As two days passed since we celebrated women’s day, these are some inspirational stories to share.
Women’s day is dedicated to the celebration of contribution of these wondrous counterparts in all fields of life; this day is marked prominent as we celebrate the ‘Aadhi Aabadi’ i.e. half the half the driving force of this humongous universe.
From Malala Yousafzai to Indira Gandhi and there are numerous women who significantly contribute and brought social reform single handedly. Few of the inspiration are listed below.
Reshma Shetty, Managing Director, Matrix India Entertainment Consultant.
As the founder and managing director of one of the best talent management agencies in the country, Reshma Shetty is the woman every actor worth his or her salt in Bollywood would like to manage their careers.
Ekta Kapoor, Joint MD, Balaji Telefilms
With an income of Rs 213 crore Kapoor, the driving force behind Balaji has clawed her way back to the top in 2012.Balaji Telefilms, a company she started at the age of 19, created Bade Achhe Lagte Hain which airs on Sony Entertainment Television and is the biggest hit soap on TV today.
Chitra Ramakrishna, Joint MD, National Stock Exchange
On April 1, 2013 Ramakrishna will take charge as Managing Director and CEO of the National Stock Exchange, becoming the first woman to head the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the second woman to head a top bourse in India.
Zia Mody, Managing Partner, AZB & Partners
As the founder and senior partner of AZB and Partners, Mody is considered a legal giant and one of India’s foremost corporate attorneys whose counsel sought, and kept, by India’s high and mighty.
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman and MD, Biocon
She started the company to make industrial enzymes in her garage in 1978, with seed capital of Rs 10,000. Today Biocon is Asia’s largest biopharma concern, worth $566 million. In 2004 this self-taught entrepreneur was named the richest woman in India with a net worth of Rs 2,000 crore.
Shikha Sharma, CEO, Axis Bank
The Managing Director and CEO of Axis Bank is a three-decade veteran of Indian banking and one of only two women to run a private bank in India.During her 29-year-long career with ICICI, she built ICICI Prudential from the ground up and went on to lay the foundations of ICICI Bank’s personal financial services.
Chanda Kochhar, MD, CEO, ICICI Bank
In 2009 she became the youngest CEO and first woman to head ICICI bank, the second-largest lender in India. She oversees assets of $93 billion, more than 2,750 branches in India and the bank’s presence in 19 countries.
Vinita Bali MD, Britannia Industries
As the face of Britannia for the last six years, Bali has gone all out in her efforts to promote nutrition. She is the only Indian on the 27-member United Nations committee set up to lead the ‘Scaling up Nutrition’ movement globally.
Nita Ambani, Chairman, Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation
Despite being married to Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani, she has created an identity of her own as an astute businesswoman. She sits on the Board of hotel operator East India Hotels and also leads a number of enterprises such as the Reliance Foundation, the Dhirubhai Ambani International School and the IPL team, Mumbai Indians.
Vanitha Narayanan, MD, IBM India
With her appointment as the new Managing Director of global technology solutions company IBM India in January 2013, Narayan became the third woman – after Neelam Dhawan (HP) and Kumud Srinvasan (Intel India) – to head a large multinational technology firm in the country in recent times.
Kumud Srinivasan, President, Intel India
In January 2013 she was appointed the first woman president of the $54 billion computer chip maker Intel Corp. in India. Srinivasan, who joined Intel in 1987, has spent more than 25 years at the company, holding several business and information systems positions.
Naina Lal Kidwai, President, FICCI & Country Head, HSBC
When the Group General Manager and Country Head of HSBC India took over as the new President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in December 2012, she became the first woman to head the leading industry body.
Roshni Nadar Malhotra, CEO, HCL Corporation
Nadar, 31, HCL CEO and executive director, is tipped to take over the reins of HCL Corporation-the holding company of the $6.2 billion HCL Group-from father Shiv Nadar. As CEO and Executive Director of the HCL Corporation, she is responsible for strategic decisions regarding the overall direction of the corporation.
Rakhee Kapoor, Business Manager, Yes Bank
Kapoor, 25, is the heir apparent to the fourth largest private sector bank in India. After two short stints as an investment banker in the US, Kapoor returned to work as an intern in her father’s bank. In her present capacity as the business manager, she is responsible for building the Yes brand for a new generation of consumers.
Nisaba Godrej, President, Human Capital and Innovation, Godrej Industries
In the last couple of years, Nisaba Godrej, the younger daughter of Adi Godrej and President Human Capital and Innovation, has emerged as a likely successor to her father, as and when he decides to step down. She has changed the way the company functions by bringing in a more performance-oriented culture.
Jayanti Chauhan, Director, Bisleri Group
Chauhan is preparing to take over operations of the 1,000-crore Bisleri brand from her father Ramesh Chauhan. The former fashion stylist worked at her father’s company for a brief while in 2009 before she left to pursue a Masters in Arabic from London.
Aruna Jayanthi, CEO, Capgemini India
As CEO of Capgemini India, Jayanthi is responsible for the company’s consulting, outsourcing and professional service target. Under Jayanthi’s leadership, the company’s India operations grew phenomenally, with the 30,000-strong head count soon surpassing that of its headquarters in France.
Zahabiya Khorakiwala, MD, Wockhardt Hospitals
The 30-year-old joined her father’s business as an executive director after financial difficulties forced the patriarch to sell ten hospitals in 2009. Six months later she was appointed Managing Director of Wockhardt Hospitals with eight hospitals under her watch.
Aisha De Sequeira, MD, Morgan Stanley India Investment Banking
As head of investment banking at Morgan Stanley India, she is considered to be one of the most influential women in India’s financial industry. De Sequeira, who joined Morgan Stanley in 1995, feels tough times and volatile markets are best to build client relationships.
Mallika Srinivasan, CEO, TAFE
In a traditionally male-dominated business of tractor manufacturing, Srinivasan heads Tractor and Farm Equipment (TAFE) and is determined to further her father’s legacy. Under her leadership, the company’s turnover grew from Rs 86 crore in 1985 to Rs 5,800 crore in 2011, making it the second largest tractor manufacturing company in India and the third largest in the world.
Kirthiga Reddy, Head, Facebook India
She heads Facebook India, where the number of users has grown by 150 per cent to notch 65 million users. Under her leadership, Facebook India has managed to not only grow its user base but also make significant contribution to its global business.
Neelam Dhawan, MD, Hewlett Packard India
Dhawan was among the first women to head a technology firm in the country, when she was appointed India head of the world’s largest software company, Microsoft in 2005. She took over the India operations of computer-maker Hewlett Packard in 2008, and has managed to navigate the firm through choppy waters to take on Lenovo and Dell.
Abanti Sankaranarayanan, Managing Director, Diageo
She serves as the Managing Director of Diageo, the world’s largest spirits manufacturing company. Well known for her expertise in brand marketing, Sankaranarayanan is responsible for spearheading Diageo India’s ambitious expansion plans.