From e-commerce trenches to the fashion industry, Nisha Khatri, Chief Marketing Officer of Libas, has built a career defined by curiosity, grit, and authenticity. For her, leadership never came with a designation. “I started very young, at 23, and my first role was at a startup where being a brand manager meant doing everything, talking to tech partners, managing marketplaces, even building websites,” she said. “Leadership did not arrive with a title, it arrived with ownership.”
Her career quickly escalated when she joined Harper’s Bazaar Bride as a fashion producer, managing celebrity shoots across countries. “I was doing shoots with Aishwarya, Kareena, Hrithik, Alia, handling entire productions and entourages at such a young age. We even signed barter deals with tourism boards without formal authority. That experience taught me how to lead with influence and not just position,” she recalled.
But like most women leaders, Khatri encountered labels along the way. “I’ve been called too passionate, too aggressive, even too professional,” she admitted. “Instead of fighting those labels, I reframed them. If passion makes me ‘too much,’ then passion fuels innovation. If empathy makes me ‘too soft,’ then empathy is what builds strong, loyal teams. Leadership is not about proving you’re less of one thing or more of another, it’s about being whole.”
Her biggest challenge, she confessed, was walking into rooms where she was often the youngest and the least credentialed. “I did not have a fashion degree when I started in fashion, and I did not have a marketing degree when I moved into marketing. What I did have was an appetite to learn really fast and deliver even faster,” she said.
“I live by what my mentors taught me, say yes first, learn later. Expertise is not a certificate on a wall, it’s a muscle you build every day. Sometimes the best way to prepare for your job is simply by being at your job.”
On the question of balance and guilt, she acknowledged her perspective is shaped by her family. “I am single, I don’t have a husband or kids to go back to, so in many ways I speak from a privileged space,” she said. “But I’ve grown up watching my mother, she worked, raised three children, and still showed up for everything. What I learned from her is that peace does not come from chasing perfect balance, it comes from making clear choices. Guilt shows up when your values are not aligned with your calendar.”
She also set her own small rituals to keep balance in check. “After a certain hour, I put my phone on airplane mode. Whatever happens, it can wait till tomorrow. That is my way of zooming out with grace,” she shared.
When it comes to empowering women in the workplace, Khatri is clear that policies are not enough. “Flexible hours and safe travel are the foundation, not the finish line,” she said. “What truly empowers women is when they are treated as high-potential talent first and not just as a diversity metric. It’s when they are trusted with stretch assignments, included in critical decisions, and mentored for leadership.”
She added that building credibility often meant putting in double the effort. “Yes, there are times women are not taken seriously. I chose to stop being defensive and start being deliberate. If it meant preparing twice as much, I did it. Respect does not come from titles, it comes from being consistent, clear, and courageous. And if that requires hard work, why shy away from it?”
Much of her leadership philosophy has been shaped by mentors. “At Harper’s Bazaar Bride, Nupur Mehta Puri pushed me outside my comfort zone. At Besiva, Mala Alwani taught me calm strength, I never once heard her raise her voice. At Publicis, my manager was the only female CXO among eleven men, and watching her show up with discipline and balance every day taught me resilience. Each of them left a mark,” she said.
Looking back, Khatri admits she was often in a rush. “I would tell my younger self, it will all happen, you don’t need to race to the next thing,” she said with a smile. “Ambition is a gift, do not dim your light, but pace yourself. Careers are not just sprints, they are seasons of sprinting, reflecting, and recalibrating. And health matters as much as ambition, because you can’t win if you’re running on empty.”
For Khatri, her legacy is not about campaigns or titles. “If I have made it easier for another woman to show up as her whole self, then I’ve done my bit,” she concluded.
