From Our Correspondent
Mumbai: Heritage Foods Executive Director Nara Brahmani shut down speculation about a political debut with an emphatic “absolutely not”, making it clear that politics holds no appeal for her.
Speaking at the Business Today ‘Most Powerful Women in Business’ awards in Mumbai on Saturday, where she was honoured, Brahmani said she has neither the interest nor the inclination to enter public life when she already has what she called a far more consequential platform.
Brahmani, daugther of actor Balakrishna, said she sees Heritage Foods — which she described as “my organisation, my first child” — as offering a “unique opportunity to make a big impact.” The Stanford MBA graduate questioned why she would “let go of that opportunity” when the company allows her “to influence lakhs and lakhs of women farmers and crores and crores of Indian consumers.” The work, she said, aligns deeply with her own passion: “I am personally very, very passionate about health and nutrition.”
She stressed that her impact potential within the company far outweighs any political role she could play. With Heritage’s presence across 19 states and milk procurement from seven to eight states, Brahmani said the mission of empowering farmers — particularly women, who make up 80% of the producer base — remains central to her vision.
Heritage Foods’ turnover for the financial year 2024–25 was ₹4,134.6 crore.
In her interaction, Brahmani traced her entry into a business she married into — a dairy enterprise founded by N. Chandrababu Naidu over three decades ago to support farmers in the Chittoor region. Today, as a listed company with a complex supply chain and thin margins, Heritage required sharper focus and clarity of direction. Brahmani said she identified early the need to push towards value-added products, which now contribute 32% of revenues, with plans to increase this share by 2–3% every year. Her first major assignment — turning around or exiting a loss-making retail business — helped reset the company’s strategic priorities.
Heritage is now strengthening its presence in functional health products and is acquiring a 51% stake in a high-protein, sugar-free ice cream brand Get-A-Way— a move she sees as aligned with evolving consumer preferences.
Brahmani credited the inclusive culture created by her mother-in-law, Nara Bhuvaneswari a co-founder, for easing her transition into the business. She also described Chandrababu Naidu as her most influential mentor — a “visionary and nation-builder” who insists on purpose-driven work. Family council meetings, she said, operate with the discipline of a professional board, with clear responsibilities and robust reporting.
Defining professional wealth, Brahmani said it lies in staying true to the mission: delighting every home with fresh, healthy products and improving farmer incomes by at least 10% every year, with the long-term goal of doubling them.
Her focus, she reiterated, will stay firmly on this mission — not on politics — even though her father-in-law Chandrababu Naidu and husband Lokesh are active in public life.
Her recognition at the Business Today awards drew a warm response from her husband, Nara Lokesh, who posted on X describing it as a “proud husband moment 😊.” He wrote that Brahmani’s idea of leadership has always been about “building quietly, thinking long-term, and letting work speak louder than words,” adding that the honour was a “deserved recognition” at the Business Today awards.
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