Gunjann Taneja was recently appointed as the COO, Naturals Beauty Academy, South India. In an exclusive interview with Priyanka Parshurami from Professional Beauty India, Gunjann Taneja shares her journey to this milestone and shines a light on what lies ahead.
A Guinness World Record Holder and holder of certifications in Rhetoric Writing and Public Speaking from Harvard University, Gunjann Taneja has been one of the top trainers in the country. Paving the way for unmatched upliftment of the society, Taneja now wears another hat. Recently, she was appointed as the COO, Naturals Beauty Academy, South India. As Gunjann Taneja joined Naturals a short while ago and now takes over the COO’s responsibilities, here’s what she has to say about this new chapter:
Can you tell us about your initial reaction and feelings upon hearing the news?
C.K. Kumaravel, Co-Founder of Naturals, has appointed a new CEO, Sanjay Enishetty. The moment he joined, within the first 15 days, he brought in a lot of organisational changes based on the capabilities of many people. He’s from the IT industry, so he didn’t know any of us initially. His observations and calculations were focused on expanding the salons and academies from 800 to 3000 as early as possible. And, that is the dream for every person at Naturals now.
So, when this restructuring was happening, I remember it was a Saturday. I went upstairs and saw many positions changing. We received letters from HR notifying us of these changes. Around 11 AM, after an hour of inflowing messages and emails from HR, I sensed something big was happening. I went to John Sarkar in HR, knocked on his door, and asked if everything was happening for good. He asked me to sit and then mentioned that he was typing a letter for me. My heart started beating faster.
When I asked what he was typing, he shook my hand and said, “Congratulations, Gunjan. You are now officially the new COO of Natural Beauty Academy, South India.” It was a prestigious moment for me. I was thrilled that in just 15 days, he could see my capacities and where I should be placed. So, I am super happy and I always say it’s all about blessings first and then, my education and experience, for sure.
As the National Trainer, you had a significant impact on the training and development of staff. How will your responsibilities and focus shift in your new role as COO?
The difference is quite significant. I am a workaholic, known for starting work at 10 sharp and, over time, learning to end it by 6 PM. Previously, as a National Trainer, my focus was on training and development, but now, it includes managing operations and ensuring profitability. Now, my role has expanded to thinking in terms of India’s growth and expansion. I am now focused on marketing strategies, new offers, and the entire 360 degrees of operations – from selecting and opening academies, appointing people, handling HR, interviewing, training, and advertising, to making correct statements in the market.
My responsibility is to ensure the academies multiply and run well. I have been meeting partners to ensure human connection. I plan to continue this through regular meetings and Zoom calls. My role has evolved from just writing a book to building profitable academies.
Looking ahead, what are your primary goals and objectives as COO of Naturals Beauty Academy, South India? How do you plan to achieve them?
I joined Naturals almost six months back, on November 1st. C.K. Kumaravel helped me settle here. Since then, the academies have been developing. In these six months, I have authored seven technical books on skin, hair, nails, management, and new technologies. I’ve been responsible for training staff, designing training curriculums, and developing examination and admission structures. Moving forward, I will continue with technical work, but also take care of selecting new academies, signing papers, finding locations, appointing staff, and ensuring smooth operations. My goal is to manage everything from opening to running academies efficiently.
In your new role, what strategies do you intend to implement to ensure the continued growth and success of Naturals Salon and Academy, particularly in the competitive South Indian market?
Every week, we are planning something new. I introduced a concept where students doing a cosmetology course at Naturals Beauty Academy are promised a job in any of our salons. We also tied up with Bajaj to offer students a 100% education loan with 0% interest. Now, we are working on international education as well, although I won’t announce details before signing the deal. We aim to implement new ideas every week or at least bi-monthly to benefit partners, students, and the brand. With a brilliant team, we strive to expand and run profitably, ensuring a win-win situation for everyone.
How do you plan to leverage your extensive experience as a National Trainer to enhance the operational efficiency and service quality of the salons under your purview?
With 23 years in the beauty industry, I have extensive knowledge of beauty, skin, hair, makeup, nails, and extensions. I love studying and delivering the latest techniques. So, I keep experimenting, reading, and adding new ideas to Naturals. I write about each new idea and send it to C.K. Kumaravel for approval. We developed a new scheme in three steps: assessing who needs training, planning the training, and getting feedback after the training. This whole cycle was missing until now.
With Sanjay Enishetty turning the company into a beauty tech company, we’ve integrated technology to document everything and analyse who needs assessment and training. Combining my expertise in beauty and education with his tech-savvy approach, we’ve developed a comprehensive system that I hope will perform very well. Kumar’s decision to blend beauty with technology has motivated us to perform better, and you’ll see significant improvements in the coming years.