Janhvi Shah

Meet Janhvi, an entrepreneur whose journey blends heritage, ambition, and global vision. As the Founder of Heiland, she is transforming generations of family knowledge into a contemporary wellness brand rooted in natural healing.

A Herts experience that sparked a vision

Janhvi’s entrepreneurial aspirations began to take shape during her MSc in International Business at Herts. She has been recognised in the 2025 Forbes DGEMS 200 list, which highlights high-growth Indian companies poised for global expansion.

Janhvi describes her time at Herts as giving her ‘the confidence to think globally and build a venture that could scale beyond India.’ The academic foundations I gained still underpin my work today. ‘Each module, from international marketing to business strategy and innovation, proved extremely useful, especially in the early stages of building my brand, and I still draw upon the frameworks and thinking I learned at Herts.’

Janhvi also says that ‘Beyond the classroom, the multicultural environment of Hertfordshire Business School strengthened my leadership skills. I credit Herts with helping me develop ‘strong communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills, which are essential in running an international business.’

Memories that shaped her student life

For Janhvi, some of the most defining memories came from the everyday moments. ‘I stayed in Kimpton halls, and our flat kitchen became the centre of our student life. We cooked together, exchanged different cuisines every day, and often ended up having an international food fest right in our flat.’ Late-night study sessions at the LRC were also memorable; she recalls ‘working on assignments and motivating each other. Our team projects were full of fun and taught me the value of collaboration.’

These experiences helped shape the confidence and sense of community that would support her future ambitions. ‘Even after completing my course, I remained connected to the Herts team, which continued to provide guidance and support related to business knowledge and entrepreneurial advice. This ongoing support helped me gain confidence and practical insights as I started building my own venture. Knowing that I could reach out to experienced advisors at Herts gave me reassurance and encouragement to pursue my aspirations at a global level.’

Building a legacy grounded in heritage

Today, Janhvi is building Heiland into ‘a global, legacy brand, one that carries the essence of Chhattisgarh and the heritage of India to the world.’ Heiland is powered by ‘over 50 years of family expertise in herbs and natural healing,’ and Janhvi now leads ‘product innovation, international expansion, and brand strategy.’ The brand offers herbal teas, natural supplements, and beauty products designed to bring traditional Indian wisdom to an international audience.

Alongside this, Janhvi oversees operations at Oceanic Herbs, her family’s long-established organisation supplying raw herbal materials to major brands such as Himalaya, Emami, and Baidyanath. Her work across both businesses reflects a blend of legacy, innovation, and global ambition.

Her advice for future entrepreneurs

As a mentor for aspiring entrepreneurs, her guidance is clear: ‘Say yes to as many real-world opportunities as you can, projects, competitions, enterprise schemes, internships, hackathons, because those are the experiences that build your story and your confidence far more than grades alone. Use university as a safe place to experiment, fail fast, and learn what genuinely energises you, rather than trying to follow a perfect, linear plan.

Build relationships with lecturers, enterprise staff, and fellow students; your network and reputation will open doors. Finally, learn to work with AI and technology early, not as a shortcut, but as a set of tools you can master ethically and creatively, because whatever your field, the ability to combine human judgement with smart tech will be one of the most valuable skills you can have.’