocking structural efficiencies while building revenue synergies. Recently they added their fourth strategic moat - the Good Community which is an omni-channel, interest based network of communities across India. It is an industry-first move by the Group in the brand-community space defining how direct-to-consumer brands of today can be scaled via engaged communities.

In light of these developments, one can say that Gill and Saggi have redefined the start up space.
"There has been a much-needed shift in the system. I am seeing women taking the lead at different levels in almost every industry. Talking about The Good Glamm Group –two out of three the co-founders are women and approximately 60 per cent of our employees are women. There's always a sense of great power in leading by example and it's exciting to see how women are turning the tide in all domains of life. It's still a long way to go but there's nothing that hard work, determination and perseverance cannot help achieve. I truly believe that 'You can't be who you can't see' and as more and more young women see female entrepreneurs being celebrated, it will give them the hope and encouragement they need to one day be entrepreneurs themselves or being at the top of their profession," Gill shared with us.

But how have they empowered other women within the company?

Saggi answered our question by clarifying that according to her, women don't need to be empowered, but rather an enabling infrastructure is needed to help them meet their potential. "The Glamm Group has a large ratio of women to men in their team and women in leadership positions. To ensure that all voices, especially women's, are heard, we have implemented processes in our team meetings where managers and leaders ensure that everyone has a chance to speak their mind. We also prioritize maintaining a healthy work-life balance and respect personal time for all team members. While there is always room for improvement, these initiatives are a conscious effort to create a supportive work environment for everyone," Saggi explained.

This thought process also extends beyond the company, with them aiding women who aren't associated with the company.

Last year in November, Saggi forged a partnership for GoodGlamm with Invest India and Ladies Who Lead for #Women Entrepreneurship Day to launch #ChangeTheNarrativeIndia : a movement to make the stories of Women Entrepreneurs mainstream in India. The list featured 100 inspiring female entrepreneurs building India, coming from different walks of life, these are first generation founders & women in leadership roles, who are making a mark in their respective domains across SAAS, Biotech, Consumer, Media, Healthcare, Finance, Sustainability and other verticals. The list went viral and was shared extensively by media, founders and investors and also made history for being the first list to feature a 100 women entrepreneurs in mainstream media.

Outside the organisation, The Good Glamm Group partnered with Project Naveli and Workverse to launch the second cohort of the Nimaya flagship programme, which helps girls from under-served communities build aspirational careers. It imparts skills like critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and storytelling, highly preferred by employers.

Personally, Saggi is also an angel investor and has invested in 8-10 women founded start ups across healthcare, insurance, consumer and crypto. She has also been part of Facebook's flagship She leads tech for India and Google's Accelerator as a mentor in both to support women led ventures in India and South Asia.

Gill on the other hand, is a founding board member at CXXO - an initiative launched by Kalaari Capital which aims to help female founder-CEOs by investing in their startups and building a network of capital, coaching and community for them. Alongside Vani Kola, Shradha Sharma, Lathika Pai and Paroma Roy and a network of champions - they want to #LevelThePlayingField for female founder-CEOs to build and scale large companies.

She also sits on the board of TiE Delhi-NCR. TiE is the world's largest entrepreneurial organization that helps entrepreneurs through mentoring, networking, education, funding and incubation. As a board member of the TiE Delhi-NCR chapter, Gill works with industry leaders to help turbocharge the Indian startup ecosystem by making it more equitable, diverse and representative.

With the duo doing so much for women, what does Women's Day mean for them?

"For a long time, society has undervalued the role that women play in shaping our world. Days like this are important to take control of that narrative and give future generations strong examples to look up to and build a community of women who support each other. International Women's Day is a time to celebrate the progress made by women in society, and an opportunity to acknowledge the challenges that women still face and work towards a more equitable future. It's important to remember that women's achievements and contributions to society shouldn't be limited to just one day. We should strive not just for gender equality but gender equity. At the Good Glamm Group, we do so every single day," Gill shared.

For Saggi, Women's Day is a crucial opportunity to reflect on the contributions of women in our teams, companies, and homes. It's a moment to appreciate the women who make our lives better and to recognize the progress that has been made in empowering women. However, it's also important to use Women's Day as a call to action. At the Glamm Group, they are taking this opportunity to amplify the voices of women who are creating positive change in their communities. They are highlighting their stories of impact in areas like inclusive beauty, positive sexuality, motherhood, and sustainable living. Saggi also believe that it's essential to recognize the men who are making a positive difference. "While we hope that one day Women's Day won't be necessary, until then, we will continue to celebrate and empower women," she says thoughtfully.

The author can be reached at bkabir@entrepreneurindia.com and Instagram.com/kabirsinghbhandari