Category: Most Influential Women

LADY OF THE RULES

When you have a parent who is a famous jurist and most of your dinner table conversations revolve around the on-going legal cases, it is quite natural to pick up the finer nuances of the art and go on to become a prolific lawyer.

Zia Mody, the daughter of the former Attorney General, Soli Sorabjee did the same and went on to become an incontrovertible leader of the corporate law in India. She is a principal authority on corporate merger and acquisition law as Managing Partner of AZB Partners, which deals the Tatas, the Ambanis and the Birlas.

Mody’s commitment to her work is admirable and her clients swear by her legal acumen and work ethics. Mody is one of the very few women in India who went abroad to study in the celebrated Harvard Law School.

But it was after returning to India that Mody faced the bitter truth. The male dominant courtroom was not very hospitable to the women folks. Mody faced the challenge head-on. She got driven by her immense desire to succeed and make a mark.

Gradually the lady, through her determination and hard work, has reached a milestone, and in our day stands at the epitome of success.

OWNER OF SJM HOLDINGS

Angela Leong On-Kei learnt how to survive at an early age of 13 when her father expired. She is very emotional about the days she used to be a dance member of a Chinese dance troupe, where by choice she would practice and dance even if she would be hurt or some skin would come off her feet.

Developing a firm belief in herself at a young age, she turned down an offer from Guangdong Television as it involved a five-year contract. Today, we know her as the wealthiest woman in Hong Kong and the fourth wife of Stanley Ho; however, she has experienced her share of struggle in life by doing four jobs at a given point of time.

She is an informed woman who keeps track of the economy and knows how to draw financial benefits out of the current scenario. It was this presence of mind which made her comprehend that Stanley Ho is a learned man and he can only be understood through business.

She has a great vision for the future, where she sees Macau transforming into a financial hub in Hong Kong, providing immense employment opportunities in the process.

DONNING SEVERAL HATS

Vinita Bali is currently serving as Director at Titan Industries, Piramal Glass and CRISIL, and as Non-Executive Director at Syngenta. She is the former Managing Director of Britannia Industries Limited and a prominent businesswoman who did not plan her career in the corporate world, yet is one of the important names in the industries across the globe.

She has worked in six countries and five continents, and has travelled to nearly 65 countries. She is considered a transformational business leader who turned several businesses around, such as Cadbury in Nigeria and South Africa, and Coke in Latin America. She showed the same leadership and vision while working with Britannia.

Her career path has been unconventional, interesting and different. She launched Rasna, the fruit drink concentrate while working with her first employer Voltas; then went to US on a fully-paid scholarship while working with Cadbury and experienced the eclectic nature of education there; then launched Wispa, world’s first aerated chocolate; then joined Coca Cola in some exciting and challenging roles; came back to a dynamic, vibrant and optimistic India after 16 years of overseas assignments to work with Britannia; and finally left Britannia to pursue her interests elsewhere.

She chose to retire as she wanted to move from one fulltime role to full-time many roles.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Her strength with numbers and analysis helped late SS Nadkarni (then IDBI Chairman) personally select her as the only woman in a team of five people who established National Stock Exchange (NSE) in 1992. After 23 years of undivided attention and hard work, she took over at the corner room of the exchange she nurtured initially, becoming the first woman to head the top bourse in India.

In the beginning, people were really skeptical about the team, as they thought the core team is chasing a dream that would never become a reality. On the other hand, Ramkrishna and four other technocrats took this as an opportunity to experiment without having the burden of expectations on their head. This free-minded yet focused team gave India its leading stock exchange.

The serious struggle came in the year 1992 itself when stock markets witnessed a bruising scandal by Harshad Mehta, leaving behind dicey and frightened traders.

However, the team moved on resolutely. Chitra Ramkrishna played a key role in shaping NSE to have emerged as world’s largest bourse in equity segment with the maximum number of trade in September, 2014. The success of the exchange can be gauged from the fact that the daily average turnover for equities has increased from 17 crore from 135 companies in 1995 to 12,179 crore from 1,672 companies in 2015; NSE is an inspiring case study for many.

Chitra strongly believes that more ordinary people should be able to prosper and draw benefit out of the stock market boom. With a vision to build the best stock market possible, she has a long way to go!

FAIR PRINCESS

Fan Bingbing’s amiable beauty and classy persona have maintained her reputation as a leading Chinese actress for more than a decade. Currently working as a producer, Fan Bingbing has built her career with the likes of the mega-hit TV series, My Fair Princess.

Her smash hit movie Cell Phone, which was the highest-grossing Chinese film in 2003, has made her a familiar face across the region. She has featured in more than 30 films, and carefully picks assorted roles in a variety of genres, focusing on unconventional and challenging roles. In no time, she became a regular at the world’s leading film festivals representing all that is good about the modern Chinese movie world.

In 2005, she released her first studio album Just Begun, which received a huge response. Her entrepreneurial endeavors saw her take the role of the founder of Fan Bingbing Studio in 2007. She went on producing her TV show, The Empress of China, which is supposed to be the most expensive Chinese series in history. The observers just cannot ignore her alluring appeal and natural beauty on screen.

