Women role models from India Inc – for India Inc. Now in its fifth edition, The Economic Times Women Ahead listing showcases a formidable line-up of 29 female achievers, who have made an impact not just in their respective organisations and industries but are also inspirations to future generations of leaders. Based on an extensive study by consulting firm Spencer Stuart, the list itself has been picked by the who’s who of corporate India. The stellar panel of jury members included Harsh Goenka, chairman, RPG Enterprises (also, chair of the jury); Janmejaya Sinha, chairman, India, Boston Consulting Group; Shweta Jalan, managing partner, Advent India PE Advisors; Zia Mody, cofounder & managing partner, AZB & Partners; Saugata Gupta, managing director and CEO, Marico; V Vaidyanathan, managing director and CEO, IDFC First Bank and Gaurav Dalmia, chairman, Dalmia Group Holdings.
The final list of 29 – selected from an initial list of 115 female leaders from corporate India – are the names to keenly watch for in the days ahead. If previous track records are anything to go by, they are all set to scale even greater heights in India Inc.
For instance, past awardee Suman Mishra, MD & CEO of Mahindra Last Mile Mobility, says this award holds a special place in her heart, more so because it was the very first recognition of this kind for her.
“The ET Women Ahead sheds a spotlight on women as early risers, acknowledging their determination and dedication. This can provide several external opportunities to the winners while inspiring many other women seeking role models,” says Mishra. Similarly, another past awardee, Sucharita Mukherjee, co-founder & CEO at fintech platform Kaleidofin says the award gave her the confidence to start her current venture.
“The ET Women Ahead award helps shine a light on us and more importantly women-led startups. Many young women will now be inspired to start their own companies and pursue their dreams.”
The list of 2023 includes a diverse mix of women – from business founders and highflying corporate honchos to legal luminaries and social entrepreneurs – who join an equally impressive list of 109 alumni from the four previous editions.
Read on to know more.
Geetika MEHTA, 42 Managing Director, Hershey India
Life is a marathon, not a sprint, believes Geetika Mehta had told this paper earlier. A seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience in developing small businesses and driving growth for large corporations, Mehta truly lives the mantra.
One of her biggest career milestones as the MD of Hershey India has been spearheading its strategic transformation, leading to profitable growth. “The company has strengthened its route to market, gained market share across categories, receiving 60+ awards,” she says. Under her leadership, Hershey India has embraced digital transformation.
Over the next few years, Mehta wants to profitably grow the company at a high double-digit CAGR.
Isha AMBANI, 31 Executive Director, Reliance Retail Ventures
I sha Ambani, a non-executive member on the Reliance Industries board, is part of the executive leadership teams at Reliance Retail, Reliance Jio, Reliance Foundation and Dhirubhai Ambani International School.
She played a pivotal role in conceptualising and launching Jio in India in 2016. For nearly a decade, she has led the online and offline business of Reliance Retail, India's largest retailer by revenue, profit, reach and scale with a presence in grocery, consumer electronics and fashion retail. Under her leadership, it has become the only Indian entity in the global top 100 retailers.
Ambani graduated from Yale University in 2013 with a double major in psychology and South Asian studies and completed her MBA from Stanford University in 2018. She is also on the advisory board of the Yale Schwarzman Center and on the board of trustees at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image and the Dia Art Foundation. An art enthusiast, the 31-yearold leads the art and culture initiatives undertaken by the Reliance Foundation in India and abroad.
Sakshi CHOPRA, 44 Managing Director, Peak XV
Sakshi Chopra focuses on growthstage companies and has advised on investments across a range of consumer, fintech and financial services companies, including Five Star Business Finance, Indigo Paints, Go Colors, Purplle, HealthKart and Wakefit. She calls it the thrill of building enduring companies.
She began her career with Deutsche Bank where she worked for five years before joining Sequoia Capital India (now Peak XV) in 2010. Chopra joined Sequoia Capital India in the growth investing business. Having been the first female partner at Sequoia India/ SEA in 2021, Chopra says the best advice she’s received has been to double down on her strengths and what’s working well versus spending more time on addressing the weaknesses or things that aren’t going as well.
