CNV1-I1-1-Alumni - Role Models

Meeta Walawalkar,

Entrepreneur with Disruptive Product Start

Meeta is an individual with more than fifteen years of work experience building strong brands and products for India's companies, Meeta knows how to get into the minds of the consumers coupled with the passion for catching the right pulse of the market, which has led to interesting market discoveries and product innovations, that have carved out a niche and been disruptive to large extent.

Meeta advocates and practice, Organic Food making. She says “Organic is a way, a habit and a practice all rolled into one”. Soul Bakers delivers the healthy bread to your doorstep. From milk to tea, pastas, or pizzas, bread goes with everything. There are hundreds of options available in the market: the bigger challenge is to choose the right type of bread for your family.

Meets did this from her basement at home for 2 years (2011-13) but the product demand far outgrew what she could produce. A small unit set up in December 2013, today meets the demand, and she is firmly in business! Meeta is the owner, chief baker, accountant, marketing executive, purchase manager, and part-time delivery person all bundled up in one. Her staff members help her bake, clean, and deliver. Meeta – a baker with soul - says “She is proud of social initiative to hire local unskilled women who knew nothing about baking and taught them a life skill. In the future, even if they do not want to continue with me, they do not have to go back to cleaning utensils. They can stand on their own two feet,”

Going beyond just ingredients, Soul Bakers is making an effort to turn the entire chain green; they use reusable paper bags for packaging, thereby reducing the plastic usage and further they are also in the process of installing renewable energy source for their bakery. They are the only bakery in town that makes breads with organic ingredients with an FSSAI certification, based on food safety standards at a national level. They also make special breads for oncology (cancer) patients. She says “This is very close to our heart and we make it with all the love and hope that people consuming our breads will get better soon and pray for the good health of our consumers”. Currently, ‘Soul Bakers’ products are available at various organic stores across Bangalore.

Meeta wants her products to be affordable and take away the notion that organic food is expensive. Therefore, the products are not very highly priced. With innovative business strategies ‘Soul Bakers’ brand is having consumer base of over 100 thousand, it is the most popular organic bakery brand in Bangalure and Chennai.

As Swami Vivekananda said: “Always walk the middle path.” That’s exactly Meeta is doing.

Keyur Shah, CEO,

Steering the Precious Metal Business in Muthoot Group

Prior to this assignment, he was director (investment) at world gold council where he was instrumental in development and implementation world gold council’s investment strategy in India that included the gold retail programs via banks @amps, post offices, gold link micro finance program, gold accumulation plan etc.

Keyur has more than 20 years of experience in strategic business planning and amp implementation, product development, brand management and communication and business activities. His career has spanned various geographies like USA, Middle East and India in organisations like World Gold Council, Motorola, Saatchi, Leo Burnet

Over eighteen years of strategic planning & implementation, market development (consumer segmentation), new business development, product development, communication (brand management, event management, product management, advertising) and sales experience in gold, automotive, energy, telecom, and information technology industries in India, USA and UAE. See less

·         CEO - Precious Metals Business at Muthoot Pappachan Group for 5 years

·         Director at World Gold Council for 7 years

·         Group Account Director at Leo Burnett for 1 year

·         Marketing Managers at Motorola - Chicago, USA for 3 years

·         Account Manager at M & C Saatchi - Dubai, UAE for 1 year

·         Senior Account Executive at Leoburnett for 2 years

·         Marketing Manager at Motorola

Keyur’s expertise is in strategic planning & implementation, market development (consumer segmentation), new business development, product development, communication (brand management, product management, advertising, events) and sales. Keyur with his innovative thinking and hard work is continuously taking the company to greater and greater heights.