Women entrepreneurs in India has over the years carved a niche for themselves by leaving a lasting legacy. Their stories shows the strength, imagination, and limitless possibilities of women in leadership roles within the business sector.
Below is an assorted list of accomplished women entrepreneurs in India who are shattering stereotypes.
Roshni Nadar Malhotra
Born and bred in Delhi, Roshni Nadar went to Vasant Valley School before graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in communication and a passion for radio, television, and movies. She completed her MBA program at Kellogg School of Management. Later on, she became chairman of HCL Tech, an international IT consulting and services company with its headquarters located in India. She has additionally aided in the growth of the HCL Group brand.
Indra Nooyi
In 1994, Nooyi became a senior vice president of corporate strategy and development at PepsiCo. Only 11 women have led a Fortune 500 firm, according to Forbes, and Nooyi was the first to hold the role at the soft drink and snack food giant.
Devita Saraf
Saraf started working with Zenith Computers at the age of sixteen, reporting to her father. At the age of twenty-one, she was promoted to director of marketing. She was also elevated from her role as head of marketing to CEO later, in 2006.
Devita started her career in business at the age of 24 when she founded the Vu Group in California, which was a leader in high-end consumer electronics. The world’s best-selling Indian-owned television company is now Vu. She was also the founder of the Young Bombay Forum, a branch of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Falguni Nayar
Mumbai-born Falguni Nayar grew up in a Gujarati family. She graduated from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad with a postgraduate degree after earning her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics.
In 2005, she was elevated to the position of managing director for Kotak Mahindra Capital’s investment banking division and director for Kotak Securities. After her resignation in 2012, she started Nykaa with $2 million of her personal savings. Nykaa’s value rose to $2.3 billion by 2021, increasing Nayar’s projected net worth to $1.1 billion.
Anu Aga
On August 3, 1942, Anu Aga was born in Bombay to a Parsi Zoroastrian family. She graduated from the prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, with a Master of Social Work in medical and psychiatric social work and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai.
Anu started working for Thermax in 1985. After her husband Rohinton Aga passed away in 1991, she led the company’s human resources department from 1991 to 1996. Meher Pudumjee, her daughter and the company’s vice-chairwoman, succeeded her when she retired in 2004. Anu has continued to serve on the board of directors ever since and is continuously involved in social work.
Kiran Mazumdar
Bangalore-based Biocon Limited’s managing director and chairwoman is Indian billionaire and entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. She formerly served as the Indian Institute of Management’s chair in Bangalore. At first, Mazumdar Shaw wanted to continue her father’s heritage. After earning a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Bangalore University in 1973, she went on to earn a master’s degree in brewing from the University of Ballarat in Melbourne in 1975.
In the early stages of her business, she struggled to attract capital because of her lack of experience, femininity, and untested business strategy. She had to contend with the technical challenges of establishing a biotech business in an area lacking sufficient infrastructure.
Ankiti Bose
One of the co-founders of the internet retailer Zilingo is Ankiti Bose. In 2018, she was listed on Forbes Asia 30 Under 30, and in 2019, she was listed on Fortune 40 Under 40.Bose Ankiti
Bose started her career with McKinsey & Company and Sequoia Capital in Bangalore. Bose realized that small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) lacked the financial, scaling-up, website design, and procurement skills despite efforts made to improve internet connectivity.
In 2015, at the age of 23, she left her position as an investment analyst at Sequoia Capital to launch her own company, Zilingo. She moved to Singapore in 2016, where she developed the software and supply chain. With $226 million in Series D funding secured in 2019, Zilingo’s market value amounted to $970 million.
Anisha Singh
Anisha Singh is accustomed to dealing with commercial obstacles in India. The biggest deals platform in India, Mydala, is led by her as CEO and co-founder. She was giving business advise on Capitol Hill when her adventure began. Afterwards, she developed e-learning ecosystems while employed at a software company with headquarters in Boston. She is well known for ardently backing all campaigns and causes pertaining to women. One of the most prosperous businesswomen in the nation, Anisha is from New Delhi and was a judge on an Indian reality show that focused on entrepreneurship.
Savitri Jindal
Born in Tinsukia, Assam, she married Om Prakash Jindal, founder of electricity business Jindal Group, in the 1970s. She served as a minister in the Haryana government and as the district’s representative in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha (legislative parliament). She was appointed chairwoman in 2005 following the death of her husband, O.P. Jindal, in a helicopter accident. The business’s income quadrupled once she took charge.
Madhabi Puri Buch
Buch started working with ICICI Bank in 1989. From 1993 to 1995, she worked as a lecturer at West Cheshire College in England. She started working for ICICI Securities in 2006. She was the CEO and Managing Director from February 2009 to May 2011. Then, in 2011, she moved to Singapore to work for Greater Pacific Capital. From 2011 to 2017, she was executive director of several companies, such as Zansar Technologies, Innoven Capital, and Max Healthcare.
Buch joined SEBI in April 2017 as a full-time director, and he was given portfolios such investment management, surveillance, and collective investment programs to oversee.
