Four Indian women recently got the honour of being on the Forbes list of the top 100 powerful women in the world. These ladies definitely made India stand proud as this was a first. Four Indian women led by Arundhati Bhattacharya, who is the Chairman of the county’s largest lender, the State Bank of India (SBI), has been ranked 25th. Following her are Chanda Kochhar of ICICI Bank (40th), Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon (77th), and Shobhana Bhartia of HT Media, which publishes the Hindustan Times (93rd). The list also included a U.S. based Indian, Indra Nooyi, who is the Chief Executive of PepsiCo.
“Bhattacharya is at the helm of the nation’s largest lender, while Kochhar leads the country’s largest private sector bank,” the magazine said.”Mazumdar-Shaw’s Biocon is a pioneer in the field of biopharmaceuticals and clinical research, and Bhartia’s HT Media is a media house with interests ranging from newspapers and radio stations to online job portals and education.”
According to the magazine publishers, the magazine represents seven different categories which are the billionaires, business, finance, media, politics, philanthropists as well as NGO’s and lastly, technology.
Arundhati Bhattacharya
Arundhati is a Bengali woman who studied at Jadavpur University. She joined SBI in 1977 and is the first woman to lead India-based Fortune 500 company. She is currently the Chair Managing Director of the bank and, also, the very first female Chairperson. She introduced a two-year sabbatical policy for women employees for children or old age and senior care. This Women’s day she has planned to introduce free vaccination against cervical cancer to all her woman employees. Thus, Arundhati is definitely worth the spot that she has been given, and we hope she continues to bring such honour to our country.
Chanda Kochhar
Chanda Kochhar deserves all the praise that she is given! This Rajasthani woman studied at Jai Hind followed by Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai. She received the Wockhardt Gold Medal for Excellence in Management Studies as well as the J. N. Bose Gold Medal in Cost Accountancy. She is currently the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the well known ICICI Bank. She is well known for her part in shaping the retail banking system in India. She has even been a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, which is the highest civilian honour that one could receive in India.
Kiran-Mazumdar Shaw
Kiran-Mazumdar Shaw is an Indian entrepreneur who belongs to the state of Bangalore. She completed her education from Bangalore University followed by Federation University. She is the Chairman and Managing Director of Biocon Limited. In 2014, she was awarded the Othmer Gold Medal, for outstanding contributions to the progress of science and chemistry.
Shobhana Bhartia
Shobhana Bharatia is a media baroness. She is the Chairperson and Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times Group (This is a media house that Shobhana inherited from her father). She has also been made the Pro-Chancellor of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (which was founded by her grandfather) and is the current chairperson of Endeavor India. Shobhana has close associations to the Congress Party and has been a nominated member and served the Rajya Sabha for five years (2006-2012).
These four women have brought a lot of honour and glory to our country. The list also had other world renowned names like Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and Angela Merkel.