8 Most Powerful Women Leaders In India & Their Impact

Over the decades, the nation has witnessed a transformative as well as a great wave of leadership driven by influential women leaders in India, who have redefined societal norms. 

These women leaders have emerged the beacon of success in a nation rich with history and complexity of leadership. These women leaders have not only shown the tale of leadership but also have their names in the powerful leadership of women in India. 

There are many women that have contributed to India’s growth in every field and aspect by taking strategic and informed decisions. 

Considering the current scenario, there is a tale of women leaders in India that have become a prime and prominent example of women leadership in the diverse landscape of India.

Note: The names in the above table don’t represent any ranking. 

1. Nirmala Sitharaman 

The reputable Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister of India. She is also the senior member of Indian Political Party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

She was appointed as the finance & corporate affairs minister on May 31st, 2019. Since her taking the command of Indian finance into her hands, she has been steering the Indian economy wheel through one of its most difficult phases in decades. 

Apart from it she was the first female to be appointed as the Indian finance minister, and made a historic move, by breaking traditional gender barriers in the field of finance and economics.

After taking the center stage and command into her hands she made the 2019 slowing economy to step into the stairs of growth and made a GDP growth touching to 3.7% in 2020. But the GDP slowed down in 2020, after the global pandemic hit.

Nirmala Sitharaman’s efforts and hardwork to steady and grow the economy hooked on implementing a transformative and massive programme for building up the public infrastructure and spending more on the welfare of those are at the bottom line.

Her efforts paid off and the GDP grew 7.2% in FY23 and with that India remains one of the fastest growing major economies in the world. It replaced the U.K. to become the fifth-largest economy. 

She is also ranked at the 32nd position in the Forbes list of Powerful Women for 2023. 

2. Roshni Nadar Malhotra 

The chairperson of HCL technology, Roshni Nadar Malhotra is an Indian billionaire as well as a philanthropist. She made history by becoming the first woman to lead an listed IT company.

In 2020, she was handed over the command of chairperson of HCL Technologies from her father Shiv Nadar, the founder of HCL technologies. 

By taking informed and strategic decisions she is taking forward the legacy founded by her father. One of the largest IT companies in India, HCL Technologies revenue for FY23 reported to be $13.1 billion  and has performed strongly in the market. 

According to Roshni Nadar Malhotra, they also delivered the highest total shareholder return among the large IT service firms in India in FY23.

Before taking over the chairperson role in HCL tech, Roshi Nadar was a producer and created a children’s film called Halka in 2018, and along with that she also made a TV series called “On The Brink ” for the Animal Planet / Discovery Channel based on endangered wildlife species. 

She was featured in the Forbes list of Most Powerful Women for 2023, and ranked at 60th position, while in 2019 she secured 54th position and 55th in 2020.

3. Soma Mondal 

The CEO of Steel Authority Of India (SAIL), Soma Mondal, took authority of her job on January 1st, 2021. Along with that she was the first woman to lead the five decade old company.

An electrical engineering graduate from National Institute of Technology, Rourkela. She has a remarkable experience of about nearly 3 decades in the metal industry. 

After her taking the charge of the job in 2022, for the first time ever, SAIL registered a revenue that crossed Rs. 1 lakh crores.

It is being said that the leadership of Soma Mondal has made SAIL to touch new heights of success and is referred to as the spectacular and steering move to accelerate the company’s financial growth and making 3X profits. 

However, Modal retired from SAIL in April, 2023, and now is currently the Public Enterprises Selection Board. 

However, SAIL for FY23, witnessed a dip in its profits and recorded a number of Rs.2,176 crores, due to the global economic uncertainties and low demand.

Apart from that, she was ranked at the 70the position by Forbes for the list of Most Powerful Women for 2023. 

4. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw 

Another Indian billionaire entrepreneur in the list of women leaders in India. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is the founder as well as the chairperson of Biocon Limited and Biocon Biologics Limited in Bangalore, India.

She started her business with the aim and  passion to provide affordable and accessible medicines, and is also known as the trailblazer in the medicine world. 

