Malavika Menon’s Vision For India’s Consumer Growth Story

Growing up across five cities in India, Malavika Menon carried with her an early lesson in adaptability. Each move meant new schools, new friendships, and new ways of seeing the world. “That early exposure to diversity sparked my fascination with how people and systems connect,” she reflects. It was this curiosity about connections between people, ideas, and opportunities that later defined her professional journey.

After her stint in supply chain at Cisco, Malavika took an intellectual detour to the Young India Fellowship (YIF) at Ashoka University. “The friendships I built in Sonipat remain some of the most important in my life and continue to anchor me today from across continents,” she shares. But it wasn’t just the people who shaped the experience. The classroom did too. Coming from a STEM background, the interdisciplinary coursework at YIF stretched her in new directions.

“Critical writing honed my analytical clarity, while courses in film, philosophy, and history opened new ways of thinking,” she recalls. “YIF gave me the ability to view problems through multiple lenses and the skills that have anchored the professional challenges I’ve faced since.”

After YIF, Malavika began her career at Alvarez & Marsal, sharpening her management consulting expertise. But it was at Invest India, the country’s national investment promotion agency, that she found herself at the intersection of strategy and impact.

She led projects across apparel, beauty, and furniture retail, working closely with both multinational retailers and Indian businesses. “My work ranged from advising global retailers on market entry to enabling policy dialogues and investment flows that shaped India’s consumer landscape,” she explains. “These roles allowed me to bridge strategy with execution, creating tangible impact for both multinational brands and emerging Indian businesses’’

Seeking to further her global exposure and formalise her business education, Malavika has started her MBA at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. “I chose to pursue an MBA for global exposure and to formally study business. At Kellogg, I am learning from global business models and from experts across functions, with the goal of translating these insights into scalable ventures back home,” she shares.

Malavika aspires to be an entrepreneur who builds platforms that unlock the potential of Indian consumer brands. “I believe India’s next growth story lies in elevating local brands to global quality and reach. I want to be at the forefront of that journey,” she shares.

Malavika Menon is a retail and consumer goods specialist with expertise in supply chain management. A graduate of RV College of Engineering, Bangalore, she is an alumna of the Young India Fellowship, Class of 2022.

Written and Edited by Shahambare.T, Young India Fellowship