Management by Heart, not by Mind: Shehnaz Husain

The legendary professor Samuel L Hayes at Harvard Business School is nonplussed. The finance guru’s jaw drops every time he’s confronted with the Shahnaz Husain line of products and services. That the 63-year-old nature ‘Princess’, a title bestowed on her by her mother, who transformed the beauty landscape with the science of life (ayurveda), is an enigma in her own right, is unquestionable .

But Hayes questions how Husain manages to launch new products without ever resorting to publicity. Shahnaz Husain never advertises, and that, she says, has become a talking point at Harvard, where Hayes has now invited her to teach. “Professor Hayes says that since I defied all norms, he wanted me to teach the students my style of operation. I think I’ll go next year.”
Husain commands a chain of 400 global franchisees and 570 distributors Rs 650 crore revenues. In her flowing black-striped gown, burgundy hair, the princess, at first, seems to evoke fear. As gofers move around what looks like a Charles Perrault-meets-Ekta Kapoor set, the cloud seems to clear a bit. “Fear does not work, love does, and so I rule the company with my heart, not my head,” says Husain. Her loyal retinue (most of them have been with Husain for more than 25 years) diligently rearrange the furniture and organise food as the conversation courses along.

In 2004, a batch of her ShaClear Pimple lotion had a problem. The sachets at the company’s third-party supplier were found to be sub-standard. So she personally landed up at the manufacturing facility and destroyed a ton of the lotion. “I walk into my parlours impromptu and take stock of things,” says Husain, who now employs about 20 whistle-blowers in her team for ready feedback.

The hands-on Husain adheres to “very strict norms” in training and maintaining quality across her “cure and care” line. “We maintain that we do not sell cosmetics, but ayurvedic care. Everyone has to be well-versed in ayurveda. Each beauty advisor is a paramedical doctor trained to provide solutions,” she says. That also explains why the thrust of the company is on regime selling — where a range is sold, rather than a single product.

Husain, who lost her only son last year, says, “My company is my family. Like a mother who educates her children, I personally train each and everyone and ensure their mental comfort. I’ve lost the three most powerful men in my life — my chief justice father, first husband and rapper son — and everyday I cry for an hour at the crack of dawn in my tub.” For Husain, it helps to steel herself “in solitude where your shrieks break like thunder” . Uncontrollable grief before sunrise, a control freak by day — the Husain way remains an enigma.

Sporting a Rs 14-lakh diamond-studded Louis Vuitton limited edition cellphone, Husain dissects why she’s averse to advertising. “I’m starting a saffron line that gives the face a golden hue. The ad will not make it go off the shelf, but if you will tell a friend, it will build goodwill,” she says. She’s never felt the need to advertise when the packs, with a picture of hers, do the talking.

So last year, she rejected new packaging for her skincare line as the bottles didn’t have her photo. Confident that the brand is nothing without her picture, Husain is cautious when it comes to getting her pictures taken. At any given point, she’s accompanied by two cameramen who seem to know just what the doctor orders —the right angles and a sharp focus on her glittering pea-sized nose ring.

The control of her luxury empire will one day slip into the hands of her daughter, Nelofar Currimbhoy, who doubles up as a doting mother and the president of the company. Husain’s grandson, Sharik Currimbhoy, is the acting vice-president and COO, while granny jets around the world as an emissary of ayurveda, replacing advertising with direct contact and sheer face value. As a child, whenever lightning struck, little Shahnaz used to run outdoors. “I’d tell everyone that God is taking my picture.”


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