Sima Ganwani Ved

Sima Ganwani Ved.[1][2]
Born
Africa
EducationMBA Business Management
Alma materBSC in Business Management King's College London
OccupationFounder & Chairwoman of Apparel Group
SpouseNilesh Ved
Children3
Websitesimaved.com/en

Sima Ganwani Ved is an Indian businesswoman, she is the Founder and Chairwoman of the Apparel Group, an international retailer based in the Middle East headquartered in the UAE.[3][4] She was named the 12th most powerful businesswomen in the Middle East by Forbes in 2024.[5][6][7]

Early life and education

Sima was born in Africa and brought to Dubai by her father in the 1970s.[8] She studied in King's College, London for her Bachelor's degree and subsequently an MBA in business management.

Career

Ved started her career when she was 20,[9] as a department manager in her father's shopping mall in the 90s as the overseer of a department.[10][11][12][13]

In 1996, she founded the Apparel Group, a UAE-based fashion and retail company. The company has over 85 brands and more than 2300[14] stores in 14 countries with over 24,000 employees.[15][16][11][17][18] She is also the Vice Chair of the AppCorp, the holding company that has Apparel group, 6thStreet.com, Indus real estate, and Harley Medical Centre.[19][20][10]

Ved is a member of world organizations like YPO and CEO. She is the first female member of YPO to set up a regional chapter (YPO MENA STAR) that began with a vision of gender equality for its membership base.[21][22] The chapter has achieved 52% female members, the highest in YPO globally.[23][24] In 2010, she launched her TV chat show, Hi tea with Sima Ved, on the Star Plus international.[25][26][27][28]

Her compassion for underprivileged children led her to mentor her teenage daughter to launch her own Athleisure brand F5 Global in 2021, some of the proceeds will go towards educating underprivileged kids.[29] She simultaneously mentored and founded a new social commerce beauty platform NESSA with her eldest daughter, Selina Ved.[11][30] In 2024, Ved participated as a keynote speaker in the Retail Summit which was held in Dubai on 23–24 April.[31]

Awards

  • Philanthropreneur of the year.[9]
  • Retailer of the year.[9]
  • Great Women's award.[32][33][11]
  • Emirates Woman of the Year.[25]
  • Ranked #12 of the 100 most powerful businesswomen of 2024 by Forbes Middle East.[34]

References

  1. ^ "Revealed: The 50 most powerful Indians in the Middle East". www.arabianbusiness.com. 2023-03-01. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  2. ^ "Sima Ganwani Ved - Top 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen 2023".
  3. ^ "50 Richest Indians in the GCC 2016 - Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". www.arabianbusiness.com. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  4. ^ "Indian Rich List 2011 - Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". www.arabianbusiness.com. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  5. ^ Salian, Neesha (October 7, 2022). "Apparel Group, Nykaa partner to set up omnichannel beauty retail platform in GCC".
  6. ^ Salian, Neesha (October 10, 2022). "TOMS gives 10 $10,000 grants to 10 mental health-focused organisations".
  7. ^ "Nykaa enters into strategic alliance with Middle East-based apparel group". thepeninsulaqatar.com. October 8, 2022.
  8. ^ "Apparel Group expands Qatar footprint with launch of 20 stores at Place Vendôme mall in Lusail City - Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". www.arabianbusiness.com. 2022-04-17. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  9. ^ a b c "Sima Ganwani Ved to speak at World Woman Davos Agenda". gulfnews.com. 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  10. ^ a b Mughal, Waqar. "50 Most Powerful Business women".
  11. ^ a b c d Mehta, Somya. "Teen Entrepreneur Sarisha Ved on starting her sustainable e-commerce venture". Khaleej Times.
  12. ^ "Huda Beauty's Mona Kattan And Apparel Group's Sima Ved To Headline Dtec Forum, Powered By Entrepreneur Middle East, In June Web Story". Business Big News.
  13. ^ "Skechers donates school kits worth Dh1.5 million to 8,000 vulnerable children". gulfnews.com. 9 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Carrefour to open 50 stores in next 5 years in north India". Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  15. ^ Presse, AFP-Agence France. "French Retail Giant Carrefour To Return To India". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  16. ^ "الافتتاح الرسمي لمتجر "Nysaa" بدبي.. لحظة محورية في عالم تجارة مستحضرات التجميل بطلاتها نساء! | مجلة سيدتي". www.sayidaty.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  17. ^ "UAE retail heavyweight Apparel Group's HQ and warehouses get LEED Platinum". gulfnews.com. 13 August 2021.
  18. ^ "'School Lunch Box' plan to promote healthy lifestyle". www.gulftoday.ae.
  19. ^ "Like parents, like daughter: Meet Selina Ved of Dubai's Apparel Group who is all set to make beauty her business". gulfnews.com.
  20. ^ "CEO Women of Influence 2021 Sima Ved - Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". www.arabianbusiness.com. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  21. ^ "Revealed: Arabian Business' 50 Inspiring Female Business Leaders - Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". www.arabianbusiness.com. 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  22. ^ "Revealed: Arabian Business' Indian Power List 2022 - Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". www.arabianbusiness.com. 2022-04-08. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  23. ^ Entrepreneur Middle East Staff (June 9, 2019). "Huda Beauty's Mona Kattan And Apparel Group's Sima Ved To Headline Dtec Forum, Powered By Entrepreneur Middle East, In June". Entrepreneur.
  24. ^ Roy, Abhirup (2022-10-06). "Nykaa forge ties with Dubai's Apparel Group to expand business in Gulf countries". ThePrint. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  25. ^ a b Roy, Abhirup (October 6, 2022). "Nykaa forge ties with Dubai's Apparel Group to expand business in Gulf countries".
  26. ^ Mughal, Waqar. "Sima Ganwani Ved - Top 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen 2023".
  27. ^ "Women of Influence in the Arab world 2021 - Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". www.arabianbusiness.com. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  28. ^ "Revealed: Arabian Business' Indian Power List 2022 - Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". www.arabianbusiness.com. 2022-04-08. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  29. ^ Maisey, Sarah (2022-08-13). "The 16-year-old behind F5, the sustainable athleisure brand in Dubai that's going places". The National. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  30. ^ "Like parents, like daughter: Meet Selina Ved of Dubai's Apparel Group who is all set to make beauty her business". gulfnews.com.
  31. ^ None. "Mona Kattan, Sima Ved to headline The Retail Summit 2024 in Dubai". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  32. ^ "Toms celebrates World Mental Health Day with '10x10' campaign". thepeninsulaqatar.com. October 9, 2022.
  33. ^ Entrepreneur Middle East Staff (June 9, 2019). "Huda Beauty's Mona Kattan And Apparel Group's Sima Ved To Headline Dtec Forum, Powered By Entrepreneur Middle East, In June". Entrepreneur.
  34. ^ "100 Most Powerful Businesswomen 2024".