Bengaluru: Maliha Bano, a multidisciplinary creative entrepreneur and the Founder and Creative Head of The Blue Chef, has been nominated for the Bharat Shreshtha Ratna Sanman (BSRS) at the India Republic Times – Leadership Conclave Mumbai 2026.
Maliha’s professional journey brings together several creative fields, including fashion, hospitality, interiors, jewellery, décor, food styling, beauty, personality development and personal makeovers. Her work reflects an approach in which different creative disciplines come together to create distinctive experiences for people.
At the centre of her entrepreneurial journey is The Blue Chef, a boutique hospitality concept based in Bengaluru. The brand follows the philosophy, “Where Fashion, Food and Flair Come Together in Style.” Its concept brings together boutique hospitality, private dining, date nights, curated celebrations, food styling, ambience and personalised experiences.
For Maliha, The Blue Chef is more than a hospitality venture. It represents her broader creative vision of combining food, fashion, design and lifestyle into a single experience. Her multidisciplinary background has allowed her to approach hospitality from a creative perspective, with attention to presentation, atmosphere and personalisation.
Her journey as an entrepreneur has also received media and magazine attention. Her work has been featured across platforms including India Times Now, The Entrepreneurs of India, The Ideal Entrepreneur, OG India Magazine and Entrepreneur’s Luxury Magazine. Her appearance on the cover of OG India Magazine adds to the media visibility surrounding her creative and entrepreneurial work.
Maliha’s professional interests extend beyond hospitality. She has expertise in fashion designing, interior designing, jewellery designing, décor, food styling, makeup artistry, personality development and personal makeovers. These varied areas form an important part of her identity as a creative entrepreneur and influence the way she approaches her businesses.
Her future plans include developing Maliha Fashions as a dedicated fashion and lifestyle brand. The proposed venture is intended to bring together her experience in fashion designing, styling and creative direction under a distinctive brand identity.
Another part of her larger vision is Maliha Collective, a proposed collaborative platform for women entrepreneurs. The idea is to create a space where like-minded women can connect, collaborate, share their expertise and support each other’s growth.
The vision behind Maliha Collective reflects Maliha’s interest in collaboration and community within entrepreneurship. Rather than viewing creativity as an individual pursuit alone, the platform is envisioned as an ecosystem where women can exchange ideas, build professional connections and grow together.
Her journey has therefore developed across multiple areas, with hospitality, fashion, lifestyle and creative entrepreneurship forming interconnected parts of her professional identity. Through The Blue Chef, she has created a platform that combines her interest in food, design and personalised experiences, while her future ventures aim to take her creative vision into fashion and collaborative entrepreneurship.
The Bharat Shreshtha Ratna Sanman nomination at the India Republic Times – Leadership Conclave Mumbai 2026 brings attention to Maliha Bano’s evolving journey as a creative entrepreneur. Her profile represents the growing connection between entrepreneurship, lifestyle, hospitality and creative expression.
As she continues to develop The Blue Chef and explore the future possibilities of Maliha Fashions and Maliha Collective, Maliha’s focus remains on creativity, purposeful work and meaningful connections.
Her message to aspiring entrepreneurs and creative professionals is centred on believing in one’s vision, staying true to creativity and having the courage to create an individual path. For Maliha, passion becomes meaningful when it develops into purpose and creates opportunities to inspire others.
The BSRS nomination places her multidisciplinary journey in the spotlight as she continues to build her presence across hospitality, fashion, lifestyle and creative entrepreneurship.