Initially after setting up her business, within a year she started exporting enzymes globally. Soon her name was being referred to as the synonym with the biotech industry in India. 

With her hardwork and determination, she grew her Biocon family into one of the largest strong workforce. 

Her utter success, determination, compassion, has made her reach the global stage and make a difference in the society out there, and she is also being recognized as the global thought leader. 

She has appeared in the Forbes list of Most Powerful Women’s for 2023, and secured 76th position in the list. 

5. Madhabi Puri Buch 

Next in the list of women leaders in India is Madhabi Puri Buch, who is the chairperson of the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI). With that she made a historic move by becoming the first woman to lead the command SEBI as the chairperson. 

Buch in her first 100 days as the chairperson of SEBI, has brought about rapid changes, processes and regulation in the market and in the organization.

Along with that Buch introduced the corporate system of KRAs to drive focused and instant action on the areas that require most of the attention with a special emphasis on cyber security and use of tech and data.

She has started the process of seeking extensive market feedback on any key policy changes.  

Buch has regulated SEBI to tighten the disclosure norms for portfolio investors in order to bring up transparency in the market.

The offshore funds that have invested more than Rs.25,000 crores in the equity market and more than 50% of assets under management, are now required to disclose their investors, and is a mandatory process.

She is a whole time director as well as the in-charge of surveillance, investment management, & schemes, and is associated with SEBI since 2017.

6. Gita Gopinath 

She is the First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She is an Indian-American economist who has served as the first deputy managing director of IMF, since January 21st, 2022. 

Gita Gopinath, looks after the work of staff, represents the Funds in many multilateral forums, leads the Fund’s work on surveillance and related policies, and oversees research and flagship publications. 

Apart from that, she previously had served as the Chief Economist of the Fund, in which she oversaw thirteen releases of the World Economic Outlook. 

She has also authored numerous research articles and papers on exchange rates, trade, investment, monetary, debt, international financial crises, emerging market crises, etc. 

She is also an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Econometric Society, and a member of the Group of Thirty.

With that she has also co-authored the “Pandemic Paper” on how to end the COVID-19 pandemic that set globally endorsed targets for vaccinating the world. 

Note: Also, visit our article, 16 Prominent social entrepreneurs in India.

7. Anshula Kant

The managing directors & the CFO of the world bank, Anshula Kant has delivered successful results for the finances of the world bank. Under her leadership, in 2023, the world bank has put up $20.76 billion in 103 projects across 885 locations in India.

Kant looks after various works in the world bank and has been serving dual roles for the service of the bank, and is counting positive results. 

Under her service, the biggest loan sanctioned was to India’s Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission which was about $1 billion. The fund sanctioned will be used to improve the public health care sector in some states in India. 

She oversees and extends her support in tackling poverty, 

Her area of influence now extends to tackling poverty, income inequality,  alleviation, future risks, etc. and to look after the infrastructure development in the developing world, among others.

Kant now stands as a prominent and influential role model for young women across the world.

8. Kalli Purie 

Next on the list of the powerful women leaders in India is Kalli Purie, who is the Vice Chairperson of the India Today Group.

Since her taking up the role as the vice chairperson of the India Today Group, she has ensured that they smoothly adapt to the ever changing demands of the current scenario. 

She has been recognized for her vision to synergize and ensure the excellence of India Today Group in conventional journalism with both the reach and innovation of new media. 

India Today Group, under her leadership has diversified and entered into OTT space with India Today Originals. It has launched two series – Dancing on the Grave on Amazon Prime and Indian Predator: Diary Of A Serial Killer on Netflix.

The India Today Group, for now, is working on two untitled documentary series for Netflix and one for Prime Video.

With her leadership skill, she is governing India Today Group in television, on digital platforms, and in events and leading her way towards the success in the group. 

Summing Up: Powerful Women Leaders In India

These women leaders have been determined to bring about a positive as well as inspiring change in the Indian society by working hard with their ventures and providing their best services in the society. 

The above powerful women leaders in India, not only excels in establishing successful ventures or serving best in the organization but are also consistent in providing their best leadership skills and services to the society.