Nina Reddy

Is there an age limit to success? Are you only allowed a certain number of revolutions around the sun before you lock away your dreams in the attic? No! Take it from the wildly successful hotelier and entrepreneur Nina Reddy, who proudly refers to herself as a “late bloomer”. Married into Chennai’s illustrious Reddy family at the young age of 19, very few would have placed bets on her being the “best man for the job”, when it came to running the family business. Yet, today she stands as not just the Managing Director of Savera Hotels, one of Chennai’s most iconic hospitality groups, but also the founder of O2 Health Studio, the city’s first chain of luxury fitness centers.

“I had a traditional arranged marriage and never expected any of this to happen. The first part of my married life was spent raising my children, and my involvement with the business is something that happened gradually,” says Reddy. Inspired by her father-in-law, who would talk shop with her every evening, Reddy’s journey with Savera began much later, when her father-in-law became the sole owner of the hotel and enlisted her part-time help. “I had no idea about this industry, and my first role was to manage housekeeping. From then on it was an upward spiral.” She laughs as she recalls that time in her life, “My husband calls me the East India Company—I came in with one role, and then simply took over.”

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Talking about the challenges she faced, Reddy says, “It’s not easy to achieve anything when there isn’t a necessity to work and any external motivation. You have to keep the fire in you burning, because everyone else is busy putting limitations.” She came into the helm of affairs when the hotel suffered a major incident two decades ago, leading to her family wanting to lease out the hotel. “That’s when, as a woman, my emotional connection with Savera wouldn’t allow me to let go, and I decided to take this on full time.”

She managed to not just do that successfully but also turn her passion for exercising into a chain of fitness studios. However, much like any working mom, Reddy has been careful in balancing the personal and the professional. “My children come first, and the second they need me I’m there. Period,” says the self-proclaimed, “almost obsessive” mother. But like a skillful trapeze artist, she’s managed both wonderfully. How? “You just have to believe in your dreams, have the right intentions and back that up with hard work. and leave the rest to the universe. Trust me, it has a way of making things work.”