Medha Tawde Bhagat: Leveraging Her Industry Expertise And Professionalism To Stride Prolifically In The Fragrance Industry
Tawde Bhagat
VP, Fragrance SAMEA
Medha engages in an exclusive interaction with CEO Insights.
How is Keva is currently positioned in the market? What is the unique proposition that your organization offers to clients?
We have a very strong presence in the market at present as we are entering into our centenary now. Owing to our legacy of 100 years, we are deeply rooted and at the same time have been adventurous to expand beyond India. Thanks to our CEO, Mr. Kedar Vaze and his ambitious vision with growth agenda to go beyond India, expanding into new geographies. Apart from catering to the Indian market, we also have a wide range of customers across Europe, South east Asia, the Middle East, Africa,and so on. This exposure to different geographies and market acquisitions has brought in diverse expertise, in terms of a refurbish ment of our creative side, exposure to business opportunities and
accessing a broader client base. Along with the strongest penetration in the Indian market we are also bringing in an international level of creative and technical expertise. Using an innovative blend of local knowledge along with global expertise, we have been able to nurture a truly GLOCAL spirit!
How are you implementing your learnings and expertise across your company's operations to manoeuvre Keva to greater heights?
I firmly believe that people and product form core of any organisation and that's what I keep at the centre of any initiative or new opportunity that I work on. Following this philosophy, we have people and product as key are pillars of our growth strategy, and this is what keeps me going. Giving my best to whatever role I take my endeavours is not to compromise in terms of the quality of the product and deliverables. Designing right product mix for the consumer as per their aspirations is very critical. Staying connected with the market and keeping myself updated with the evolving industry trends, we are remaining aligned with our customer's preferences, which complement our business. I have always believed that the right people and good team spirit, with discipline and rigor can make things happen and investing in them can benefit the company as well as the team. An ultimate win win situation for growth of the organisation and its people will follow sustainable financial success.
In your professional journey so far, which are the major milestones bestowed you with utmost satisfaction?
Some of my iconic projects on FMCG Categories such as Beauty, Personal Care, Fabric & Home Care and Fine Fragrances received a lot of appreciation from end consumers our clients and industry associations which has been a satisfying experience for me. It was also enriching for me to work on Global projects across varied geographies such as the US, Europe, SEA, Japan, China etc. each bringing in new learnings with different
Instinct and intuition along with astute business acumen helps you make right decisions and leads to a path of great success, achieve ment of that when you work together with people makes it enduring
How are you implementing your learnings and expertise across your company's operations to manoeuvre Keva to greater heights?
I firmly believe that people and product form core of any organisation and that's what I keep at the centre of any initiative or new opportunity that I work on. Following this philosophy, we have people and product as key are pillars of our growth strategy, and this is what keeps me going. Giving my best to whatever role I take my endeavours is not to compromise in terms of the quality of the product and deliverables. Designing right product mix for the consumer as per their aspirations is very critical. Staying connected with the market and keeping myself updated with the evolving industry trends, we are remaining aligned with our customer's preferences, which complement our business. I have always believed that the right people and good team spirit, with discipline and rigor can make things happen and investing in them can benefit the company as well as the team. An ultimate win win situation for growth of the organisation and its people will follow sustainable financial success.
In your professional journey so far, which are the major milestones bestowed you with utmost satisfaction?
Some of my iconic projects on FMCG Categories such as Beauty, Personal Care, Fabric & Home Care and Fine Fragrances received a lot of appreciation from end consumers our clients and industry associations which has been a satisfying experience for me. It was also enriching for me to work on Global projects across varied geographies such as the US, Europe, SEA, Japan, China etc. each bringing in new learnings with different
cultural contextand consumer expectation. Working with multicountry team members further creates a beautiful bond and helps inculcate an environment of healthy exchange of cross regional insights that leads to generation of unique ideas and magical fragrances. Most importantly, our team has been a great supported and always open to learn it plays a crucial role in making these experiences memorable. The whole journey that we take as a team, starting with inception of idea to reaching the end goal, is what makes it exciting.When consumers love our products, the delight we see on their faces and when it becomes the identity of the Brand encourages us to perform better.
Going forward, what are the changes in market behaviour that you anticipate and what are the opportunities that you foresee? What are your future plans in accordance with that?
Consumers have become quite intelligent and aware, which can be termed as one of the biggest changes that the industry has undergone at present. Today, everybody has access to all sorts of information sitting in any corner of the world. The whole internet explosion and digital social networking have opened numerous opportuni ties, but at the same time, it also brings in a challenge with the amount of exposure it gives to people at every level. So, to meet the expectations of the current customers amidst this era, and create a differentiation is key to success.
One needs to have strong intuitive power to be able to predict, sense and design the products that will pre empt and satisfy the needs of these evolving consumers. We have to be future ready with the right products at the right price, simultaneously, offering the right value for the right consumers and striking this equation on a good balance of product and value is key.Looking forward to sustain able, meaningful, and robust growth not only across the Indian market, but all the geographical expansion,we are consistently working towards achieving these goals.
Medha Tawde Bhagat, VP, Fragrance SAMEA, Keva
Medha has completed her MSc in organic chemistry from Mumbai University and MBA in Marketing Management from NMIMS, Mumbai.Equipped with more than 23 years of rich experience across F&F industry, Medha joined Keva on June 2019 as Vice President Fragrance for South Asia, Middle East & Africa(SAMEA)region. She has previously worked with other Global Fragrance Houses like Firmenich and IFF in various regional and Global positions.
Going forward, what are the changes in market behaviour that you anticipate and what are the opportunities that you foresee? What are your future plans in accordance with that?
Consumers have become quite intelligent and aware, which can be termed as one of the biggest changes that the industry has undergone at present. Today, everybody has access to all sorts of information sitting in any corner of the world. The whole internet explosion and digital social networking have opened numerous opportuni ties, but at the same time, it also brings in a challenge with the amount of exposure it gives to people at every level. So, to meet the expectations of the current customers amidst this era, and create a differentiation is key to success.
One needs to have strong intuitive power to be able to predict, sense and design the products that will pre empt and satisfy the needs of these evolving consumers. We have to be future ready with the right products at the right price, simultaneously, offering the right value for the right consumers and striking this equation on a good balance of product and value is key.Looking forward to sustain able, meaningful, and robust growth not only across the Indian market, but all the geographical expansion,we are consistently working towards achieving these goals.
Medha Tawde Bhagat, VP, Fragrance SAMEA, Keva
Medha has completed her MSc in organic chemistry from Mumbai University and MBA in Marketing Management from NMIMS, Mumbai.Equipped with more than 23 years of rich experience across F&F industry, Medha joined Keva on June 2019 as Vice President Fragrance for South Asia, Middle East & Africa(SAMEA)region. She has previously worked with other Global Fragrance Houses like Firmenich and IFF in various regional and Global positions.