Hurun honours top Indian women leaders of 2025: Shanti Ekambaram, Radha Vembu, Roshni Nadar lead the way – Industry News

Shanti Ekambaram, Deputy Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank, leads the list of women professionals in India with her company valued at Rs 3.81 lakh crore. Parminder Chopra, Chairperson & Managing Director of Power Finance Corp followed her in the list with her company valued at Rs 1.44 lakh crore

Candere and Hurun India have released the inaugural edition of the 2025 Candere Hurun India Women Leaders List, recognising 97 inspiring Indian women who are driving change across sectors like finance, technology, philanthropy, arts, and start-ups.

The Top 10 Women Professionals are ranked based on the valuation of the companies they lead, focusing on market leaders.

Radha Vembu leads the list of first-generation women wealth creators

In the first generational wealth creation category, Radha Vembu, Co-founder of Zoho, tops the list with a personal wealth of Rs 55,300 crore. She has also appeared in the India Rich List 2024, Global Rich List 2024, and Philanthropy List 2024.

Jayshree Ullal, CEO of Arista Networks, follows her in this category with a personal wealth of Rs 48,900 crore.

The Top 10 First-Generation Women Wealth Creators category features women who have built self-made wealth. The list is determined by considering business valuations, investment assets, and lifestyle assets.

Roshni Nadar tops next-gen women leaders list

In another list of next-generation women leaders, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCL Technologies, ranked first. Under her leadership, HCLTech has driven global expansion, operating in 60 countries with a revenue of Rs. 1.11 lakh crore.

In March 2025, Shiv Nadar gifted 47 per cent of HCL shares to Roshni Nadar Malhotra, making her the majority shareholder and elevating her to the position of India’s third-richest individual and the world’s fifth-richest woman.

Mumbai leads as hub of women leadership

With 38 of the featured women based in Mumbai, the city has emerged as India’s biggest centre for female leadership. Delhi and Bengaluru follow with 12 and 10 leaders respectively.

Young Indian women are stepping into leadership roles early. The average age of the women on the list is 51 years. Around 25 per cent of them are between 26 and 35 years.

Influencers and youngest achievers shine

Mrunal Panchal, aged 26 and founder of MRUCHA Beauty, tops the influencer founder category with 5.5 million Instagram followers.

Shraddha Kapoor, the most followed celebrity investor, leads with 94.1 million Instagram followers. She has invested in brands like MyGlamm and Shunya.

Devanshi Kejriwal, 28, co-founder of Skillmatics, is the youngest business leader on the list.

On the other end, 87-year-old artist Arpita Singh is the oldest honouree, proving that creativity and influence have no age limit.

Rohini Nilekani stands out in philanthropy, having donated Rs 154 crore through her foundation.

Financial services lead sector-wise

The financial services sector has the most representation with 23 women, followed by consumer goods (18) and healthcare (14).

Among universities, Delhi University (13 women) and Mumbai University (9) are the most common undergraduate alma maters. At the postgraduate level, Harvard University (5) and Stanford University (4) top the list.

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}