Vandana Luthra

Vandana Luthra
Born	(1959-07-12) July 12, 1959 (age 66) India
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Title	Founder, VLCC
Spouse	Mukesh Luthra (m. 1980)
Children	Two daughters (Pallavi Luthra, Meera Bhatia)
Awards	Padma Shri Woman Entrepreneur Award FICCI Successful Business Woman Award Amity Woman Achievers Award Outstanding Business Woman Award Rajiv Gandhi Women Achiever Award
Website	Official website of VLCC

Vandana Luthra (born 12 July 1959) is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder of VLCC Health Care Ltd, a beauty and wellness conglomerate ^[1] with a presence across Asia, the GCC countries, and Africa. ^[2]

Early life and education

Vandana Luthra was born in New Delhi in 1959. Her father was a mechanical engineer and her mother was an Ayurvedic doctor who ran a charitable initiative called Amar Jyoti. This inspired her to make a difference in people’s lives. After completing her graduation from the Polytechnic for Women in New Delhi, she went to Europe to gain expertise in beauty, food and nutrition, and skin care. ^[3]

Career

Vandana Luthra started VLCC in 1989 as a chain of beauty and wellness centres headquartered in New Delhi. ^[4]

She was appointed the first chairperson of the Beauty and Wellness Sector Skill Council in 2014. This initiative, backed by the Government of India, offers skill training for the beauty industry. ^[5]

Luthra is also the chairperson of the Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill Council (B&WSSC), an initiative that provides training under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana schemes.

Philanthropy

Luthra is Vice Chairperson of the NGO Khushii, which runs projects such as telemedicine centres, a remedial school with a midday meal facility catering to 3,000 children, and a vocational training facility. She is also a member of the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga and serves on the Steering Committee and Sub-Committee formed by India’s Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.

She is a patron of the Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust, which pioneered the concept of educating children with and without disabilities together in equal numbers from nursery to class VIII. The trust now runs two schools with over 800 children.

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Padma Shri Award to Vandana Luthra at an investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi on 5 April 2013

Awards and recognitions

• Padma Shri (India’s fourth-highest civilian honour) in 2013 for her contribution to trade and industry. ^[6]
• The Enterprise Asia Women Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2010. ^[7]
• Ranked 26th on the annual Forbes Asia 2016 list of 50 Power Businesswomen in the Asia-Pacific region, which includes Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Of the 50 women featured, only 8 were from India. ^[8]
• Featured in Fortune magazine's annual listing of the ‘50 Most Powerful Women in Business in India’ for five consecutive years, from 2011 to 2015.

Publications

• Vandana Luthra (2011). Complete Fitness Programme. Sangam Books. p. 152. ISBN   978-8125906919.
• Vandana Luthra (2013). A Good Life. HarperCollins India. p. 240. ISBN   978-9351160113.

• India portal

References

1. "VLCC". VLCC. 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
2. "BBC Interview of VLCC Founder & Mentor Vandana Luthra". BBC World News - YouTube video. 18 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
3. "The queen of wellness in India – Dr Vandana Luthra". Inventiva.
4. "After-hours with the boss: Vandana Luthra". Live Mint.
5. "Anti-Obesity Entrepreneur Vandana Luthra Debuts On Asia's Power Businesswomen 2016 List". dropout dudes. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
6. "Padma 2013". The Hindu. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
7. "Hall of Fame 2010 | APEA - Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards". 10 August 2018. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
8. Scott, Mary E. "Asia's 50 Power Businesswomen 2016". Forbes. Retrieved 1 December 2017.