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Made in India, sold worldwide: How India is becoming an export hub for passenger vehicles

https://www.forbesindia.com/article/take-one-big-story-of-the-day/made-in-india-sold-worldwide-how-india-is-becoming-an-export-hub-for-passenger-vehicles/94449/1

https://www.forbesindia.com/article/explainers/most-liked-posts-instagram/88159/1

Photo of the day: BTS' J-Hope returns to civilian life

https://www.forbesindia.com/article/photo-of-the-day/photo-of-the-day-bts-jhope-returns-to-civilian-lifes/94413/1

https://www.forbesindia.com/article/explainers/drone-stocks-india/93461/1

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W power list 2025

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Meet India's Top Self-Made Women of 2025

The number of women working with international organisations

Age of D Gukesh, youngest World Chess Champion and youngest listee

Anamika Khanna

In 2007, Anamika Khanna made history as the first Indian designer invited to showcase her collection at Paris Fashion Week, a feat that brought her international recognition. The designer, who began her career with one sewing machine, eventually gained popularity for her innovative approach to blending traditional Indian textiles and hand embroidery techniques with modern silhouettes and aesthetics. Today, she retails from five flagship stores and 20 multi-brand outlets and has a global presence in countries including the UK, the US, and the UAE. Bollywood actresses such as Sonam Kapoor and Alia Bhatt and foreign celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Shakira have all worn Khanna’s designs.

creative director and founder, Anamika Khanna and AK|OK

Gita Gopinath

Gita Gopinath has made a mark in the area of global finance and macroeconomics. She influences critical policy decisions in trade, investment, debt, and interest rates.  She started her career as an assistant professor at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and later at Harvard University’s economics department. She has written a wide range of research articles on policy issues and financial crises in developed and emerging markets, and served as the IMF’s first woman chief economist, bringing her experience and skills to help navigate the global economic crisis unleashed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

first deputy managing director, International Monetary Fund

Kaku Nakhate

With nearly three decades of experience in India's financial services sector, Kaku Nakhate has been instrumental in closing some of the biggest deals in Indian corporate history. Currently, she oversees strategy and direction at Bank of America NA (BANA) as its India CEO. Previously, she worked at JP Morgan as vice chairman of India operations and held senior positions in global markets and equities at DSP Merrill Lynch for over 18 years. In FY24, BANA India's profit before tax rose by 60 percent year-on-year (y-o-y), one of the highest among foreign banks in India, for two consecutive years; it also achieved 28 percent y-o-y growth, the highest among the top 10 foreign banks in India.

India chief executive officer, Bank of America, N.A. (BANA)

Leena Nair

Leena Nair began her career as a management trainee at Hindustan Unilever. As its CHRO, she was responsible for 150,000 employees. In January 2022, she became the global CEO of Chanel, making her the only woman of colour leading a major international luxury brand. Under Nair’s leadership, Chanel has continued to thrive as the second-largest luxury brand by revenue, reaching $19.7 billion in 2023, a 16 percent increase from the previous year. She has also championed sustainability and renewable energy efforts and increased the Chanel Foundation’s funding to $100 million annually, supporting women and girls in their professional aspirations.

global chief executive officer, Chanel

number of women on the list

Manu Bhaker

Manu Bhaker went from the cusp of quitting to making history—she is the only Indian to have won multiple medals in a single edition of the Olympics. The 23-year-old shooter was the standout performer in India’s somewhat disappointing medals tally in the 2024 Games, winning two bronze medals in shooting and coming agonisingly close to another (finishing fourth in her third event). Like the sprint legend Usain Bolt, who won eight gold medals across three Olympics, Bhaker, too, would like to extend her domination across multiple Games. 