Adwaita NAYAR, 33 CEO, Nykaa Fashion & Co-founder, Nykaa
Over the past decade at Nykaa, Adwaita Nayar has led various parts of the online beauty, offline business and more recently, the company's foray into fashion. While the journey has been full of fabulous milestones, like the IPO in 2021, it is the more subtle, dayto-day moments that have been most rewarding, she says.
“Meeting our customers face-to-face, hearing the role we've played in their lives, and watching young freshers grow professionally and personally in our company— it's instances like these where we feel we have made a real impact,” she says.
For Nayar, leadership is as much about ambition and rigour as it is about compassion and empathy. “I try to lead with equal measure of a soft heart and a strong mind, bringing that balance to every interaction and decision. One without the other just isn’t enough,” she says.
Vaibhavi CHOKSI, 48 General Manager India & South Asia, Gilead Sciences
Working towards increasing access to treatment for HIV, HCV, IFI and cancer, Vaibhavi Choksi has brought more than ten innovative brands to India for patients who have cancer, diabetes and respiratory diseases. In her stint at a leading pharmaceutical company — three-year tenure at a UK-based drugmaker from 2017 — Choksi is credited with taking the brand among the top five oncology brands in India from the 17th position.
During the Covid-19 outbreak, she led initiatives to step up the manufacturing of Remdesivir for Indian patients. Amid the Mucormycosis outbreak, with the help of her internal team at Gilead, she also steered initiatives to direct large quantities of amphotericin B products for Indian patients from various countries.
"I worked with my Giving Together team, and we donated Remdesivir and Amphotericin B to the Government of India. I am really grateful to my profession that I can touch so many lives and bring smiles to their families," says Choksi.
Akriti CHOPRA, 36 Co-founder & Chief People Officer, Zomato
Akriti Chopra has donned many hats in her decade-long journey with the firm. She joined Zomato in 2011 in the finance team and became the chief financial officer of the company in 2019 at the age of 32, making her one of the youngest CFOs in India.
Chopra has been instrumental in building governance, risk and compliance verticals at Zomato. She also played a key role in setting up and scaling the firm’s legal and finance teams . Chopra says that the key milestone of her career has been going where no Indian new-age consumer tech company has gone before – Zomato’s IPO, among the biggest for Indian stock markets.
A policy Chopra conceptualised in 2020 was way ahead of the curve -- period leaves that allows all female employees (including transgender people) at Zomato to avail of up to 10 days of leave in a year.
Nandita SINHA, 43 CEO, Myntra
CEO, Myntra Moving from a traditional FMCG company to Flipkart (which owns Myntra) was a natural progression for Nandita Sinha. The move, however, was replete with lessons and opportunities she did not anticipate first.
"After my first stint in the FMCG space, I was drawn to the emerging world of ecommerce and joined Flipkart. It was like being in a masterclass day-in and day-out, getting the opportunity to work with great leaders and teams while playing a part in shaping an industry that was redefining how retail in the country would look like," she says.
Sinha is responsible for strengthening and executing the strategic vision for Myntra. A B.Tech from IIT-BHU and MBA from Delhi University's Faculty of Management Studies, she brings together a unique combination of deep customer understanding, business acumen, technology thinking and people leadership.
Anisha CHAND, 35 Partner, Khaitan & Co
A partner in the competition/antitrust law; and data privacy/protection practice groups in Mumbai, Anisha Chand says there is no one career milestone that deserves being singled out.
“While promotions, awards, and recognitions are noteworthy, it is the countless everyday triumphs that shape character, expertise and resilience,” she says. To this leader, her team is the foundation of her journey. “From conquering a challenging project alongside the team, to navigating setbacks, each step contributes to growth,” Chand says.
So even seemingly minor victories, like mastering a new skill or overcoming self-doubt, are together an embodiment of progress. It's the journey, with its highs and lows, that ultimately leads to the most meaningful and enduring milestones of all.
