Navya Naveli Nanda, Amitabh Bachchan’s granddaughter, not only comes from an illustrious family on her maternal side but also belongs to a renowned business family on her father’s side. Her paternal family has made a significant mark in the agriculture equipment sector, and Navya has fully immersed herself in that legacy while maintaining a connection with the showbiz world.
Navya’s father, Nikhil Nanda, is the third-generation entrepreneur of the Nanda family and is currently the Chairman and Managing Director of Escorts Kubota Limited. In a recent interaction, Navya spoke about her decision to not join the film industry and instead focus on her paternal family business.
Speaking on Mojo Story, she explained, “I never wanted to restrict myself to one profession that I am an entrepreneur, and I will only do that. I love trying new things. I also feel I learn a lot when I dabble in different things from assembling tractor to walking the ramp in Paris for Loreal, I never wanted to be boxed into a category that this is what she is. I want to be able to do everything right now.”
For the unversed, Navya is the Cause Ambassador for the Loreal Paris and made her debut at their Paris Fashion Week as she walked the ramp for the brand in 2023. Her aunt and Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also walked the ramp and has been the brand’s ambassador for many years.
Speaking about how she grew up around tractors and why she decided early on to pursue the business, she shared, “I’ve grown up in Delhi, and I have grown up around tractors. I have assembled one on the shop floor from start to finish. I have grown up around it so that’s all I knew and all I saw as a kid. So for me it is still the coolest thing ever. I get so excited by tractors that my friends make fun of me. I really geek out on tractors.”
She added, “My father, bua, dada, dadi spoke about tractors with so much excitement that for me as a young girl, it was never in my mind that something young girls are not interested in. I want to carry on this great legacy forward in my own capacity. I trained in the factory for 3–3.5 years before even entering the corporate office and I think that’s how it should be starting from the scratch. I think one should start from scratch. I am still making my way up — have a long way to go. I am not at the helm of anything at present. It’s not just me but the work, effort and delegation of so many people that carried forward the vision of my great grandfather”. She added that her father has been the part of company since his early 20s, adding it’s not her birthright but something that needs to be earned.
According to The Economic Times, Navya is also a stakeholder in her paternal family’s business and holds a 0.02% stake in Escorts Kubota, valued at approximately Rs 7 crore. The company itself is valued at around Rs 40,000 crore. She is also currently pursuing a business degree at IIM Ahmedabad, and her role in the firm underscores her involvement in the next generation of leadership at the company.
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In an old conversation with Mashable, Navya had expressed her enthusiasm for contributing to the agriculture sector. “Farming, as an industry, is one of our largest. A very large percentage of our economy is run by agriculture, so I think it is very important for us to be in that sector. I am quite excited that I am able to work in this sector,” she shared.
