Avani Davda

Avani Davda is an eminent Business leader with diverse experience in operating and leadership roles across consumer, retail and hospitality industries. She has successfully demonstrated skill in creating premium brand experience in the consumer and retail space.

Currently, she is strategic advisor at Bain Advisory Network. Prior to joining Bain, she has played multiple leadership roles in various industry segments.

Her professional career took off when she started her career with Tata Group as a recruit into the Group’s flagship leadership program ‘TAS’ (Tata Administrative Services) in 2002. Thereafter she worked in Tata companies including TAJ Luxury Hotels (IHCL) and Tata Consumer Products Ltd.

She was the Chief Executive officer of Tata Starbucks Private Limited, the 50/50 joint venture between Starbucks Coffee Company and Tata Global Beverages Limited (TGBL). As the founding CEO, she successfully set up the JV Company and created the right leadership and cultural environment that resulted in aggressive expansion of over 85 Starbucks stores in India in 3 years. The brand was established in 6 key metropolitan cities of India and is recognized for unmatched coffee house experience in India. Subsequently, she played role of MD and CEO at Godrej Nature’s Basket from May 2016 to November 2019. In Godrej, she led the transformation and turnaround of the business with a focus on delivering store level profitability culminating in the Strategic Sale of the Business.

She featured in Fortune US’s annual global list of ‘40 under 40 leaders’ in 2013 and ranked 13 on Fortune and Food & Wine’s list of ‘25 Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink’ in 2014 – the only Indian woman on the list. She was nominated as a Young Global Leader in 2014 by the World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland. Avani was also named in “ET & Spencer Stuart Women Ahead” 2019.

Avani grew up in Mumbai, India and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce with Honors (Advertising & Media) from the University of Mumbai and a Master of Management Studies (MMS) from the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, University of Mumbai (Gold Medalist).