New Delhi: Business magazine Forbes has released its annual list of the World’s Most Powerful Women for 2023, and it features four Indians. These women have not only shattered glass ceilings but also etched their names on the global stage, showcasing the diverse and influential voices emerging from India. To determine the rank, Forbes had four metrics: money, media, impact and spheres of influence.
India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has bagged the 32nd spot in Forbes’ annual list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, joining prominent figures such as US Vice President Kamala Harris, musician Taylor Swift and even Barbie.
Among the Indian women featured are 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).
Nirmala Sitharaman (ranked 32)
Nirmala Sitharaman, 64, is a senior figure in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has been India’s Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs since 2019. Ms Sitharaman served as the 28th Defence Minister from 2017 to 2019, making her India’s second female defence minister and finance minister after Indira Gandhi. In 2022, Forbes ranked her 36th in the 2022 list of the world’s most powerful women and this year she was ranked 32nd.
Roshni Nadar Malhotra (ranked 60)
Roshni Nadar Malhotra, 42, is an Indian billionaire and philanthropist. She is the chairperson of HCL Technologies, making history as the first woman to lead a listed IT company in India. As the only child of HCL founder Shiv Nadar, she is recognised as the richest woman in India, according to the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List (2019). Ms Malhotra has consistently been ranked among the world’s most powerful women by Forbes, holding the 54th position in 2019, 55th in 2020 and 60th in 2023.
Soma Mondal (ranked 70)
Soma Mondal, 60, is the current Chairperson of the Steel Authority of India, making history as the first woman in this role since January 2021. Born in Bhubaneswar, she graduated in Electrical Engineering in 1984. With over 35 years of experience in the metal industry, she started at NALCO and rose to become Director (Commercial) before joining SAIL in 2017. Ms Mondal’s career milestones include being the first woman Functional Director and Chairman at SAIL. Beyond her corporate achievements, she holds the position of Chairperson of SCOPE and was honoured as ‘CEO of the Year’ at the ETPrime Women Leadership Awards in 2023. She ranks 70th on the list.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (ranked 76)
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, 70, is a prominent Indian billionaire entrepreneur. She founded and led Biocon Limited and Biocon Biologics Limited in Bangalore, India. Besides her role in the biotechnology companies, she was the former chairperson of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. Ms Mazumdar-Shaw has received numerous accolades, including the Othmer Gold Medal in 2014 for her contributions to science and chemistry. She was featured on the Financial Times’ Top 50 women in Business list in 2011. Forbes recognised her as the 68th most powerful woman globally in 2019, and in 2020, she was honoured as the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year. She ranks 76th in the Forbes List of powerful women 2023.
The rankings are based on money, media presence, impact, and spheres of influence.
Barbie secured the symbolic 100th position in Media and Entertainment, representing a figure deviating from the traditional power image but symbolically influential for the year.
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