Bharat’s Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman stands on the 32nd position in the Forbes’ list of world’s most
powerful women that featured US Vice President Kamala Harris and the Era’s Tour
Popstar Taylor Swift.
Additionally, other three spots have
been held by the women of Bharat, namely HCL Corporation CEO Roshni Nadar
Malhotra (rank 60), Steel Authority of India Chairperson Soma Mondal (rank 70)
and the Biocon Founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (rank 76).
European Commission Chief Ursula von der
Leyen came on top of the list followed by European Central Bank boss Christine
Lagarde at the second position with US Vice President Kamala Harris on the
third place and Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni on the fourth place.
The Forbes’ list of influential women
extends globally and is representative of sectors like politics, business,
media and entertainment.
The decision of the rankings, however are
based on money, media presence and respective spheres of influence.
Forbes’ list highlights key global
issues such as reproductive autonomy, girls’ education, gender-based violence
protection, and climate policy, emphasizing the fight for women’s rights and
well-being, especially in lower-income economies.
Sitharaman joined office as the first
full-time Finance Minister in May 2019 and is also the head of the Corporate
Affairs Ministry.
Formerly, she has held roles at UK’s
Agricultural Engineers Association and BBC World Service before walking the
field of politics, said Forbes. She has also been a member of the National
Commission for Women.
Sitharaman has played a pivotal role in
Indian politics and her contributions range to policy making, GDP and
population considerations.
Malhotra, daughter of the HCL founder
and industrialist Shiv Nadar, is responsible for all strategic decisions for
the company, Forbes said. She took over the role from her father in July 2020.
Mondal, having assumed the role in 2021,
has led the steelmaker to record immense financial growth, her profile read.
The firm’s profits record a surge of nearly threefold from her first year of
leadership.
Forbes described Mazumdar-Shaw as one of
Bharat’s richest self-made women. She had founded the biopharmaceutical firm
Biocon in 1978, which has Asia’s largest insulin factory in Malaysia’s Johor
region.
NE Watch Desk