Shruti S RAJAN, 39 Partner, Trilegal
As a financial regulatory attorney, over the past one-and-a-half decades, Shruti S Rajan has advised on a diverse set of compliance issues, risk/ crisis management and market conduct enforcement. “Indian regulators have been leading the charge globally through their admirable leadership and by spearheading much-needed dynamism in the markets—there has truly never been a better time to be a part of this space,” she says.
One enduring achievement in her career has been building out scale and quality in a unique practice area, alongside a team of talented, motivated lawyers. “I’ve been lucky to have a team that trusts me with their careers and nothing, to me, can beat that sense of accomplishment,” she says. As a lawyer, success to her means having the trust of clients. “Honouring that trust through effort, through discretion and respect is what we all endeavour to do, everyday,” she says.
Nazneen JEHANGIR, 40 CEO, NeST Digital; Executive director, NeST Group
A second-generation entrepreneur with an engineering foundation, Nazneen Jehangir oversees the software, education and training endeavours of NeST Digital. “My role is to reimagine the company's evolution amidst drastic tech transformation,” she says. To this end, Jehangir deftly navigated the Covid-19 phase. Development of a cost-effective ventilator within 10 days by her engineering team bolstered the country's healthcare infrastructure during the pandemic.
While consolidating the software business under the new brand, NeST Digital, Jehangir revitalised its position in the tech industry, focusing on key sectors like healthcare, transportation, BFSI, GIS, industrial and energy. Its expansion into new regions, including the GCC countries and Japan, was one of the most impactful milestones of her career.
Garima BATRA, 39 Managing Director and Partner, BCG India
Garima Batra co-leads the education and skills practice at Boston Consulting Group India, focused on driving bold, large-scale reform in public schools, higher education and skilling. She has had two stints including her current role at the firm – both focused on building social impact. It was a measured choice.
“I have been at BCG for 15 years: 2005-11 and then 2014-now. I came back after quitting when an opportunity to support Haryana with large-scale public schools reform over three years came by,” she says.
Since then, she has focused her work on building her footprint. “This decision to return and grow social impact-oriented education work at BCG was a pivotal milestone,” Batra, who is an alumna of IIT-Delhi and INSEAD, says.
Harman DHILLON, 43 Vice President-Skincare, Cosmetics & Dove Masterbrand, Beauty & Well Being South Asia, Hindustan Unilever
The career trajectory of Harman Dhillon is that of a business leader and marketer, with a successful track record of launching and growing large portfolios in the beauty and personal care business. Her stints and assignments have been focused on local and global experience, covering South Asia, North America and Europe. Dhillon says she is passionate about transforming businesses, building brands with purpose while continuously reinventing ways to create engagement between businesses, consumers and society.
Some of her most “enriching” career experiences have been building a winning portfolio in haircare vs. formidable global and local competitors, which entailed launching new brands in India and bringing them to scale (Dove, Tresemme), developing new formats and segments in the market and empowering point of views for brands like Dove (Stop The Beauty Test) and Clinic Plus (Meri Beti Strong), which has proven that there is no better model than the Unilever mantra of ‘companies with purpose last and brands with purpose grow’, she says.
Ajaita SHAH, 38 Founder and CEO, Frontier Markets
A social entrepreneur and activist with 18 years of experience in rural business in India, Ajaita Shah has worked with more than 5,000 villages in India and delivered 50 million solutions to the rural doorsteps. Through Frontier Markets, she has built a rural social commerce platform, offering an essential lastmile connection to rural households, working with and for women.
“I saw the demand for quality products and services that could improve the lives of rural families. This motivated me to create a platform that respected them as valued customers and enabled economic empowerment for over 800 million rural consumers,” says Shah, who is an alumna of the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
In January 2023, Shah created ‘SheLeads Bharat’ — a holistic shared action initiative through which corporations, NGOs, governments, funders and investors work together to create longterm income opportunities for rural women and their communities.
