Guneet Kaur Hayer - Chairperson & Managing Director
Eminence Business Media LLP
The Eminence Group is a multispecialty group comprising several verticals, namely Blu Eminence, Fancy and Classy Solutions and Eminence Business Media, each with a distinct focus. Blu Eminence specialises in real estate, housing, and home financing solutions in Mumbai and beyond.
The group’s third vertical, Fancy and Classy Solutions, provides end-to-end services for weddings, private and public celebratory events, corporate events and cultural programs.
This covers both B2B and B2C segments. Meanwhile, Eminence Business Media LLP, the group’s flagship vertical, focuses on delivering conferences, training sessions, seminars, expos, and exhibitions for the pharma and allied industries.
The Eminence Group is a vital link, connecting the right people and fostering a bridge between knowledge, skills, and business opportunities. The company’s core values reflect its commitment to providing effective and comprehensive solutions while maintaining transparency and clarity for all stakeholders.
With core values that centre around their clients, prioritising their perception and satisfaction above all else and delivering exceptional service, Eminence Group is on a mission to provide its patrons with current and valuable information while also prioritising high levels of employer branding and employee satisfaction.
It aims to provide professionals with a platform to share their expertise with the world and facilitate opportunities for self-improvement to stay ahead of the competition.
The Eminence Group owes its strong foundation to its three founding partners, each with diverse experiences across various sectors.
Guneet Kaur Hayer, one of the founding partners and the Chairperson and Managing Director of Eminence Business Media LLP, comes from a background in training across various industries.
After exploring different sectors, she noticed a significant need for training in the pharma industry. Despite being a crucial sector, conferences and training in pharma were often neglected and needed more innovation and exclusivity seen in other sectors.
Guneet and her partners saw an opportunity to bring something unique and out-of-the-box to the industry, while surviving abreast of the worldwide competition.
They wanted to introduce new ideas and innovations to enhance the overall experience of conferences and training in pharma, ultimately leading to the formation of the Eminence Group.
The group’s first venture, Eminence Business Media, was established in 2017 and now operates several thriving businesses under its umbrella. The Eminence family is constantly growing and expanding with a team of 50 well-connected and highly skilled members. While headquartered in Mumbai, the group offers solutions globally.
Taking a unique approach to conferences and training separates Eminence Business Media from the other players in the industry. Instead of simply organising events, they have a dedicated research and production team that works with potential delegates and attendees to identify their preferences and design programs that truly benefit them.
This personalised approach ensures, valuing the time of attendees who took hours or days out of their productive hours to attend the program and that attendees get the most out of their experience.
Guneet emphasises the importance of believing in the ideas and brands she represents and working with clients to position their brands in the best possible way. Rather than focusing solely on transactional values, Eminence Business Media prioritises helping clients grow and achieving mutual success.
The Eminence Group has built a reputation for delivering excellence over time, establishing itself as a brand that people trust. For Guneet, the synonymity of the logo of Eminence with high-quality service is the company’s most significant achievement.
In the nascent stage of the company, they had to prove themselves and gain the trust of their clients. However, as they continued delivering exceptional service, the company has become a symbol of reliability and excellence.
In addition, the company has received coverage, acknowledgements, and publications by pharma magazines and general newspapers, which is a testament to the company’s contributions to the industry.
However, Guneet believes that the most critical recognition is what their clients think about them. The company’s most significant achievement is that its clients trust them and have confidence in their ability to deliver high-quality service.
Reflecting on her experience as a woman in the business industry, Guneet notes that while it has generally been accepting, it has also presented challenges.
She believes that women often must prove themselves harder and put in more effort to achieve the same recognition as men. However, she has also found opportunities and encountered many empowering and encouraging people in the industry.
Emphasising the importance of focusing on the positive aspects of the industry and surrounding oneself with supportive and like-minded individuals, Guneet shares, “Everything has a positive and negative side.
Focusing only on the negative blocks us from meeting supportive and empowering people. Only by shifting our focus to those who believe in us can we start to see the positivity more clearly.”
As a woman in business, the journey for Guneet has not been easy, with several challenges she had to overcome. One of her most significant obstacles was battling cancer while working for an organisation. A fighter and a survivor, giving up was never on the cards for Guneet; she came out even stronger on the other side and continues to recover daily.
However, she felt that her employer did not fully understand her situation, including remarks suggesting that her illness was merely the first of many life events, including marriage and pregnancy, for which she would require extended leaves for.
Guneet noticed that male colleagues received support without questions for foreseeable incidents, but women were not afforded the same level of understanding, especially when dealing with chronic illnesses.
Guneet is dedicated to promoting gender equality and supporting women in her organisation. She recognises the unique challenges that women face and works to address them. For instance, Eminence has implemented a one-day leave policy for female employees who suffer from extreme menstrual pain.
Guneet shares, “We at Eminence believe in creating a more empathetic and supportive environment for women. The sad reality is it is not just male bosses who lacked understanding; even women leaders did not realise the extent of the pain some women experience.”