Shooter

The number of sportspersons on the list

Mira Kulkarni

In her mid-40s, Mira Kulkarni converted her passion into a business idea and started Forest Essentials out of her home with an investment of Rs 2 lakh and just two employees. The brand gradually expanded its range of products and forayed into supplying hotel amenities at luxury hotels and spas. In the first seven to 10 years, the company did not spend money on marketing or advertising and relied on word-of-mouth publicity to establish its credibility. Today, it is a debt-free $1 billion luxury ayurvedic skin and haircare brand. Global cosmetics giant Estee Lauder has invested an undisclosed amount into the company.

founder and managing director, Forest Essentials

Mona Khandhar

Mona Khandhar, a 1996 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), is known for getting work done on complex assignments. She’s the first woman to serve as the principal secretary of the Department of Science and Technology in Gujarat. She is working on implementing the Global Capability Centre (GCC) Policy 2025-30 in the state, which aims to attract around 250 new facilities, and the Gujarat Semiconductor Policy 2022-2027. As part of implementing the Semiconductor Policy, she is overseeing upcoming projects worth Rs 1.24 lakh crore, including the establishment of factories by Micron Technologies, Tata Electronics, CG Power and Industrial Solutions and Kaynes Technology.

principal secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Gujarat

Payal Kapadia

Mumbai-born Payal Kapadia, who studied at the Film and Television Institute of India, began by making documentaries and short films, and has now earned global recognition as a filmmaker. Her debut feature film, All We Imagine As Light, won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival—a first for any Indian director. It was also in the running for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes along with a nomination for Kapadia for Best Director. Among several other international accolades and critical acclaim in India, it was even nominated for the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA).

Filmmaker

Dr Pratima Murthy

Dr Pratima Murthy is the second woman, and the first female psychiatrist, to command the top post of India’s largest mental health institution in 50 years. She became the director of the centrally funded institute in 2021, when the world was in the throes of Covid-19. She is presently steering the second edition of the National Mental Health Survey across all states and Union Territories, which will be published in 2026. She has fostered international collaborations and research opportunities for Nimhans; worked to improve patient care and access to services; and helped the institute receive the 2024 Nelson Mandela Award for Health Promotion from the WHO. 

director, NIMHANS

number of categories this year

Prerna Singh

Having risen through the ranks on merit, Prerna Singh has held top positions at esteemed media and film companies, including Reliance Big Pictures and Balaji Motion Pictures, managing business, finance, branding, and marketing. Her film journey began with Paa (2009) when she was vice president, marketing and media, at Reliance Big Pictures. At her current stint with Bhansali Productions, Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022), one of the early box office hits post the pandemic, was among her first successes. Recently, she was the executive producer of Heeramandi, a show that became the most-watched Indian series on Netflix in the first week of its release in May 2024.

chief executive officer, Bhansali Productions

The number of women from the entertainment sector

PV Sindhu

PV Sindhu is one of India’s most decorated Olympians who has inspired a generation to take up badminton, and is now building her academy to nurture the next. With two Olympic medals (in 2016 and 2021) and a World Championship—a feat that hasn’t been matched by any Indian shuttler—she’s also the highest-paid female athlete in India in 2024 (according to a Forbes list), earning over Rs60 crore in endorsements in the calendar year. She also won the Syed Modi International 2024 in December. 

Badminton player

Renuka Ramnath

In a career spanning over three decades, Renuka Ramnath has shaped the country’s financial landscape and played a key role in the incubation and growth of business ventures across sectors. She founded Multiples PE, becoming one of the few women to successfully break into a male-dominated industry. Since 2009, as per Multiples PE, it has raised around $3 billion and has invested across six key sectors in more than 30 companies, such as Licious, PVR Cinemas, and others. In February, the alternative asset management company said it had acquired a controlling stake in software development company QBurst for around $200 million, marking its first investment in the technology space.

founder, managing director, and chief executive officer, Multiples Alternate Asset Management

Rohini Iyer

Breaking into a male-dominated, unstructured industry as an outsider, Rohini Iyer carved her own path, making Raindrop Media one of the most influential publicity firms in Bollywood. From Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Katrina Kaif to Anil Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor, Raindrop has worked with all the A-listers. Over the past two decades, she has transformed a single company into a thriving network of businesses. Her latest venture, Rain Reign Talent, aims to create more global opportunities for homegrown talent. She’s also set to launch her own OTT and film production company focussed on bringing Indian storytelling to a worldwide audience.

