Harrods, Selfridges, then home: how a schoolgirl's career took a U-turn into family business

What does it take to turn a modest pen business into a lasting family legacy and what happens when the next generation has to write its own chapter? In this candid conversation, Pooja Jain Gupta opens up about her father’s journey from assembling pens in Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar with just ₹5,000 to building a business that shaped her own life. She recalls a defining trip to Japan at 17, selling pens at Harrods and Selfridges, working on Parker advertisements featuring Amitabh Bachchan, and the unexpected experiences that prepared her to take the lead in the family business. From navigating family expectations and finding her place as a successor to reflecting on her father’s death and the void he left behind, Pooja shares the personal stories behind a professional journey shaped by ambition, resilience and responsibility.