Managing Director of Soulflower, Amit Sarda is credited with pioneering the concept of natural skin and hair care in India. At a time when aroma, natural soaps and oil blends for hair and skin were considered to be an upper-class indulgence, he launched the Soulflower brand which became immensely popular among a growing section of the society that was becoming conscious of wellness and personal care.
Amit Sarda aggressively came out with a bevy of indulgence products at competitive prices. With personal expertise in natural oils and essential oils, he understands what purpose they are used for specific skin and hair related everyday concerns. And with a distribution strategy that relied on large format stores like Shoppers Stop, Soulflower within a short time gained market leadership.
Mr. Sarda who started the apparel brand Ruf & Tuf at the age of 16 holds the unique distinction of being one of the youngest CEOs of a BSE listed company. An early entrepreneurial start helped him build acumen for it and in understanding human dynamics. His experience spans a wide spectrum of industries including apparel, automotive, textiles, handicrafts and personal care in leadership positions.
One of the earliest adopters of e-commerce, Amit Sarda is best known for his Go-To-Market strategy and disrupting markets with effective use of technologies and introduction of new concepts. Soulflower delivers its products to over a thousand towns every month making it the widest distributed personal skin and hair care brand in India via e-commerce. Prior to entering the e-commerce, Mr. Sarda’s conviction in the brand and its value offering opened doors for Soulflower to be retailed through leading retail giants including Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle among others. Today Soulflower is available through Modern Retail in over 500 stores across India and enjoys a dominating presence across all the leading online retails as well.
Mr. Sarda has a expertise at International marketing and Go To Market strategy in markets like USA, UK, KSA, UAE, EU. He pioneered the concept of launching brands on foreign land utilizing Digital channels to make Soulflower a best seller brand on Amazon and have successfully launched Soulflower in International markets without having a single offshore office or team member and still getting all the compliances of FDA and other regulatory of the foreign land.
Soulflower is available in pharmacies, beauty stores, amazon, Emmar Noon across globe since 2015 Mr. Sarda is credited with a unique case study on Data analytics using Star Signs to study consumer behavior across platforms (Online & Offline). This gave a different approach to market products in the existing cluttered space and paved way for new marketing opportunities to target the right people and gave insights to connect with them on a more personal front.
Mr. Sarda focused on consumer experience, Sustainability and Inclusivity at a time when it was not talked about in the Board Room meetings. He made products which were pure, natural, vegan, cruelty free and preservative free before most Indian brands entered this space which is now the fastest growing segment in the FMCG category. Mr. Sarda focuses on delighting the customer at every touchpoint and this is the first message every employee gets while joining the organization. He has ideated many innovative activities like ‘Make your own Aroma’ where a customer can make his own signature aroma and it instantly became a hit and connected with the consumer. It is through this constant endeavor of delighting the customer under his leadership that the company bagged 3 prestigious Abby awards last year and got recognized as India’s most Promising Brand of 2018 by Economic Times.
Other than running Soulflower, Mr. Amit Sarda is an active proponent of enterprise. He is presently the President of ‘Young Entrepreneurs’ Society (YES)’. The forum invites young industrialists and executives to come together on a common platform to share ideas and help shape the future of India’s economy and growth. One of the most unique program in the country, Shadow the Leader program with Bombay Chambers of Commerce where the leaders from billion dollar and cutting-edge corporations shadow the coming entrepreneurs and executives to bring in more sustainable organization. This program is not only creating more sustainable entrepreneur & corporate but also supporting 1000 of kids with their education. He also started the ‘Soulflower Leadership Program’ where bright minds across the country come together to work on live projects Mr. Sarda has spoken in various Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) and Retail forums across multiple regions, including USA, India, Singapore, UAE, and Europe.
Mr. Sarda is also a Board member on World trade Center Mumbai, All India Association of Indusries, Bombay Chambers of Commerce & Industry and Co-Chair Young Bombay Forum.
Mr. Sarda revolutionized the concept of ‘Spa@home’ by bringing Soulflower to the doorsteps of its customers thereby making caring for one-self easy and accessible from the comfort of their homes. He maintains a modest ambition which aspires to share kindness and love through Soulflower’s offerings and his aim is to make it a household name in the years to come.