founder and director, Rain Reign Group 

Savitha Balachandran

Savitha Balachandran’s journey with the Tata Group spans two decades where she has straddled roles in diverse fields such as business, finance, and strategy transformation. At 27, she was the youngest head of investor relations at Tata Motors in the 2000s. In 2020, she was appointed the chief financial officer at Tata Technologies, the first woman to helm the role in 31 years since the company was established. She also led the company's initial public offering (IPO) in 2023, the Tata Group's first listing in over 19 years, an accomplishment she considers the biggest in her career so far. 

chief financial officer, Tata Technologies

number of new categories—AI

Shefali Goradia

Shefali Goradia, a gold medallist when she qualified for her chartered accountancy, has worked with firms big and small, making her way up to partner and chairperson. She’s the first woman to chair a Big Four firm in India. She also leads the Global Boardroom Program for the region, which involves engaging with a community of independent directors and board members of India Inc. to help better equip them with insights into effective governance and proactive leadership and deal with challenges, new age ones and otherwise.

chairperson, Deloitte South Asia

The number of jury members

Smriti Mandhana

In 2024, Smriti Mandhana was the year’s highest scorer in ODIs (one-day internationals) and T20Is (747 and 763 runs, respectively), as well as the most prolific run-getter—her aggregate of 1,659 runs across three formats (Test included) was the highest ever scored by a woman cricketer in a year. The same year, she won the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award, making her the first Indian to win it twice. In 2024 alone, she added 15 deals to her portfolio, leading to a 50 percent rise in her earnings year-on-year. 

Cricketer

Sonal Desai

Sonal Desai has played a significant role in managing global macro strategies at Franklin Templeton, which exceeded $200 billion in total assets under management during her tenure. She’s the first woman chief investment officer at the company, known for her contrarian bets. She’s responsible for overseeing teams such as multi-sector, global (including developed and emerging markets), corporate credit, securitised products, municipal bonds, stable value, local asset management and short-term liquid markets fixed income teams. She is also a portfolio manager for a diverse range of strategies, including core plus, multi-sector and global aggregate fixed income, showcasing her versatility and depth of expertise.

chief investment officer, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income

Sonia Dasgupta

In a career spanning over 25 years, Sonia Dasgupta has led JM Financial to groundbreaking transactions. She has held key leadership positions at the company, including head of FIG (financial institution group) coverage, head of M&A origination, and head of group borrowings at the organisation. Under her leadership, JM Financial’s ECM (equity capital market) closed 42 deals cumulatively, raising approximately Rs88,996 crore in 2024. The year was strong for JM Financial in M&A and PE transactions, with 17 deals worth over Rs41,800 crore across various sectors, including financial services, industrials, consumer, pharma & healthcare, and digital and technology.

managing director and chief executive officer-investment banking, JM Financial

Sunidhi Chauhan

Since 1999, Sunidhi Chauhan has recorded more than 2,500 songs in over 10 languages—with some blockbuster hits like ‘Mehboob Mere’, ‘Chhaliya’, ‘Aaja Nachle’, ‘Desi Girl’, ‘Sheila ki Jawani’— and has worked with some of the best music composers and music directors, including AR Rahman, Vishal-Shekhar, Salim-Suleiman, and Anirudh Ravichander. But, even after spending 28 accomplished years in the industry, Chauhan hasn’t lost her hunger, which is evident from her recent forays—of making independent music videos that garner a million views and rolling out her own concert tours.

Singer

Vishakha Mulye

Vishakha Mulye is one of the few self-made professionals in the corporate world. She joined ICICI Bank after completing her chartered accountancy and rose to become the executive director on the board of ICICI Bank. She is hands-on in leadership and strategic decisions at both ICICI Bank and as the CEO at Aditya Birla Capital Limited. Under her leadership, the net interest income of the housing finance (HFC) business at ABCL stands at Rs290 crore for Q3FY25 from Rs148 crore in Q1FY23, and the HFC loan book has grown by 2.2 times to Rs26,714 crore from Rs12,049 crore in the same period.