[HS Conversations] Mother, wife and now entrepreneur: Meet Deepika Jindal of the Jindal Steel Family

When Deepika Jindal wanted to start something of her own, she knew she wasn’t going to be a typical entrepreneur. “I am a mother, had finished my so-called responsibilities and chores of raising the children, and I really wanted something that I wanted to call of my own,” explains Deepika in a conversation with HerStory. 

Having an artsy take on steel homeware and décor, Deepika is the Creative Director, and Managing Director of Jindal Stainless Lifestyle Limited (JSLL). A woman of many hats, she is also the chairperson and mentor of OP Jindal Modern School and Vidya Devi Jindal School, as well as the chairperson of the OP Jindal Cancer Hospital and NC Jindal Institute of Medical Care and Research.

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More importantly, she is the founder of Arttdinox, a brand that creates art out of stainless steel. The company has produced designs like the Aladdin Designs, Pink Bloom, Poppy Designs, and the Royal Lapiz Dinner Set. 

Married into the prominent Jindal family when she was 19 years old, Deepika says she never really thought of entrepreneurship or even the family business. “But I felt in my role as a mother and a wife, I still had the same love and passion for design and decoration that I always had. So, when the time came for me to get into something, it was with this field. And steel was the alloy we work with,” says Deepika. 

But she looked at the metal differently. Deepika felt that a designer had many options and means in front of them when it comes to creating art out of metal. 

However, the journey wasn’t easy. “Though I am from the Jindal family, it was clear that this was my business and I needed to deal with it. I made hiring mistakes. I hired the wrong CEO, and of course, vendors and people who assumed that I wasn’t good enough. What helped was having a design team. And starting with one client we slowly expanded,” she explains. 

Today, JSLL is a Rs 300 crore revenue company. While the business/sales were down during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns, they picked up later due to pent up demand. The company achieved approx 20 percent higher sales on the first QoQ basis

The essential DNA of the brand is its French-inspired name, signifying Art in Stainless Steel, striving to make luxury wonders in steel. Arc, on the other hand, was conceived for the home-spaces range under Arttd’inox, which comprises kitchens, vanity, and wardrobe solutions. 

Advising all women entrepreneurs, Deepika says, “There is nothing that a woman cannot achieve if she puts her mind to it. I have always believed women are natural multi-taskers; they just find the right team to support.”