Andrea Cyrill Khurana on Building India’s Professional Grooming Ecosystem
Exclusive Interview by Abhinav Sonkar
Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Brushes, Hairs & Fibres
Founder of Petsburgh and PPGAI shares her vision for raising professional standards through education, certification and international collaboration.
Few individuals have contributed as significantly to the advancement of professional pet grooming in India as Andrea Cyrill Khurana.
An International Certified Master Groomer (ICMG), Andrea is the Founder of Petsburgh, one of India’s pioneering professional pet grooming companies, Founder and Principal of Petsburgh International Grooming Academy, and Founder & President of the Professional Pet Groomers Association of India (PPGAI). Through these initiatives, she has worked to elevate grooming from a service-based occupation into a recognised profession built on education, certification, ethics and continuous skill development.
Her efforts have also helped create platforms that connect Indian groomers with internationally recognised judges, educators and industry experts, giving them greater exposure to global grooming standards.
Ahead of PPGAI’s 7th International Grooming Competition & Certification Exam, taking place alongside the India International Pet Trade Fair (IIPTF) 2026, Brushes, Hairs & Fibres spoke exclusively with Andrea Cyrill Khurana about the evolution of India’s professional grooming industry, the importance of international collaboration, the role of quality grooming equipment and her vision for the future.
About Andrea Cyrill Khurana
Andrea Cyrill Khurana is an International Certified Master Groomer (ICMG), entrepreneur and educator who has dedicated more than a decade to advancing professional pet grooming in India.
She founded Petsburgh in 2008, establishing one of India’s earliest specialised grooming businesses. Through Petsburgh International Grooming Academy, she has trained aspiring groomers while promoting internationally recognised grooming standards.
In 2019, she established the Professional Pet Groomers Association of India (PPGAI) to encourage ethical practices, professional certification and industry-wide skill development. PPGAI’s International Grooming Competition & Certification Exam has since become one of India’s leading grooming events.
She is also developing PUPP, a credit-based educational institution dedicated to pet care professionals.
Interview
Brushes, Hairs & Fibres
PPGAI has played an important role in the growth of professional pet grooming in India. What inspired you to establish the association, and what vision continues to guide it today?
Andrea Cyrill Khurana
I founded PPGAI in 2019 to address a clear gap: Indian groomers had real skill but no shared standard, no certifying body, no professional community holding the trade to a serious standard. Grooming was still seen as a side job, not a profession. PPGAI was built to change that — not as a regulatory authority with legal power to stop anyone from working, but as a support system: guiding groomers, educating them, and standardising the vocation through certification and community trust rather than enforcement. What accountability we do have is real, though — our members are held to a code of ethics covering continuing education, safety, respect, integrity, and animal welfare, and we remove those who don’t meet it. That standard, backed by the trust of pet parents and the community, is what gives PPGAI its authority — not a legal mandate, but earned credibility. Seven editions of our International Grooming Competition & Certification Exam later, that approach has paid off. PPGAI has earned real recognition on the world stage — our presence at events like the World Dog Show and Groomania has shown the industry that India now has a voice. PPGAI isn’t just an association anymore; it’s the backbone of how professional grooming is being defined in this country, with a growing seat at the global table.
Brushes, Hairs & Fibres
Professional grooming in India has evolved significantly over the past few years. What have been the biggest milestones, and where do you see the industry heading next?
Andrea Cyrill Khurana
The biggest shift I’ve seen is that groomers today have access to education and opportunities to grow in a way that simply didn’t exist when I started — and with that has come real pride in the work itself, not just doing it as a means to an end. The industry has also seen a real influx of funding and investment in recent years, which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s brought energy, visibility, and resources into the space, but the community’s knowledge, skill, and education haven’t always kept pace with the money coming in — and that gap is exactly where PPGAI comes in. Our job is to make sure that as the industry grows, it grows on a foundation of real skill and standards, not just capital. Where it’s heading next, I see the industry moving toward more structured, credentialed education — which is why I’m also building PUPP, India’s first credit-based pet professional education institution, to give this growth the backbone it needs.
Brushes, Hairs & Fibres
PPGAI’s International Grooming Competition & Certification Exam has become one of the highlights of IIPTF. What role does the competition play in encouraging skill development and raising professional standards?
Andrea Cyrill Khurana
I’ve always maintained that competition isn’t only about winning. It gives a competitor a stage — to showcase their skill, connect with other groomers, gain recognition, get certified, and most importantly, learn directly from international judges who bring a genuinely global perspective to shaping this industry.
