Women’s Day is not only about celebrating women from different walks of life but also about celebrating the very essence of womanhood. In this feature, we talk about women who have risen above their genders and carved a niche for themselves and society.
Arundhati Bhattacharya
She is the most talented Indian women among the most powerful women on the planet. She had joined the state bank of India when she was only 21 years old and today she leads the 200-year-old bank!
She is not only the achiever as the first chairperson to lead the bank, but also the youngest person to rich this position.
She was born in Bhilai and graduated from Jadavpur University. She converted her first job into her passion and now she is an icon for every banker in the country. Under her guidance, a digital banking outlet with all services under one roof is possible.
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
She is a self-made woman, who worked hard and transformed a small industrial enzymes company into India’s largest publicly traded biopharmaceutical company. She was from Banglore and started her career as a trainee brewer in Carlton & Beverages, before joining Biocon Biochemicals Limited of Ireland as a trainee manager.It was her hard work and her research that turned the company into the first Indian biotech company to receive US funding for proprietary technology. Today, Biocon is a pioneer in the field of biopharmaceuticals and clinical research. It distributes its products in 85 countries.
She is also involved with philanthropic activities through CSR wing, has established the Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Centre in Banglore and supports the Arogya Rakhsha Yojna.
Chanda Kochhar
She is ranked 40 on the top list. She is Chief Executive of ICICI Bank Ltd., Private sector bank. She was born in Jodhpur in Rajasthan. She was a brilliant student and was dreaming to become IAS officer. She received the Wockhardt Gold Medal for Excellence in Management studies as well as the J. N. Bose Gold Medal in Cost Accountancy for the highest marks in the same year.
Kochhar has led a remarkable transformation at India’s largest private sector bank, which experienced major setbacks after the 2008 financial crisis. Mobile banking is one of her pet projects and a bid to retain female staff, she has launched “iwork@home”, which allows employees to work from home for a year.
Shobhana Bhartia
Shobhana Bhartia is ranked no. 93 and makes her debut on the Forbes list with her impressive work as the chairperson of Hindustan Times Media. She is the daughter of renowned industrialist KK Birla and granddaughter of GD Birla. Shobhana Bhartia inherited a newspaper that was started with the intention of helping with the freedom struggle in pre-independence India. She spent time in each department of the publication before taking on the top job. She was married to Shyam Bhartia of the Jubilant Bhartia Group.
Revolutionizing the business, Bhartia started several news supplements, including ones on lifestyle, fashion, and bard. She also received the first ever foreign direct investments in the Indian newspaper industry. Today, HT Media is the 13th largest media company in India in terms of market capitalization, with interests ranging from newspapers and radio stations to online job portals and education.
Inspiring Women Achievers Who Made Our Country Proud
