Megha Mittal is an Indian fashion executive and the former Chairperson and Managing Director of the German fashion luxury brand, Escada. She is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Wharton School.
Women should feel confident in themselves, and embrace their femininity. Fashion allows women to express themselves.” – Megha Mittal
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Megha Mittal was born on Saturday, 20 November 1976 (age 47 years; as of 2023) in Kolkata, India. Her zodiac sign is Scorpio. She completed her schooling at Hyderabad Public School. In 1997, Megha Mittal earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Finance at the Wharton School of Business, Philadelphia’s world’s oldest collegiate business school. In 2000, she gained a Postgraduate Degree in Architectural Interior Design at the Inchbald School of Design in London. [1]LinkedIn – Megha Mittal
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 5″
Weight (approx.): 50 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Megha’s father, Mahendra Kumar Patodia, is the CEO of GTN Industries Textiles Ltd. which manufactures cotton yarn in Hyderabad, India. Her mother, Anjana Patodia is a former Board Member of GTN Industries Textiles Ltd. [2]The Economic Times
Megha Mittal’s father, Mahendra Kumar Patodia
Megha Mittal’s mother, Anjana Patodia
Other Relatives
Megha is the daughter-in-law of the Indian billionaire businessman Lakshmi Mittal.
Megha Mittal’s father-in-law, Lakshmi Mittal
Husband & Children
In December 1998 [3]Business Today, Megha Mittal got married to Aditya Mittal, the CEO of ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel firm. [4]Market Screener The couple has two daughters. The couple has two daughters, one of them named Shanaya Mittal, and a son who was born to Aditya and Megha Mittal via surrogacy after two years of their marriage. [5]India Times In an interview, when asked how she met her husband, she said
Right on Locust Walk. We met through common friends. He was one year senior to me, so I was a freshman when he was a sophomore. We were friends at first, which developed into something deeper, and we got married soon after graduation.”
Megha Mittal and her husband, Aditya Mittal’s wedding picture
Megha Mittal with her husband, Aditya Mittal
Career
Banker
After graduating in 1997, she joined Goldman Sachs, an American multinational investment bank and served as an Analyst in the Research Department. In 1998, she resigned from Goldman Sachs. In an interview, she revealed the reason for resigning from her banking profession and said,
I found it a pretty natural decision. I enjoyed my time at Goldman, but I grew up in a very creative environment. My mom is quite artistic, and I grew up around a lot of textiles and craftsmen, and I guess that stayed with me. I always loved fashion. I felt like I was drawn to a career where you can also be more instinctive.”
Fashion Designer
Megha Mittal was inspired by her mother’s sense of fashion and style in her childhood. On 5 November 2009, Megha Mittal won Escada, the German fashion luxury brand in the bidding by beating Sean Ley, the son of Escada’s founder. [6]The Cut She bought Escada for $85 million [7]Forbes India and re-established the company into a modern luxury lifestyle brand. She made several changes to the brand before 2014. She renovated the majority of Escade’s store portfolios and launched e-commerce. She extended the product portfolio from clothes to watches, jewellery, and home furnishings. In April 2014, Megha Mittal opened a new flagship store of her brand in Hong Kong, China. In an interview, when asked how her brand, Escada, reflects her life, she said,
I looked at a lot of brands at that time, and Escada really intrigued me. Escada is a really iconic brand, and it was a leading brand of the late ’80s and ’90s, but it needed rejuvenation, and I saw a lot of potential. It has a great history and a great story. Even now, if I’m at a party, people come up to me and tell me that they got married in Escada or they just wore Escada to their daughter’s wedding. I’m a working woman, and I’m a mom. So I see the world through the eyes of our customer because I’m also the customer. I wear the brand day in and day out; I live in the brand.” [8]Wharton Magazine
Charity Involvements
Megha Mittal along with her husband, Aditya Mittal, donates money to child health-related charities in India and the UK every year. Megha Mittal and her husband, Aditya Mittal are big supporters of the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. In 2008, the couple donated £15m to the hospital. [9]The Standard On 17 January 2018, they opened the Mittal Children’s Medical Centre at the Great Ormond Street Hospital to alleviate their services for child malnutrition.
Facts/Trivia
- Being in the fashion industry, Megha likes to read several fashion magazines like Vogue, Harper’s, and Mr porter. Megha is also a good classical Bharatnatyam dancer. [10]The Economic Times
- She is very fond of British designer, Peter Pilloto and his work. She appreciates the work of Maiyet, a brand that makes unique handcrafted pieces through trained craftsmen in Asia, Africa and South America.
- In an interview, when asked about her preference in fabric and texture, Megha Mittal said
Having grown up in India I have a natural preference towards sumptuous fabrics and intricate embroideries. I am also quite daring with colour. I prefer simple classic silhouettes.”
References
