JNA Awards 2020 - Jewellery Industry Best Practices

JNA AWARDS • 2020 67 the Special Economic Zone of Kolkata, which helped the company improve its offerings and services to clients, not just in India, but also in the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, to name a few. As an employer, she also believes in giving women ample opportunity for growth in the workplace. “I have always believed in empowering women. Therefore, we were the first jewellers to employ female staff in what used to be a male- dominated industry,” she reveals. Gala also contributes to the industry by lending her expertise as part of Rio Tinto’s retail panel and as a committee member of the Mumbai chapter of the Young FICCI Ladies Organisation. Industry recognition With Gala on the leadership team, Kashi continues to gain more acclaim as a heritage brand. It became one of only 10 jewellery houses in India to participate in the first India International Jewellery Week. The company was also part of the event for three consecutive years. Gala’s innovative works were also modelled down the runway by celebrities such as Miss Earth India 2011 Hasleen Kaur and Bollywood star Isha Koppikar, while her designs have been prominently featured on national TV. She has also been recognised as a Jewellers Choice Design Awardee by Indian Jewellers in 2011 and as a National Jewellery Awardee by the All-India Gem and Jewellery Trade Federation for Paramparik Jewellery in 2012. She also received the Best Design Award from the Gemological Institute of America, which she had joined in recent years. As for Kashi, it also remains to be the only company chosen by the De Beers Group to carry its Forevermark diamonds in both Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Sparking creativity Even in times of crisis, Gala makes lemonade out of lemons, so to speak. “COVID-19 has been an absolute game changer. In India, a complete lockdown was declared for 72 days. This was a good time to connect with our respective families and to reflect back on our business,” she notes. Emerging stronger than ever after the lockdown, Gala, with the help of her team, devised creative means to communicate the various safety and health measures that Kashi has set in motion in its quest to guide customers into the new normal. Testament to her creative output, the company was also able to hit 80 percent of sales on “open days” compared with the pre-COVID-19 sales performance level. By pairing creativity with hard work to grow the family business, Gala proves that there is, indeed, no place like home. 1. Ridhi Sohil Gala, Partner and Creative Head of Kashi Jewellers 2. Ridhi Sohil Gala, far right, with her family at an awards ceremony 3. Ridhi Sohil Gala, centre, accepts the ‘Most Preferred Jewellers’ award in India 4. Ridhi Sohil Gala, second left, receives the National Award from the Governor of State at the GJTCI Excellence Awards 2 3 4