Indian Women Lead in Finance and Business

In 2025, three Indian women made it to Forbes' list of the world's most powerful women.

Nirmala Sitharaman, the Finance Minister, is ranked #24.

She is responsible for India's economic policies and has presented the Union budget eight times in a row.

Roshni Nadar Malhotra, CEO of HCL, is ranked #76.

She is one of India's wealthiest women and leads a tech company with a revenue of $14 billion.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder of Biocon, is ranked #83.

She is India's richest self-made woman and her company makes affordable medicines for diseases like diabetes and cancer.

These women are important because they show that Indian women are leading in areas where men have usually been in charge.

Their success sends a message that women in India are not just breaking barriers but also setting new standards in their fields.

Additionally, Ashish Kumar Chauhan, CEO of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), highlighted that women are increasingly becoming active investors.

In the last decade, 2.5 crore women have been added to the NSE's investor base, making up one-fourth of the total investors.

This financial inclusion is supported by a rise in the female labor force participation, which has climbed from 23% in FY18 to 42% in financial year 24.

Women now hold roughly one-fifth of all board seats across listed firms and lead about 1.6 crore businesses, contributing significantly to India's economic growth.