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
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
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
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 t
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 w
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 pass
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 foo
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
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 establish
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 cont