Shahnaz Husain (born 5 November 1944) is an Indian businesswoman and the founder, chairperson and managing director of, The Shahnaz Husain Group. She has received acclaim for pioneering the

herbal A herbal is a book containing the names and descriptions of plants, usually with information on their medicinal, Herbal tonic, tonic, culinary, toxic, hallucinatory, aromatic, or Magic (paranormal), magical powers, and the legends associated wi ...

beauty care movement and taking the Indian herbal heritage of

Ayurveda Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...

worldwide. In 2006, she was awarded the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, the fourth highest civilian award, by the Government of India for her contribution to the fields of trade and industry. Husain was invited by

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

to speak on her experience of establishing an international brand without commercial advertising and has also become a Harvard Case Study which is included in its curriculum. She has also lectured to students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

and

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

. Shahnaz has also represented India at President Barack Obama's World Summit for Entrepreneurs. In 1996, she won Success Magazine's "World's Greatest Woman Entrepreneur" award. She has walked the red carpet at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

and has spoken at both the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

and

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

in the British Parliament.

Personal life

Born Shahnaz Beg, she is the daughter of Justice Nasir Ullah Beg, a former Chief Justice of the

Allahabad High Court Allahabad High Court, officially known as High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, is the high court based in the city of Prayagraj, formerly known as Allahabad, that has jurisdiction over the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was established o ...

and Sayeeda Begum, who was the daughter of the commander-in-chief of the Hyderabad army. Her grandfather, Justice Samiullah Beg, was a prominent politician of the

United Province United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

who later served as Chief Justice of the Hyderabad High Court. Her uncle,

Mirza Hameedullah Beg Mirza Hameedullah Beg (M. H. Beg) (22 February 1913 – 19 November 1988) was the 15th Chief Justice of India, serving from January 1977 to February 1978. Early life and education Born into a Deccani Muslim family, his father Mirza Samiullah ...

, was a former

Chief Justice of India The chief justice of India (CJI) is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of India and the highest-ranking officer of the Indian judiciary. The Constitution of India grants power to the President of India to appoint, as recommended by the outg ...

.She married on Arshad ullah khan saroha on 1967. Shahnaz studied at St. Mary's Convent Inter College, Prayagraj. She was married at an early age to Nasir Husain with whom she has two children. She studied

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

while Nasir Husain was posted in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

. She then completed her training in cosmetic therapy and cosmetology from leading institutions of the West, such as Helena Rubinstein, Schwarzkopf, Christine Valmy, Lancome and Lean of Copenhagen. She returned to India and started Women's World in New Delhi at her home. The then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, frequently visited her. Nasir died in 1999 of cardiac arrest. Their son, Sameer Husain who was a rapper allegedly committed suicide in Patna in 2008 and their daughter Nelofar Currimbhoy is taking her legacy forward. Nelofar is also the author of Shahnaz Husain's biography "Flame".

About The Shahnaz Husain Group

Adopting the concept of Herbal Care and Cure, Shahnaz opened her first herbal clinic in 1971 and over the next few years formed The Shahnaz Husain Group. She formulated therapeutic products for specific skin and hair problems, as well as premium ranges for skin care, such as 24 Carat Gold, Oxygen, Diamond, Pearl, Plant Stem Cells and Platinum Range. The company also sells its products online at http://shahnaz.in. The Shahnaz Husain Group has over 400 franchise ventures across the world covering over 138 'without animal testing' countries. The first franchise clinic opened in Calcutta in 1979. Within a year, there were 80 Shahnaz Herbal franchise clinics in India. The first foreign Shahnaz Herbal franchise clinic was opened in London in 1982. The group also operates its premium Ayurveda Salon and Spa treatment center in New Delhi to offer a line of proprietary treatments for Skin, Hair and Body.

Corporate social responsibility

Shahnaz has tied up with Government skill development projects in beauty and wellness. Her beauty academy has trained and certified over 40,000 under-privileged women, distributing tool kits for home-based business

Awards

Shahnaz Husain has received several international and national awards for her contribution in the beauty industry:

Publications / further reading

1. Shahnaz Husain Beauty Book (https://www.amazon.in/Shahnaz-Husains-Beauty-Book-Husain/dp/8122200605) 2. Flame Book (http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/my-mothers-story/article3359825.ece)

References

External links

* Shahnaz Husain Official Online Store (https://www.shahnaz.in) * Shahnaz Husain's Beauty Blog (https://www.shahnaz.in/index.php/beauty_blog) {{DEFAULTSORT:Husain, Shahnaz 1944 births Living people Indian businesspeople in the pharmaceutical industry Recipients of the Padma Shri in trade and industry La Martinière College, Lucknow alumni Businesswomen from Uttar Pradesh Businesspeople from Lucknow 20th-century Indian businesswomen 20th-century Indian businesspeople 21st-century Indian businesswomen 21st-century Indian businesspeople