Sonal Bhavsar
From modelling and aviation to image consulting, Sonal Bhavsar built a career helping people strengthen their image, confidence and professional presence.
From modelling and aviation to image consulting, Sonal Bhavsar built a career helping people strengthen their image, confidence and professional presence.
Sonal Bhavsar’s interest in appearance and presentation began early, influenced by her mother’s emphasis on dressing well and being well-groomed. She pursued her ambition of becoming a model, participating in Femina Miss India, advertising campaigns, music videos and runway shows.
She later followed her second aspiration and joined Jet Airways as cabin crew, working in both domestic and international sectors. She also represented the airline at press conferences and travel shows.
After getting married and moving to Vadodara, Sonal left her flying career. She wanted to start her own finishing school but was still looking for a professional direction that would let her use her previous experience. Discovering image consulting offered a way to bring her interest in presentation and her service-industry experience together.
Sonal learnt about ICBI through an advertisement in The Times of India, which her father-in-law brought to her attention. After contacting the institute and attending a seminar, she decided to pursue the programme.
In her testimonial, Sonal describes the programme as an opportunity for introspection and personal development, as well as professional learning. She found that the process encouraged her to pay closer attention to her own presentation and to develop a stronger understanding of image management.
The programme helped her connect her experience in modelling and aviation with a broader professional discipline encompassing clothing, grooming, body language and etiquette. She went on to become a certified Image Consultant and Soft Skills Trainer.
After completing her ICBI training, Sonal began using her knowledge across personal consulting, corporate training and educational initiatives. The ability to apply image management in different settings helped her move from looking for a new professional direction to building a varied practice of her own.
As a certified Image Consultant and Soft Skills Trainer, Sonal developed a practice that spans personal styling, shopping, corporate training, guest speaking and image education. Her testimonial records more than 50 one-to-one consulting sessions and corporate training assignments for companies.
She also describes conducting image-management sessions for more than 1,000 students from urban and rural schools. Her work has included supporting people who want to make stronger first impressions, as well as helping young people understand how their image and expressions affect the way they present themselves.
One particularly meaningful experience involved a young professional and aspiring cricketer who sought help preparing to make a strong impression for IPL selection. Sonal recalls receiving a framed photograph and testimonial from him after their sessions as a memorable moment of appreciation.
Sonal Bhavsar is the Founder and Chief Image Consultant at Sonal Bhavsar Image Consulting in Vadodara. Her current profile identifies her as an appearance management expert, corporate trainer, grooming expert and image enhancement educator.
Her work includes individual and group image consulting, soft-skills training, fashion styling and personal branding coaching. She also offers training in communication, leadership, presentation, etiquette and professional development, with programmes tailored to different audiences, including students, corporate clients and aviation and hospitality professionals.
Alongside her consulting work, Sonal is involved in educational initiatives for children and girls and women from less privileged backgrounds. Her profile describes sessions on recognising good and bad touch, menstrual health and hygiene, and image enhancement education through collaboration with a Vadodara-based nonprofit organisation.
Sonal joins Suman Agarwal for an in-depth conversation about her journey, experiences and professional growth
In this short interview, Sonal answers a few questions about her experience with ICBI and her professional journey