Behind the pioneer in the Indonesian cosmetics industry for the halal market with the Wardah brand is Nurhayati Subakat. Through Paragon Technology and Innovation, founder Nurhayati is now conquering other consumer markets with Make Over, Emina and Kahf brands. Before launching Wardah in 1995, the pharmacist-trained businesswoman had produced the shampoo brand Putri, which she marketed from door to door. After her small factory burned down, Nurhayati decided to go into the growing yet untapped Muslim market. Between 1997-1998, Nurhayati's hard work paid off as the Paragon factory received Halal certification from LPPOM UI and earned an award from the World Halal Council. Her company also won an award at the prestigious 2019 ASEAN Business Award (ABA) in the Women Entrepreneur category. Nurhayati often gives back to society through Paragon's four CSR and scholarship programmes. She was among the first businesspeople to donate for Covid-19 relief efforts and held the virtual Paragon Innovation Summit and Awards 2.0 to support and inspire youth to be creative.