Guneet has also taken action to address the issue of gender pay inequality, as she has noticed that men and women in the same role are being paid different salaries under different payroll systems.
Committed to creating a more empathetic and supportive environment for women. she is working to ensure that all employees are treated fairly and equally at Eminence, regardless of gender.
Ravnish Juneja, Guneet Kaur Hayer and Suryansh C. Rana
The journey of founding Eminence and steering it to its current heights has not been challenging. Reflecting on a difficult decision they had to make, Guneet shares, “letting go of some of the employees who had been with us was tough. Although it was a mutual decision, it was not easy as we had worked together for a long time.”
Additionally, while they were just starting out with the company Guneet had to deal with her own personal struggles, with her chronic myeloid leukaemia relapsing and her business partner’s wife pregnant with twins and several other hurdles and challenges; they wanted to give their best at conferences and in the business, which required a significant financial investment.
They had to sacrifice their peace of mind and everything else to ensure the company’s survival, learning to be patient during this time. It was a challenging period for both Guneet and her business partners, as they did not have a fixed income and had to bear the extra expenses without relying too much on their families for support.
This experience made Guneet and his partner appreciate the value of their employees and strive to do their best for them.
Guneet Kaur Hayer describes her leadership style as one that encompasses everything she wished for in a leader when she was an employee.
She believes in setting strict schedules and not encouraging her team to work beyond their working hours; maintaining a personal and professional life balance is essential for herself and her team. In addition, Guneet also believes in leading by example and continuously developing herself so she can be on the same page as her team.
“I see my team as a family and treat them as such by involving them in every important aspect of my life. They are not just an organisation or a separate unit but individuals who are an integral part of my life, and I deeply care for and support them,” shares Guneet.
Guneet takes pride in her team, the company culture, and values. “People keep asking me the secret of how my team is always working hard, manages to have a lot of fun at the same time and yet stays so energetic all the time” Guneet shares, “all I can say is they are happy with us. We don’t have head counts; we have heart counts; and treat our people like every organisation should. We train them, listen to their ideas, believe in their creative suggestions, make them feel important; and while we work so hard always, we never miss out on any fun.”
Guneet approaches problem-solving and decision-making in her role by relying heavily on her intuition and listening to her heart. She strongly emphasises creating a positive work environment and ensuring that decisions align with her values and beliefs.
“While we conduct analysis and weigh the pros and cons of a situation, I ultimately trust my gut feeling when making important decisions, whether hiring people or determining the direction of the business,” adds Guneet.
Staying informed about industry developments and trends is the key to building a successful business. Guneet emphasises the importance of upskilling and shares that she likes to upskill herself to learn the job roles of the people she hires.
At Eminence, they also keep organising training sessions for personal and professional growth for their employees and much of those training is conducted by Guneet herself. Guneet shares,
“I cannot stress enough the value of being genuine in business and how it is essential to staying ahead of the competition. People today are smart and can easily detect when someone is faking or lying to them. Being honest and delivering quality work to clients is key to success.”
TEAM
Guneet’s approach to managing her workload in a fast-paced environment is time management and organisation. She mentions maintaining a highly organised schedule for the year by allocating specific times for meetings and tasks, whether 5 minutes or an hour, to ensure she makes the most of her time.
Guneet emphasises the importance of prioritising tasks based on their deadlines and breaking yearly goals into monthly, weekly, and daily tasks, helping her plan her schedule and decide what she needs to do each day.
This way, not just all her projects progress smoothly, but she also has time for her family and personal pursuits. A firm believer in going to bed early and waking up early in the morning, Guneet shares, “An early start to the day is key to effective time management.”
Guneet believes everyone has something to offer and that learning from others can help fill the gaps in one’s life. As someone who values spirituality, she finds inspiration from the unique perspectives and skill sets of others.
She sees every person as having the potential to be motivating and inspiring in their own way, and she continues to learn from them.
Advising young entrepreneurs, Guneet shares, “I believe that settling is the enemy of progress. Not settling doesn’t necessarily mean constantly job-hopping or being indecisive. Instead, it means not accepting a situation not aligned with your goals and values. If you find yourself in a job or business that doesn’t make you happy or fulfilled, don’t be afraid to make a change. Only settle for something suitable for you if it’s familiar or comfortable.
Another important thing is to focus on the people you work with rather than just the company or brand. Choose leaders, not companies or brands. The leaders and colleagues you surround yourself with can significantly impact your career trajectory and personal growth. Look for mentors and peers who inspire challenge, and support your aspirations. Building solid relationships with the right people can be even more important than the specific job or company you’re working for.”
With a vision to expand her organisation, Eminence Group, and add more value, Guneet plans to enter the hospitality and hotel industry and bring her team’s unique hospitality expertise to enhance guests’ experience.
She also aims to organise more prominent and better exhibitions that will revolutionise how people perceive Indian exhibitions. Her focus is on serving in every possible way and bringing more significance to the name of Eminence Group.
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