Sima Ganwani Ved
Sima Ganwani Ved is the visionary Founder and Chairwoman of Apparel Group, a multi-billion-dollar retail enterprise based in the UAE, managing over 85 prestigious brands across 2,300 stores in 14 countries with a workforce of over 27,000. Under her leadership, the Apparel Group has become dominant in the Middle East’s retail sector. Sima’s exemplary leadership has earned her numerous accolades, including Forbes Middle East’s 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen and Arabian Business’s Most Powerful Indians in the Middle East.
Born in Africa, Sima moved to Dubai in the 1970s. She later pursued her education in the UK, earning a bachelor’s degree from King’s College London and an MBA in Business Management. At 20, she began her career as a Department Manager in her father’s shopping mall, which shaped her business acumen.
Sima is deeply involved in nurturing young talent. She mentored her daughter Sarisha Ved in launching F5 Global, an athleisure brand, and guided her eldest daughter, Selina Ved, in creating Nysaa, a beauty omnichannel marketplace. Additionally, she actively participates in global organisations such as YPO and CEO.
In the early 2000s, her creative pursuits included writing a newspaper column, acting in plays, and hosting the TV show “Hi Tea with Sima Ved.” Through her entrepreneurial journey and philanthropic endeavours, Sima continues to inspire as a multifaceted leader in the international business community.
AS A FEMALE FOUNDER AND RETAIL TITAN, MY DUTY IS TO CREATE VALUE, CHALLENGE, STAY RELEVANT.
Recognition
Sima’s outstanding involvement and dedication in making a significant contribution to changing lives at an international level has not gone unnoticed.
In 2016, Sima was presented with The Global Gift Philanthropreneur Award by Eva Longoria for exemplifying the foundation’s philanthropic mission. This recognition serves as a big motivation for her to soldier on and contribute towards making the world a better place, one community at a time.
Inspiration
As other budding entrepreneurs constantly look up to Sima for inspiration, she too has a few that she tries to emulate.
Looking at role models like Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Malala Yousafzai, Sima endeavors to spend her time focusing on becoming a relevant example of inspirational female power.
Eva Longoria’s speech at The Global Gift Philanthropreneur Awards recapitulates the spirit of Sima’s strength of character when she said; “When you think about female empowerment; you have a vague figure of someone in your head, but then you meet Sima Ganwani Ved and you go like, oh wait a minute; that’s female empowerment, that’s what it looks like! With her sense of energy, passion and persistence, we couldn’t have picked a better person than Sima Ganwani Ved to be the recipient of The Global Gift Philanthropreneur Award this year”.
Through such inspiration, Sima Ganwani Ved hopes to motivate other young, upcoming female entrepreneurs and inspiring them to succeed.