House of Experts Ep14: Vibha Kagzi in Conversation with Chhaya Momaya

We are ReachIvy.com, a premium study abroad and career consultancy headed by our CEO Vibha Kagzi. House of Experts is a show that ReachIvy.com kick-started to help those who are confused about their career choices. We hope that through these sessions with some very successful people, we can shed light on a new career path every week. House of Experts plans to make a collection of interactive sessions with experts from various domains.

Vibha Kagzi, the host, is the Founder and CEO of ReachIvy.com, a premium study abroad and career consultancy organization. Vibha, a Harvard alumna, is a successful entrepreneur herself and believes in helping others chalk out their future careers. In Episode 14 of House of Experts, we were fortunate to host Chhaya Momaya, celebrity Grooming and Image Consultant.

Some excerpts from the interview:

1) Tell us about your childhood, your early influences. 
I was brought up in Rangoon as my family owned some shipping yards and rice mills there. We have always had connections with diplomats, politicians and important people. We come from an industrious community, but I was trained since childhood how to interact with important people. That’s how my grooming automatically began. My mother was a very stylish lady and used to communicate really well through her body language. I studied in Mumbai and when I was sent to boarding school, I met a lot of people from the royal family. I majored in psychology. I’ve always been a ‘people’s person’, though I was not really a social person. I’ve always loved dressing up and looking good.

2) How did it lead to a profession in this field?
I always wanted to do something on my own. When my mother suggested that we make our own face-packs, I jumped at the idea. I had a client list of around 600 people in my second year of college! I used to interact with people to understand their skin type and their requirements. One of my clients’ mother asked me to help groom her, and that’s when the idea came to me. My network increased through her, and that’s how I started in this profession.

3) How do start strategizing when you are approached by a brand? 
A lot of people think that organizing a social event for a brand is like a party. When you’re inviting important people, you has to keep in mind that all those people are well educated and well-travelled. A lot of planning goes into it, and I make sure every detail is taken care of.  I feel that the product of the brand is my hero, and everything else revolves around it. The focus has to be on the product. For me, every person at the event is important, and I make sure everything is curated perfectly for every guest. Every person has an importance attached to them. Why not highlight it?

4) What is your advice to someone who wants to take this up as a career path?
Firstly, it’s very important to understand people and various aspects of humanity. You need to know their background, their lifestyle. Personality is shaped by instilling knowledge into a person. It needs to be a one-to-one conversation, in order to develop connections with people. It’s important to practice what you preach.

5) Please share some tips on grooming that we can implement in daily life. Also, what is the impact that grooming has on people. 
People often thinks it’s about makeup and hair, but I think it’s about language. Whatever you speak needs to be spoken well and correctly. Working on voice modulation is very important. Bring forth your culture and bring it out in your language. Educate yourself at every given time. Start absorbing from all the people you meet. Also, each person can make “an entry”. Sometimes, people think they aren’t tall or stylish enough, but every single person is different. If everyone had to look the same, how boring it would be! Bring out your unique personality. Understand, communicate and learn with people. A well-groomed person is always welcome.

Lastly, I would like to say- Never lie. There are always ways of saying things without lying. You shatter your entire image when you lie and get caught for it. It’s really important to have authentic conversations with people. To watch the full conversation, click here.

If you need further guidance for your career, reach out to us!