Sobana Krishnan has bagged Women Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Sobana Krishnan has bagged Women Entrepreneur of the Year Award

• September 07, 2026

WOMEN ICON POWERED BY TIMES WOMEN

PORTFOLIO

SOBANA KRISHNAN

Founder & Director | Narayana Tea Stall, Malaysia

Entrepreneurship • Resilience • Leadership • Growth

“Success is built by having the courage to begin, the strength to endure, and the determination to keep moving forward.”

Portfolio for Online News Release • 2026

PROFILE OVERVIEW

ROLE: Founder & Director, Narayana Tea Stall

INDUSTRY: Food & Beverage / Hospitality

ESTABLISHED: First outlet in 2016; second outlet in December 2020

LOCATIONS: Seremban 2 and Bandar Sri Sendayan, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

A JOURNEY BUILT ON COURAGE AND PURPOSE

Sobana Krishnan is a Malaysian woman entrepreneur and the Founder and Director of Narayana Tea Stall, a home-grown food and beverage brand that has grown through determination, hands-on leadership and an unwavering belief in its potential. Her journey is a story of transformation - from the aviation industry to entrepreneurship - and of a woman who chose to keep building even when circumstances became difficult.

For Sobana, Narayana Tea Stall is more than a business. It represents independence, responsibility, resilience and the courage to create an identity of her own. Over the years, she has personally managed the business from A to Z, carrying responsibility for operations, staffing, purchasing, customer service, marketing, administration, finances and the day-to-day decisions required to keep the brand moving forward.

EDUCATION AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

After completing her primary and secondary education, Sobana pursued further studies at the London Teacher Training College (LTTC), where she studied Teaching English as a Second Language for approximately one year and three months. This experience strengthened her communication, presentation and interpersonal skills - qualities that later became valuable throughout her aviation and business careers.

She also pursued professional training in the beauty and personal grooming field. In 2012, she completed Diploma programmes at Estée Clair Academy in Bangalore, including Complete Beauty Rituals and Foundation Makeup and Bridal Makeup. These studies added another dimension to her personal development, building confidence, attention to detail and an appreciation for presentation and professional standards.

TEN YEARS IN AVIATION

Before entering entrepreneurship, Sobana served as a cabin crew member with AirAsia for approximately ten years. The aviation environment trained her to remain calm under pressure, communicate confidently, work with people from diverse backgrounds and maintain high standards of service and discipline. It also taught her that consistency, teamwork and customer experience are essential in any successful organisation.

After her marriage to Captain Ravindran Sangaran, a commercial airline pilot, Sobana and her husband discussed the possibility of building a business of their own. While Captain Ravindran continued his professional flying career, Sobana eventually took responsibility for turning that shared idea into a working enterprise.

THE BIRTH OF NARAYANA TEA STALL

In 2016, Sobana founded the first Narayana Tea Stall outlet in Seremban 2. Moving from aviation into food and beverage meant entering a completely different world. She had to learn the realities of restaurant operations from the ground up - from menu planning, procurement and staffing to cash flow, service standards, customer expectations and business administration.

Rather than treating her lack of prior restaurant experience as a limitation, she approached it as a learning journey. She became deeply involved in every part of the business and gradually developed the operational knowledge needed to manage and grow the brand. Her leadership style became practical and hands-on: understand the problem, find a solution, improve the system and continue moving forward.

EXPANSION - FOLLOWED BY AN UNEXPECTED CRISIS

After years of building the first outlet, Narayana Tea Stall expanded with a second branch in Bandar Sri Sendayan in December 2020. The expansion was an important milestone and represented confidence in the future of the brand.

However, only a short period after the new outlet opened, renewed COVID-19 restrictions created an unprecedented challenge for the food and beverage industry.

Both Narayana Tea Stall outlets were forced to suspend normal operations during the pandemic period. The timing was especially difficult because the second branch had only just begun its journey. Like many restaurant owners, Sobana faced uncertainty, financial pressure and the fear that years of hard work could disappear. Across the industry, many businesses closed permanently.