Neha KANT, 41 Founder, Clovia
After a decade of corporate experience, Neha Kant decided to start on her own in the year 2013 to “redefine an industry”. Kant’s objective was to address the gap in the lingerie market in India that operated with minimal number of sizes, fits and customer assistance. “With Clovia, I meant to help every woman find comfortable yet fashionable underwear in her right size and fit,” she says. Kant, who is an alumna of Miranda House, Delhi University, has managed to build Clovia into a household brand that has since been acquired by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail in a ` 950-crore deal.
Looking back, Kant says at Clovia, her biggest challenge was the users’ lack of understanding of their own bra cup sizing. A lot of education and assistance was required. “We created our own "Clovia's Fit Test" that asks the consumer five questions about their body shape basis which our unique algorithm recommended the best size and fit for them,” she says. “Today, over 7 lakh women have taken this test, enriching our fit data and helping us create the bestseller fits loved by over 40 lakh women all over India,” she adds.
Mahima CHUGH, 39 Partner, McKinsey & Co
As a leader at McKinsey, Mahima Chugh works with leading global and domestic companies across consumer, retail and technology sectors. She advises founders and CEOs on driving organic growth, entering new businesses, profit improvement and identifying the right M&A opportunities.
She has deep expertise in crafting portfolio strategy and driving digital transformation to elevate customer experience and enhance organisation decision making.
Chugh believes that this is not just India’s decade but India’s century and being at the centre of this tremendous opportunity is what she finds incredibly exciting. She says one of her most cherished career milestones is the opportunity to help younger colleagues realise their full potential and achieve success, an experience she calls very rewarding. While Chugh derives immense pride and joy from her clients and colleagues’ achievements, her own success mantra is to stay grounded, work hard and periodically go off the grid to explore the Himalayas.
Ghazal ALAGH, 34 Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Honasa Consumer
A corporate trainer turned artist and entrepreneur, Ghazal Alagh co-founded Mamaearth where she spearheads innovation, community, and new brand initiatives. She works closely with a large number of consumers, and mom-communities, who are central to the innovation strategy, and are pivotal in the product development life cycle.
Alagh says her overarching vision is to make this world a better place through purposedriven brands that solve consumer concerns and serve a greater purpose.
A bachelor’s in information technology and intensive courses in modern art, design and applied arts from New York Academy of Arts, she started her career with NIIT as a corporate trainer followed by pursuing art and her entrepreneurial journey with two ventures before Mamaearth. The decision to be purpose-driven and strive to make an impact has been pivotal in her journey.
Geetha SRINIVASA, 44 Managing Director, Ecolab India
As the MD of Ecolab India, Geetha Srinivasa assumes a pivotal role in advancing the company's holistic vision and strategic roadmap, with a passion for igniting growth and ensuring the fulfilment of Ecolab India’s ambitious 2030 impact goals.
Her strengths: championing talent development, diversity and inclusivity, which have led to effective team -building, resulting in high employee engagement and business growth.
She has spearheaded Ecolab's efforts towards saving 35.8 million litres of water in the last three years.
Passionate about the preservation of nature, she actively supports conservation efforts through her hobbies of wildlife and nature photography. Her future goal is to make an impact on climate change and drive transformative solutions in the space.
Navneet CHAHAL, 37 Partner, Bain & Company
Navneet Chahal is a partner in the Consumer Products and Retail Practice at Bain and a leader in the Digital Insurgents Practice. She has worked in Bain’s London, Shanghai, Dubai and India offices. She leads Bain’s Digital Marketing arm FRWD in India and is the Lead for People Initiatives at Bain India.
A few of her career milestones include being a founding member of Bain’s Bangalore office, leaving Bain for a seed stage start-up and coming back to help build consumer tech practice at Bain India; being a Partner in Consumer Products & Retail Practice.
She says the best advice she ever got is to think long-term. “The best gains in wealth and career come from compounding. Inculcate a positive sum mindset. Celebrate your uniqueness – have the courage to be disliked. Hold onto your kids – be present. Read More at https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/epaper/delhicapital/2023/oct/12/forging-a-new-path/articleshow/104354849.cms
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