After more than two decades at the heart of India’s media ecosystem, Chaiti Narula knows exactly what it means to hold influence. As a journalist and editor, she has reported across politics, business, luxury, and culture, lending her voice to some of the country’s most respected broadcast platforms including India Today TV, CNN, News18, CNBC, and ET Now. Yet today, she is writing a very different chapter, one rooted in independence, integrity, and intention.
“My journey has been one of evolution,” she says. “From two decades in hard editorial journalism to taking a leap of faith into entrepreneurship.” That leap led to the creation of French Press Global, a subscription based digital media platform that refuses advertising money altogether. For Chaiti, this decision was deeply personal. “It is an everyday hustle and an everyday struggle, but I have never been happier. Building my own company has proven to me that I can create something meaningful on my own terms.”
Her dissatisfaction with the growing overlap between journalism and marketing became the catalyst for change. “Everyone knows what inauthentic brand building looks like,” she explains. “What is missing is organic, long term brand architecture.” Through Maison French Press, her brand architecture and communications consultancy, she works closely with designers, jewellers, luxury resorts, wellness brands, and creative businesses to build credibility, equity, and financial viability. “Credibility, craft, and storytelling deserve to be protected and elevated,” she adds.
The past year has been especially defining. Launching French Press Global as an esoteric editorial platform with no advertising support stands out as her biggest professional win. “We fund it entirely through internal accruals via Maison French Press,” she says. “That allows us to protect editorial purity without external pressure. Building something independent, sustainable, and values led has been incredibly fulfilling.”
Leadership, for Chaiti, has also undergone a quiet transformation. “I stopped competing and started collaborating,” she says without hesitation. “Competition is for junior thinking. Leadership is about collaboration and empowerment.” She speaks proudly about backing her team and trusting young talent. “When my team succeeds, I succeed. Their wins are my wins.”
As 2026 approaches, her understanding of power feels grounded and purposeful. “Power means responsibility,” she reflects. “Responsibility to create meaningful change, to lead ethically, and to build systems that are fair, conscious, and future facing.” It is a philosophy that underpins everything she is building, from media to brand ecosystems.
Her bold intention for the year ahead is clear. “To launch French Press Global fully as a subscription based magazine with zero advertising money,” she says. “Advertising often kills good content, and I want to serve a thinking audience that values depth, nuance, and integrity.”
For women stepping into their next chapter, her advice is simple yet striking. “Do not compete. Collaborate,” she says. “Never dim someone else’s light and never measure your journey against another’s. When you empower others, you empower yourself.”
In an industry driven by visibility and speed, Chaiti Narula is choosing depth, ethics, and collaboration. And in doing so, she is redefining what power in media truly looks like.