Sobana, however, made a decision not to give up. Recovery did not happen immediately. After the restrictions eased, it took time to rebuild customer confidence, stabilise operations and regain momentum. She continued to work through the difficulties, adjusting the business, rebuilding step by step and carrying the responsibility of keeping both outlets alive. The experience became one of the defining chapters of her entrepreneurial journey and strengthened her belief that resilience is one of the greatest qualities a business owner can possess.

LEADERSHIP AND THE NARAYANA IDENTITY

Today, Narayana Tea Stall continues to operate in Seremban 2 and Bandar Sri Sendayan, serving South Indian-inspired food and beverages with a focus on quality, familiarity and warm hospitality. Under Sobana's leadership, the brand has grown not through a distant management style, but through her direct involvement in the details that shape the customer experience.

She believes that entrepreneurship is not simply about owning a company. It is about accepting responsibility when things go wrong, making difficult decisions when there is uncertainty, learning continuously and staying committed to the people who depend on the business. Her journey has strengthened her ability to lead, adapt and remain focused on long-term goals.

RECOGNITION AND ACHIEVEMENTS

In 2026, Sobana's entrepreneurial journey began receiving wider recognition. Her first notable award of the year was the Ilakkiya Nadigar S. S. Rajendran Sadhanaiyalar Viruthu (Achiever Award), presented by New World Media in May 2026. The recognition acknowledged achievement, perseverance and contribution through her professional journey.

She was subsequently honoured at the IMAYAM International Awards 2026 with the Best in Food Industry - Woman Entrepreneur Award. This recognition was especially meaningful because it celebrated the industry in which she had built her business through years of hands-on effort, including the difficult period of the pandemic and the recovery that followed.

Her selection for the Women Entrepreneur of the Year Award under Women Icon Powered by Times Women marks another significant milestone. To Sobana, this recognition is not simply a title. It represents the years of learning, sacrifice, uncertainty, rebuilding and persistence behind the public success of Narayana Tea Stall.

WHAT THIS WOMEN ICON RECOGNITION MEANS

Being recognised by Women Icon Powered by Times Women is deeply meaningful to Sobana because it places her journey among the stories of women who have created progress through courage and hard work. She sees the recognition as an encouragement to continue growing, but also as a responsibility to use her experience to inspire others.

She hopes that women who may be afraid to begin, restart or change direction can see that success does not require a perfect journey. Her own path moved from education, to professional beauty training, to a decade in aviation, and finally into the demanding world of entrepreneurship. Every stage contributed something important to the woman and leader she became.

VISION: TAKING NARAYANA BEYOND MALAYSIA

Sobana's ambition is not to stop with two outlets. Her long-term vision is to strengthen Narayana Tea Stall as a brand and eventually take it to the international market. She wants the name Narayana to represent authentic flavour, reliable quality and heartfelt hospitality while growing beyond its current geographical boundaries.

For her, international expansion is more than a commercial objective. It is the next chapter of a journey that began with one outlet and survived one of the most difficult periods the hospitality industry has faced. She believes that the same qualities that helped Narayana survive - perseverance, adaptability, discipline and belief - can also help it grow.

A MESSAGE TO WOMEN

Sobana believes that a woman should never allow fear, age, circumstances or setbacks to decide the size of her dreams. She encourages women to build confidence through action, to keep learning and to create their own opportunities. Her message is simple: begin with what you have, learn from every challenge and never allow one difficult chapter to become the end of your story.

“My journey has taught me that setbacks can delay a dream, but they do not have to destroy it. I want Narayana Tea Stall to grow beyond Malaysia, and I want my story to remind other women that with courage, discipline and determination, they too can build something meaningful.”

SOBANA KRISHNAN

Founder & Director • Narayana Tea Stall • Malaysia