I also have to acknowledge the role IIPTF itself has played in this. Their support has honestly been a godsend for groomers — giving us the platform, the visibility, and the infrastructure to make an event like this possible at scale. There have been grooming competitions at IIPTF before, but none, in my view, have captured the actual meaning and authenticity of what this event is meant to be the way PPGAI’s competition has. That’s not a small thing to say, and I don’t say it lightly — it reflects years of building this with real intention, not just putting groomers on a stage for the sake of it.
People often ask me why we bring in only international judges. The honest answer is that our community isn’t there yet — there isn’t the depth of certification, training, or even enough competitive shows in India for our own senior groomers to have developed into judges themselves. That’s a gap, not a criticism, and it’s one PPGAI intends to close. We want to build a program where Indian groomers can be mentored and trained in international judging standards. But that has to start with our seniors competing first — because if you’ve never stood in that arena and felt what a competitor feels, you can never judge with real compassion and understanding. Judging isn’t just about spotting technical errors; it’s about knowing exactly what it took to get there.
Brushes, Hairs & Fibres
As a publication serving the brush industry, we’d love your perspective on grooming tools. How important are high-quality brushes, combs and grooming equipment in achieving professional grooming results?
Andrea Cyrill Khurana
Good quality grooming tools can absolutely make or break a result — but tools alone aren’t the story. It’s how efficiently and correctly you use them that matters just as much. A truly polished result comes from a mix of talent, technique, tools, products, and commitment — none of these work in isolation; take one away and the whole thing falls apart.
I don’t endorse any particular brand, but I do maintain that investing in the best tools you can isn’t an expense — it’s an investment, and like any investment, it needs to be handled with the care and respect it deserves. That’s exactly what I tell my students: when you’re just starting out, it’s absolutely fine to work with more economical tools, because your technique is still developing that finesse. Spending on expensive equipment before you know how to use it correctly is money wasted. That said, there are certain pieces of equipment where quality genuinely cannot be compromised — they simply won’t perform without it. Helping students understand that distinction and choose the right tools and equipment for their needs and budget is something I build directly into my course.
Brushes, Hairs & Fibres
International collaboration continues to play an important role in professional grooming. How do international judges and educators contribute to the growth of India’s grooming community?
Andrea Cyrill Khurana
As I’ve said before, international judges bring a wealth of knowledge that Indian groomers simply don’t have easy access to otherwise, unless they travel to different parts of the world, and we know that this can be a challenge for many skilled and enthusiastic groomers. But it goes beyond that — bringing international judges to India is also a deliberate strategy. When a genuinely skilled judge and mentor see real talent here, they start seeing India differently — not as a market on the periphery, but as an actual player on the global stage. That’s been my goal all along: making sure Indian groomers are recognized on the same footing as their international peers, not treated as an afterthought. Every international judge who leaves impressed by what they’ve seen here is one more voice carrying that message forward globally.
Brushes, Hairs & Fibres
Finally, what message would you like to share with groomers, exhibitors and visitors attending PPGAI’s 7th International Grooming Competition & Certification Exam at IIPTF 2026?
Andrea Cyrill Khurana
I want the world to accept grooming as a viable, preferred career option — one that deserves respect for the love, skill, and knowledge it genuinely requires, not something people fall into by accident. I believe deeply in the dignity of labour, and that every professional service provider, regardless of the industry they belong to, deserves their moment in the spotlight and the recognition that comes with mastering a craft.
So to every groomer, exhibitor, and visitor walking into PPGAI’s 7th International Grooming Competition & Certification Exam — know that you are part of something building toward that recognition, one competition, one certification, one confident groomer at a time. Come to compete, yes, but also come to learn, to connect, and to be inspired by what’s possible in this craft. Our motto at PPGAI has always been “I Don’t Just Groom. I Care.” — and that care, that pride in the work, is exactly what will take this industry from being overlooked to being celebrated. I hope you leave IIPTF this year a little prouder of the profession you’ve chosen, and a little more certain of where it can take you.
Editor’s Note
Brushes, Hairs & Fibres thanks Andrea Cyrill Khurana for sharing her valuable insights ahead of PPGAI’s 7th International Grooming Competition & Certification Exam at IIPTF 2026. We look forward to covering further developments from the event as India’s professional grooming community continues to grow alongside the global brush and grooming tools industry.
Photo Credits
Photographs courtesy of Andrea Cyrill Khurana / Petsburgh. Published with permission.
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