Piyush Wadhwani
Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer
To provide solution to this problem, Hair Originals India came into existence led by Piyush Wadhwani, Chief Product Officer and Jitendra Sharma, Chief Executive Officer. Piyush and Jitendra bring along with them diverse experience across multiple industries spread over several geographies. Piyush’s experience of working with different sized companies all the way from startups to large cap enterprise conglomerates has given him a unique perspective to develop something extraordinary through meticulous customer market research and manufacturing excellence.
In an exclusive interview with CEO Insights, Piyush talked about his role of leadership, casting light on his journey, the company and the challenges faced.
Throw some light on your professional background and experience. How has been your journey so far and what drives you today?
I have worked with FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever from 2008-13 in
Sales(Food division Unilever Food Solutions). From 2013-15 with Olam International, a Singapore based commodity trading company. I worked there as a trader for Cashew Nut business. After Olam, I joined a startup, dealing in bio mass fuel for bigger catering units. Working for almost eight years into sales, one day I realized that I should have my own business and then I started my own manufacturing unit of PET bottles, confectionery jars and toys.
I still have those two manufacturing units in Delhi which is now taken over by my father after I started Hair Originals. My professional journey is a mix of different roles and products from food to commodity trading to bio mass fuel to plastic business and now Human Hair business. It’s a 14 billion US dollar business globally with CAGR of 12 percent and these numbers drive me.
How are you leveraging your expertise to help Hair Originals India succeed in the long run? Highlight the current roles and responsibilities undertaken by you at Hair Originals India.
I have previous experience of running my own production & manufacturing units for five years and that’s what is helping me in Hair Originals. I am taking care of entire production from sourcing raw material, processing it and converting into the finished goods with proper quality checks at different stages. I have a team of 35 employees working under me in our Factory with one factory manager
I still have those two manufacturing units in Delhi which is now taken over by my father after I started Hair Originals. My professional journey is a mix of different roles and products from food to commodity trading to bio mass fuel to plastic business and now Human Hair business. It’s a 14 billion US dollar business globally with CAGR of 12 percent and these numbers drive me.
I strongly believe that using natural virgin REMY Indian hair which is known for its rich texture to create hair extension provides the versatility and freedom in color, style and maintenance
How are you leveraging your expertise to help Hair Originals India succeed in the long run? Highlight the current roles and responsibilities undertaken by you at Hair Originals India.
I have previous experience of running my own production & manufacturing units for five years and that’s what is helping me in Hair Originals. I am taking care of entire production from sourcing raw material, processing it and converting into the finished goods with proper quality checks at different stages. I have a team of 35 employees working under me in our Factory with one factory manager
and two supervisors.
How would you define Hair Originals India as an organization and its position in the market?
Hair Originals is a brand under the parent company Kris Originals. We are a Gurgaon based startup with young and energetic team working smartly and making sure each day to have more and more visibility in the market. We are focusing primarily on B2B business for service based products and D2C business for our DIY products. We are currently present in more than 20 cities in India and we have a network of almost 400 salons all over India.
How do you maintain the perfect balance between your personal and professional life? What is your success mantra?
I start my day early with two hours of workout and making sure to complete my day to day tasks on time efficiently and then spending time with family and friends. I have always believed that one must start his or her day early as a lot of things can be done in an entire day with full of energy and that’s the only success mantra for me.
Going forward, what are the changes in market behaviour that you anticipate and what are the opportunities that you foresee? What are your future goals?
Hair Extension industry is a growing business and the kind of response that we are getting after our shark tank deal in Indian market is brilliant. I believe that every woman will have some kind of human hair extensions in her wardrobe in near future. And that’s a big opportunity for us. And yes innovation is always the key to success. My future goals are basically to automate some processes in our production units.
How would you define Hair Originals India as an organization and its position in the market?
Hair Originals is a brand under the parent company Kris Originals. We are a Gurgaon based startup with young and energetic team working smartly and making sure each day to have more and more visibility in the market. We are focusing primarily on B2B business for service based products and D2C business for our DIY products. We are currently present in more than 20 cities in India and we have a network of almost 400 salons all over India.
How do you maintain the perfect balance between your personal and professional life? What is your success mantra?
I start my day early with two hours of workout and making sure to complete my day to day tasks on time efficiently and then spending time with family and friends. I have always believed that one must start his or her day early as a lot of things can be done in an entire day with full of energy and that’s the only success mantra for me.
Going forward, what are the changes in market behaviour that you anticipate and what are the opportunities that you foresee? What are your future goals?
Hair Extension industry is a growing business and the kind of response that we are getting after our shark tank deal in Indian market is brilliant. I believe that every woman will have some kind of human hair extensions in her wardrobe in near future. And that’s a big opportunity for us. And yes innovation is always the key to success. My future goals are basically to automate some processes in our production units.