Our Team
Shikha Puri
Founder & CEO
Teacupsfull founder, Shikha Puri is in an Advertising and Marketing professional with over 15 years experience of working in leading MNC ad agencies like JWT, Pickle LINTAS and Indian agencies. An expert in strategic brand thinking and management, media, market research and general management. She has extensive brand and communications experience across brands like NOKIA, Airtel, SpiceJet, Vardhman Knitting Yarn, Delhi Govt. She has also worked on communications for various development and social issues for UNICEF, WORLD BANK, NACO and many more. Shikha took a break from her career in advertising to look after her son and gave birth to another baby Teacupsfull. She is married in a tea family and decided to take the tea legacy forward by translating the family expertise. Shikha holds a PG Diploma in Business Management from Symbiosis Pune.
Narendra Kumar Puri
Co-founder & Tea Master
Mr. Puri joined the tea industry in 1966 in erstwhile Duncan Brothers and was posted in Lankapara Tea Estate, thereafter to Aibheel Tea Estate which merged into Goodricke Group Ltd. With a career spanning over 40 years in Tea, he was posted in prized tea estates like Thurbo, Badamtam, Barnesberg, Runglee Rungliot, Marybong, Leeshriver, Chulsa, Sankos, Danjuahjar and Aibheel. He retired as General Manager of Goodricke Group Ltd. While at service he had grown, harvested and manufactured the finest teas that commanded the highest prices in the auctions. He is a native of Darjeeling and currently resides in Gurgaon.
Gitesh Sasan
Tea Master
Mr. Sasan joined the tea industry in the North East of India in 1967. Initially with Mcleod Russel and later with Rydak Syndicate, he worked in tea plantations in North Bengal in the Dooars district (Jainti/Chuapara/Matelli-Moortee/Baradighi tea gardens), in the North Bank in Assam (Monabari/Halem/Gingia/Tezpore Gogra) and in the Cachar district (Serispore). Additionally, he served as Vice Chairman, The Surma Valley Branch of the Tea Association and as Technical Adviser to Tocklai Research Association for Tripura Plantations, in an advisory capacity. He retired as Senior Manager in 1991 and has over 25 years of experience in growing, harvesting, manufacturing, and selling of tea. He now resides in Gurgaon.
Jivan Pradhan
Tea Master
Mr Pradhan joined the tea industry with the erstwhile British owned Lebong Tea Company in 1965 and was posted at the Badamtam Tea Estate in Darjeeling, which eventually merged with Goodgricke Group Ltd in the UK. His first posting as Manager was in 1970 at the Kumargram Tea Estate in the Dooars. With a career spanning nearly 40 years in Tea, he retired as Deputy General Manager from Thurbo Tea Garden in Darjeeling. During his tenure he has managed various gardens in both the Dooars and Darjeeling including Barnesbeg, Marybong, Chulsa and Meenglas Tea Gardens. He is a native of Kalimpong sub-division of Darjeeling District and currently resides in his hometown.
Advisory Board
An illustrious board helps us take strategic decisions. They are our guiding force.
Avanish Mishra
Co-founder and Partner, TD Newton & Associates
Avanish has an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur with over 20+ years of cross-cultural managerial experience with corporations in Asia, Europe and North America, in start-up, turnaround and high growth settings. His previous organisational experience has included working in hotels (Taj Group and Oberoi), Logistics (DHL) Consulting (Hewitt & Syntel), Banking (Barclays) in Functional Head/Regional/Global roles, as well as running his own firm Rainbow Affiliates Inc which had a franchise for running a chain of Subway restaurants in Boston. His current work involves advisory services to start-ups and family owned enterprises on building organisational capability.
Nikhil Pradhan
Founder, North East Ventures
Nikhil Pradhan has over 14 years of corporate experience across consulting, business development and marketing. Having started his career in the dot com boom in the late 1990s, after getting his business degree he joined consulting and advised real estate developers on opportunities with the retail boom in early 2000. Nikhil went on to join Ernst & Young and spent a decade with the global professional services major. He delivered various strategic projects for the firm including setting up of their shared service practice for their global key accounts and leading business development for one of their five service verticals in India. Nikhil took a break from his corporate career in early 2016, and along with his wife, an ex advertising and marketing professional, started North East Ventures, to explore new opportunities back in their native region, the north east of India. Amongst their projects at present are a venture curating and promoting northeast art and artisans, an organic tea and coffee estate under development in Sikkim, and a boutique fine food and hospitality venture in Kalimpong.
Neha Saidha Mehta
Communications Consultant
Neha has over 14 years of experience in diverse functions across organizations. Her longest stint was with Reckitt Benckiser (RB). After spending a few years with their Global Headquarters in London, UK (part of the Global Media Team), she moved to Reckitt Benckiser, India and was an integral member of the Media Team handling Media, Digital and Corporate Communications. After completing 6 years at RB, she joined Genesis Burson Marsteller(GBM) in a different avatar as Head Recruitment (Talent). She left GBM in March 2014 as Head - Talent Management. She is currently a Communications Consultant, working on a few projects/clients alongside being a full-time mom to two adorable munchkins. She completed her Masters in Communications from MICA, Ahemdabad in 2002, with majors in Brand Marketing and Media Planning.