India’s Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, secured the 32nd position on Forbes’ list of the world’s most powerful women, alongside notable figures like US Vice President Kamala Harris and musician Taylor Swift. The list also features three other accomplished Indian women: HCL Corporation CEO Roshni Nadar Malhotra (rank 60), Steel Authority of India chairperson Soma Mondal (rank 70), and Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (rank 76).
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission chief, claimed the top spot on the list, followed by Christine Lagarde, the European Central Bank boss, at second place, and US Vice President Kamala Harris at third. Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s first full-time Finance Minister since May 2019, also oversees the Corporate Affairs ministry, bringing a wealth of experience from her previous roles at the UK’s Agricultural Engineers Association and BBC World Service.
Roshni Nadar Malhotra, the daughter of HCL founder Shiv Nadar, holds the position of CEO at HCL Technologies. Responsible for strategic decisions, she assumed the role in July 2020, succeeding her father. Soma Mondal, the first woman chairperson of the state-run Steel Authority of India (SAIL), took over in 2021. Under her leadership, SAIL has achieved remarkable financial growth, with profits surging threefold in her first year.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, recognized as one of India’s wealthiest self-made women, founded Biocon in 1978. The biopharmaceutical firm, with Asia’s largest insulin factory in Malaysia’s Johor region, has been a significant contributor to healthcare. Forbes acknowledges Mazumdar-Shaw’s pioneering role in building Biocon into a prominent player in the industry.
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