Sheetal Agashe

Sheetal Dnyaneshwar Agashe (IAST: Śītala Jñāneśvara Āgāśe; born 17 May 1977) is an Indian businesswoman and former actress, who has served as managing director of Brihans Natural Products since 2013, for which she has received various accolades, including a Times Visionary Award, a Femina Pune's Most Powerful Award, and two Times Women of the Year Awards. A former actress, she had a recurring role from 1999 to 2003 on the sitcom Yes Boss (1999–2009), and a leading role in the independent film Minus One (2005).

Early life and family: 1977–2005
Agashe was born on 17 May 1977 in Pune, Maharashtra, into an aristocratic and entrepreneurial Chitpavan brahmin family of industrialist Dnyaneshwar Agashe of the Agashe gharana of Mangdari, and wife Rekha Gogte, of the Gogte gharana of Belgaum.

Through her father, Agashe is a granddaughter of Chandrashekhar Agashe, a niece of Panditrao Agashe and Shakuntala Karandikar, a younger sister of Mandar and Ashutosh Agashe, of distant relation to Third Anglo-Maratha War general Bapu Gokhale, musician Ashutosh Phatak, historian Dinkar G. Kelkar, and scientist P. K. Kelkar. Through her mother, she is a great-niece of B. M. Gogte, a first cousin to poet Rashmi Parekh, a descendant of the aristocratic Latey (Bhagwat) family, and of relation to Kokuyo Camlin head Dilip Dandekar, and academic Jyoti Gogte.

Agashe grew up in Pune, where she attended Vidya Bhavan school. She then attended the Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce where she acquired a B.Com degree, and was educated further at the University of Pune where she acquired an MBA in marketing and advertising.

Career in entertainment: 1999–2005
Agashe initially began her career as a television and film actress in Bollywood. Between 1999 and 2003, she had a recurring role on the SAB TV sitcom Yes Boss, alongside Aasif Sheikh, Rakesh Bedi, Kavita Kapoor, and Delnaaz Irani. Her eponymous character was the personal assistant to Sheikh's character. In January 2000, she self-published a collection of Hindi poetry titled तुम्हारे लिये (lit. 'For You'), under the mononym Sheital. In April 2002, she contributed an essay titled Father's Daughter to her father's festschrift.

In April 2005, she starred in a leading role alongside Archana Puran Singh and Seema Biswas in the English language independent film Minus One (2005), directed by Renny Mascarenhas. She subsequently left acting, stating that it was her father who encouraged her to transition from acting into business. She then began aiding her father and brothers in the family group of companies.

Career in business: 2005–present
In 2005, Agashe joined Brihans Natural Products Limited, an Ayurvedic skincare products manufacturing company founded by her brother Mandar Agashe in 2000, as their chief executive officer. She had previously been appointed director at her father's investment firm in 1999. In January 2013, she was appointed as the managing director for Brihans Natural Products, becoming the first woman in her family to head a business under their group of companies.

By May 2014, Agashe had limited the range of products being manufactured by the company, choosing to focus on Aloe vera as the prime ingredient in its products. In September 2015, she was an award presenter at the Shraavan Queen beauty pageant held in Mumbai and hosted by the Maharashtra Times. By 2016, she began restructuring the company's range under a single umbrella brand.

In April 2018, The Times of India awarded Agashe with a Times Visionary Award from their Pune chapter. The award was presented to her by Abhay Deol. In June 2018, she was the recipient of a Pune's Most Powerful Award from Femina, being presented the award by Huma Qureshi. In October 2018, she was an award presenter alongside Amyra Dastur for the Mrs. Stylista beauty pageant hosted by the magazine. In December 2018, she was the recipient of a business leadership award by the business research firm White Page India.

By 2019, Agashe had shifted Brihans Natural Products's production to locally sourcing the Aloe vera, Indian gooseberry, and hibiscus used in their products from Indian farmers in drought-prone districts such as Solapur in Maharashtra. She has also leveraged her Bollywood background to secure celebrity endorsements and film sponsorships for the company's brands. In April of that same year, she was the subject of an episode on Marathi businesswomen for Sakal Money. Later that same month, she was the recipient of a Times Women of the Year Award from The Times of India, being presented the award by Kiara Advani. In December that same year, she and Diana Penty presented the Filmfare Award for Woman of Style & Substance to Dia Mirza at the 6th Filmfare Glamour and Style Awards. In January 2021, The Times of India praised Agashe's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in India, awarding her with a second Times Women of the Year Award that same month. The award was presented to her by Anupam Kher. In August 2021, she was one of the women in business featured on the cover of Femina's Independence Day issue of their Pune edition.

In May 2022, Agashe featured on the cover of Femina's Pune issue for their cover story on women in the healthcare industry. In August 2022, at the 67th Filmfare Awards, she and Dia Mirza presented the Filmfare Award for Best Story to Abhishek Kapoor, Supratik Sen and Tushar Paranjape, the writers of Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021).

In June 2023, Agashe alongside Jonita Gandhi and Shilpa Rao presented the Grazia Millennial Award for Breakthrough Performer of the Year to Sanya Malhotra.