WOMAN ON A MISSION

Mira Nair made headlines in the film industry with the release of her movie Monsoon Wedding. It was a low-budget movie shot in India, inspired by Indian middle-class weddings. This movie not only fetched her $30 million, but also made Mira Nair a household name.

Monsoon Wedding won the Golden Lion award in 2001 at the Venice Film Festival, and thrust the Indian-origin director to limelight. A pioneer in her field, she is one of the few well-researched directors left in the industry. She starts working on ideas only when she is able to connect with them.

Mira Nair is a passion-driven director who not only excels in her profession, but also makes sure that she is doing her part towards the society. Her first feature film Salaam Bombay was based on kids struggling to survive on the streets of Mumbai; she picked up non-actors from the slums of Mumbai and polished them to suit the screen. After the movie, she founded the “Salaam Baalak Trust” to provide a sensitive and caring environment to working street children in Delhi.

This big-eyed woman is rising high in her starry career.

JEWEL OF ARABIA

She was born in a country where women’s rights are still in an appalling state, and women are not permitted to drive or leave the country without their husband’s consent. But Lubna Olayan has braved all odds to become one of the most influential business women of the Middle East.

She heads one of the Saudi Arabia’s biggest firms, the Olayan Financing Company. The group operates more than 40 companies across the region and is one of the biggest investors in local stock markets that cater to the Saudi Arabia’s economy in sectors like oilfield services, steel and fast food.

A bachelor from Cornell University, Olayan dons many hats. She is the first woman to be elected as a board member in the Saudi Hollandi Bank, and made history by being the first Saudi woman to speak at a major Saudi conference. She is also a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum and is on the board of trustees of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

Although Olayan has gained much popularity for her business acumen, social causes remain close to her heart. She believes that grassroots organisations have the energy to bring about change in the society and they can address key social issues and taboos in a manner that no other group can. Olayan also supports the advancement of Saudi women in business, for which she has set up the Olayan National Women’s Action for Recruitment and Development.

She is one of the few personalities in Saudi Arabia, who have encouraged the women to come out of the oblivion. Her contribution to her society makes her the real gem of the Arab world.

THE POSTER GIRL OF TENNIS

Young confident, beautiful and famous – Sania Mirza is a star in every sense! She is one of those few tennis idols who can give the top Bollywood actresses a run for their money. The lady is a perfect embodiment of brain and beauty. She is the first Indian to become No. 1 in women’s doubles category in the sports of tennis, has won several tournaments before her retirement from singles in 2013, and is one of the highest-paid sportspersons in India.

At a tender age of six, Mirza already exhibited an excellent grip on the tennis racket, and when she was a month shy of 16, went on to create history by bagging her first international accolade, a mixed doubles bronze, along with Leander Paes at the Asian Games in Busan, 2000. She is the first Indian woman to win WTA doubles and singles titles (the AP Tourism Hyderabad Open in 2004 and 2005 respectively), several Grand Slams, climb to the top 50 in singles, and earn more than $1 million.

Long a trailblazer, Mirza’s achievements look all the more exemplary in the Indian context where cricket is the most worshipped sport.
In just over a decade, Mirza has become a sensation in the history of tennis. She is indeed one of the best things that happened to India!

THE TELECOM QUEEN

As the Chairperson of the telecom giant Huawei since 1999, Sun Yafang has got her name registered in the list of the most powerful women executives. But she relatively had a humble beginning when she joined Xin Fei TV Manufactory as a technician in 1982. She meticulously went on scripting success stories one after another. Later, she moved on to Huawei in 1989 and became the Chairwoman of the Corporation in 1999.

Huawei is one of the fast-growing tech companies, has made people take notice by outfitting phone and data networks worldwide, and in a very less time has established itself as a reckoned name in the mobile industry.

The firm has made the most of a cheap labour force, state-sponsored finance packages, and steadfast commitment to R&D.

Reclusive in the past and media shy, she has kept a very low profile, these days Yafang is coming forward to speak to people and reveal much about her plans and strategies.

MOUTHPIECE OF WOMEN’S ISSUES

The First Lady of Afghanistan and a women’s rights activist, Rula Ghani continues to be the mouthpiece of women’s rights across Afghanistan. Being the wife of Ashraf Ghani, President of Afghanistan, she utilizes the opportunity and works for women’s causes, and has become the country’s first presidential spouse in decades to be seen and heard in public.

Her views on violence against women, rule of law and power of religion have many a time landed her into serious trouble. Often attacked by her husband’s political enemies of being a non-Muslim, she continues her work to facilitate and celebrate womanhood in Afghanistan.

Rula Ghani strongly believes that Afghanistan is going through a profound change. She believes that she has answered the need of a public counselor close to the heart of the government by being accessible – unlike the previous First Ladies of Afghanistan – to common women and men. She feels her purpose accomplished when she witnesses hundreds of women stepping in the wood-paneled meeting room seeking advice on diverse issues, and then leaving composed.

This highly educated, eloquent and evidently passionate lady is equally careful to state her opinion in public. Rula Ghani really appreciates the socially knitted structure in Afghanistan despite 25 years of civil war, thus making her believe in traditional values even more.