POWERFUL BUSINESS WOMEN OF INDIA

Women's empowerment is key to any country's social and economic development. Women bring different viewpoints to the workplace that stem from a unique set of life experiences. Companies with women on their board usually outdo other companies regarding financial success and innovation. Times are changing now; we no longer have a company run just by men; more women are stepping into leadership roles. That said, I believe we still have a long way to go.

Despite all the criticism faced, women have still succeeded in becoming powerful CEOs worldwide. 6% of the world's composition of women CEOs are Indian. Women in India have faced criticism downfall on a much larger scale than women across the globe. Still, many have met them, fought them, and got what rightfully belonged to them: respect.

These women break gender stereotypes and work culture, inspiring other women to take up and achieve their goals. Speaking of women leading a team or a company itself brings a strange amount of pride and confidence in the women who want to be known to the world one day, so here are a few women who've laid a path to success, mind you, this path isn't butterflies and flowerbeds.

Let's get on!

Indira Nooyi

Indira Nooyi (66) is an Indian- American business executive. She was a former chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo, 2017 being her last year, and her pay was $31 million. Not just being a businesswoman but also an inspiration to millions, she has consistently ranked among the world's 100 most powerful women; she was also ranked the second most powerful woman on the fortune list in 2015. She now serves on the boards of Amazon and the International cricket council. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President of India in 2007.

Everything she has achieved never came with ease; she had to climb her way up the ladder all by herself; we cannot press more on the fact that she not only survived but also reached the top of the peak with her abilities and hard work in the corporate field.

Born and brought up in India, Nooyi holds a bachelor's degree in PCM from Madras Christian College and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. She also earned a Master's degree in Public and private management from Yale School of Management (USA) in 1980.

Sharmistha Dubey

Sharmistha Dubey (51), an Indian- American business executive, is currently the CEO of Match Group, which owns and operates online dating platforms including Tinder, OkCupid, Meetic, etc. She joined the Match group in 2006 and has successfully made her way to the top.

Sharmistha was born and brought up in Jamshedpur, India. She holds a bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. In one of her interviews, she mentions that she was the only woman in her class and was close to quitting a week into college. Dubey then worked for a steel company in her hometown, eventually saving up enough finance to attend Ohio state university, from where she earned M.S.

She worked in multiple companies before joining tinder, where she was eventually appointed as COO (Chief operating officer) in 2017.

Jayashree Ullal

Jayashree Ullal (60) is an American businesswoman, currently the president and CEO of Arista Networks, a cloud networking company. She assumed her role in October 2008.

Ullal was named by Forbes magazine as "one of the top five most influential people in the networking industry today" for her work at Arista Networks; she was also named the "World's Best CEOs" in 2018. She was born in London and brought up in New Delhi. She attended San Francisco State University. She graduated with a B.S in engineering and later earned a Master's degree in Engineering Management from Santa Clara University.

Ullal says in an interview that the struggles of an entrepreneur, be it a man or a woman, are the same; through this statement, we can assure she is a true feminist.

As human beings, we all want to do a good job, be acknowledged, and crave that appreciation. Treat your peers and team respectfully, cultivate their inner strengths, and harness their full potential -Jayashree Ullal

Priya Lakhani

Priya Lakhani (40) is an Indian entrepreneur, the founder, and CEO of Century Tech; she develops the latest AI-based EdTech for schools and colleges. Priya left her career as a barrister and launched a successful FMCG business, providing meals to millions and vaccinations to the underprivileged.

Lakhani was presented with the Business entrepreneur award in 2009 and OBE in 2014. Century tech was her 2nd business launch, while her first was Masala Masala, a fresh Indian food brand; within a few months into starting, Priya launched her product in London and secured many deals worldwide.

Priya, an entrepreneur, and a very sympathetic human found a charity alongside her business, iamSOCO, meaning I am Socially Conscious. She continues to grow as a human while parallelly taking her company to greater heights.

Leena Nair

Leena Nair (52) is a British Indian businesswoman, Chanel's first and youngest CEO. Nair assumed her role in 2016 and managed the strategic and overall growth of the luxury brand. Nair joined Unilever in 1992 and eventually became the Chief Human Resource Officer of Unilever, heading the diversity and inclusion agenda for the organization, ensuring that the workforce is diverse and inclusive.

Nair was born and brought up in Maharashtra, India. She graduated from Walchand College of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. Leena was awarded "Role model of the year" by the Great British Business Woman's awards in 2021; she was also listed in the Fortune India's Most Powerful Women in 2021.

In one of her magazine's interviews, she states, "When you look after your people, they will look after the business." Nair is widely praised for her People-focused approach to business.

Falguni Nayar

Falguni Nayar (58) is an Indian entrepreneur and a billionaire who is the founder and CEO of Nykaa, a beauty, and lifestyle retail company. Nayar began her career in Kotak Mahindra in 1993; she was appointed as the Managing Director and exited the company in 2012.

At the age of 50, in 2012, she launched Nykaa by investing $2 million of her own money; we can definitely say that Nayar is a self-made woman and is named one of the two self-made women in India.

Falguni was born and brought up in Mumbai, India, although her roots are from Gujarat. She named her company Nykaa, which means heroine, through which she hopes each woman out there to be the heroine of their lives.

Meena Ganesh

Meena Ganesh (59) is an Indian business leader and an entrepreneur. She started her career with Price water house Coopers and NIIT; she went on and became the Director of the Internet Application Development unit in Microsoft.

Meena found Portea alongside her husband K Ganesh in 2013; it is India's largest growing home healthcare company. She is also a co-promoter of much new-age technology that enables start-ups, a few of them being BigBasket, Home Lane, etc.

Meena was born and brought up in Chennai, India. She graduated in Physics from Women's Christ College in 1983 and earned her Master's from IIM, Calcutta.

Meena went through many struggles concerning her elderly parents while also making sure her career life was running fine. Meena walked through this hard path while still making it to the top, making her an inspiration to many women out there.

Anisha Singh

Anisha Singh is an Indian digital entrepreneur and business woman, who co-founded Mydala, India's largest marketing platform. Anisha began her career with Clinton administration, helping women entrepreneurs raise funding for women led start-ups. She launched her first venture in 2004, Kinis Software solutions, which provides digital content for real estate companies in the U.S.

Anisha was born and brought up in Delhi, India. She graduated from the college of art in Delhi and went on to pursue a Master's degree in political communication and an MBA in Information Systems from the American University in Washington, D.C.

Anisha is passionate and has the spirit of a go-getter. Although she never planned to be an entrepreneur, her time in the U.S. planted the idea to start her own venture.

Women over centuries have been considered only as entities to elevate the human race today women are so much more than that, more than you can imagine.