Six Indians have been named to Forbes’ annual list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, and Nykaa founder Falguni Nayar.
Sitharaman, who is ranked 36, has made the list for the fourth time in a row. The 63-year-old minister was ranked 37th on the list in 2021, after being 41st in 2020 and 34th in 2019.
HCLTech Chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra (rank: 53), Securities And Exchange Board Of India (SEBI) Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch (rank: 54), and Steel Authority Of India Chairperson Soma Mondal are the other Indians on the list (rank: 67).
Last year, Malhotra, Mazumdar-Shaw, and Nayar were ranked 52nd, 72nd, and 88th on the prestigious list, respectively.
According to the Forbes list released on Tuesday, Mazumdar-Shaw is ranked 72 this year, while Nayar is ranked 89.
1. Nirmala Sitaraman, Union Finance Minister, is ranked 36 for the fourth time in a row.
2. HCLTech Chairperson Roshini Nadar Malhotra has been ranked 53rd.
3. Madhabi Puri Buch, the Chairperson of India’s Securities and Exchange Board (SEBI), is ranked 54th on the list.
4. Soma Mondal, Chairperson of India’s Steel Authority, is ranked 67.
Mazumdar-Shaw, the executive chairman and founder of Biocon Limited and Biocon Biologics Limited, is ranked number 72.
Falguni Sanjay Nayar, the founder and CEO of Nykaa, a beauty and lifestyle retailer, is ranked 89th.
There are 39 CEOs on the list, 10 heads of state, and 11 billionaires worth a total of USD 115 billion.
The Forbes list highlighted Nayar’s profile, noting that the 59-year-old businessman “For over two decades, I worked as an investment banker, leading IPOs and assisting other entrepreneurs in achieving their goals. She decided to work for herself in 2012, investing USD 2 million of her own money to start the beauty and retail company Nykaa. She went public in 2021, becoming India’s richest self-made woman “.