10 Most Powerful Women In India

10 Most Powerful Women In India
10 Most Powerful Women In India

1. Zia Mody is a corporate lawyer, known for her negotiation skills, and a businesswoman. She had her fair share of struggles while establishing herself in the legal profession and adapting to the Indian legal system. Zia ranked first in Fortune India’s list of Most Powerful Women of India in 2019. She is considered the master of corporate merger and acquisition law and is now the founder and managing partner of her firm AZB & Partners. Her company has grown to become one of the largest law firms in India. She is truly an inspiration to all those women out there who want to make a career in the legal profession and make a name on their own.

2. Hima Das, an Indian sprinter, also known as Dhing Express, hails from the Dhing village of Assam. She may not be the most popular woman yet, but she sure is an inspiration to all those girls who dare to dream. At the mere age of 18, Hima won a gold medal in 400m of World U20 Championship. In 2018, she became the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in a track event at the IAAF World U20 Championships. She won four more gold medals in July 2019. By her stellar achievements, Das has made the nation proud and we hope this young sprinter will bring home many more gold medals. Hima is a role model to many and her achievements shall inspire young athletes to focus and work hard towards their goals.

10 Most Powerful Women In India

3. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is the chairperson and managing director of Biocon Limited, India’s largest pharmaceutical company. Under her stewardship, Biocon has evolved from an industrial enzymes company since its inception to a Bio-pharmaceutical company now and has seen massive growth in research services, biologics, and small molecule businesses. Her company also pioneered the launch of biosimilars (a biologic medical product highly similar to an already-approved biological medicine) in big global markets and these biosimilars are now being used in the treatment of various diseases such as cancer and diabetes. India’s Biotech Queen, Kiran is also a philanthropist. Her initiative, The Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre aims to create a world-class cancer centre at affordable costs.

4. Ekta Kapoor, the woman behind the saas-bahu soaps and sitcoms on television has reigned on Indian television over the years and is undoubtedly one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in India. This woman keeps evolving herself, keeping up with the newest trends and producing the content as per the taste of the audience. Walking ahead with time, she took the digital challenge head-on, and transformed Balaji into a digital platform by launching ALT Balaji, an OTT (over-the-top) platform.

While some may think that she had it easy, but that’s not entirely true. Although her production house Balaji Telefilms was financially supported by her father, she didn’t taste success immediately, her initial ventures failed miserably. But she chose to work hard and keep producing new shows and giving the opportunity to new faces. Embracing the changes and moving ahead with time has made her what she is today!

10 Most Powerful Women In India

5. Falguni Nayar, the investment banker turned entrepreneur, is making beauty products accessible across India. Her e-tail store Nykaa.com is India’s leading beauty retailer. Today, Nykaa has a number of stores across India and is gaining popularity day by day. With an exhaustive list of beauty, hair care, grooming, health care and clothing-related products to choose from, Nykaa.com has something for everyone!

6. Nita Ambani: Despite being the wife of Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani, Nita Ambani has created an identity of her own. She is an astute businesswoman and a committed philanthropist. Nita Ambani is a powerful woman who is doing her bit to make this world a better place. She is a board member of Reliance Industries and East India Hotels and also leads several organisations such as the Football Sports Development Limited, which focuses on developing and encouraging sports in India through grass-root programs. Nita is also a chairperson of Reliance Foundation, and has dedicated herself to the goal of her foundation, i.e., rural transformation, access to quality and affordable healthcare, and access to secondary education. Nita has got a charitable arm and her contributions are nothing but inspiring – more power to this lady!

10 Most Powerful Women In India

7. Mithali Raj: Featuring a woman cricketer in the list of powerful and influential Indian women is a moment of pride for us. The contributions of this lady to Indian Women’s cricket gives women hope that sports will no longer be a male-dominated territory. Mithali Raj, the captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team, put India on the map in women’s cricket. Mithali is the highest run-scorer in Women’s International Cricket and the only female cricketer to have scored more than 6000 runs in women’s ODI. Under her captaincy, India made it to the World Cup Finals in the year 2017. She is truly a champion – cheers to her and her powerful team!

8. Mallika Srinivasa: In a male-dominated world of tractor manufacturing, Mallika Srinivasan heads Tractor and Farm Equipment (TAFE). Her entrepreneurial skills and sharp business acumen has contributed to the Indian agriculture machinery business. Under the leadership, her company has flourished and TAFE is now the second-largest tractor manufacturing company in India and third in the world.

10 Most Powerful Women In India

9. Priyanka Chopra: A list of influential Indian women without the name of Priyanka Chopra in it would seem incomplete, no? Former Miss India and Miss World, Priyanka is now a global icon. She is an actor, a producer, a singer, an entrepreneur, and a philanthropist. She gained popularity in the West through her TV show Quantico and movie Baywatch. She was also one of the names in the USA Today’s list of 50 Most Powerful Women in Entertainment in 2019. Priyanka is literally taking on the world.

Besides being a superstar that she is, Priyanka is also a humanitarian. She was appointed as UNICEF’s National Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights in 2010, and she has been associated with it for almost a decade now. In 2016, she was made the International Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights. She is a self-made woman and what a woman at that!

10. Dr. Pragati Singh: A medical doctor by profession, Dr. Pragati Singh is the woman who put asexuals on the map. Dr. Singh is the founder of Indian Aces, a community for asexuals (those who don’t feel sexually attracted to anyone). While working in the fields of maternal and reproductive health, she came across women who were not interested in having sexual intercourse with their husbands/partners. This triggered her to research more and she chanced upon the term asexuality. One thing lead to another, and Singh started ‘Indian Aces’, a community for addressing asexuals and asexuality. Indian Aces has given a voice to asexuals, a platform to those who’re looking for a non-sexual relationship. While sex is still a taboo in India, women like Dr. Pragati are doing their bit to change that perception. True to her name, she is working for the development of people and country.

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