International Women's Day: From Indra Nooyi to Chanda Kochhar, five women who reached pinnacle in corporate world

“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping-stone to greatness”- Oprah Winfrey.

The International Women’s Day is round the corner, and once again its time that we acknowledge the women of our society who have made it big in terms of life even when the society tried its best to bring them down.

A mother, a daughter, a wife, a home-maker, a teacher, a student, a sister, and a friend, a woman portrays many roles in her lifetime. From a pampered daughter to a loving wife, and to an exceptionally giving mother, a woman’s life witnesses many steps before completing her womanhood.

Working their way up from the society, breaking rules and proving that nothing can stop them, women have always achieved great heights. Be it politics, entertainment, industry, media, or any other sector, women have never stepped back.

The International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8 every year, commemorates the social, economical, cultural and political achievements of women from all over the world. The day became a recognized annual event in the list of the United Nations (UN) since 1908.

In spite of several atrocities like rape, murder, physical assault, domestic violence, mental assault, insecurity at the workplace, biasedness between men and women, and many other atrocities, the Indian continent celebrates the women’s day with equal zeal.

Every year a theme is set for the International Women’s Day, and this year’s theme is Press for Progress. On account of this day, here is a look at the 5 influential businesswomen and powerful CEO’s of some of the Indian industrial sectors.

1. Chanda Kochhar

Chanda Kochhar is the CEO of the ICICI bank. She joined the company as a management trainee in 1984, and continued to shine, until she became the CEO of the company in 2009. Featured in ‘The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’ list by Forbes, Kochhar’s tenure at the bank until now has given a growth of around 30 per cent to 40 per cent in a financial year.

2. Indra Nooyi

Indra Nooyi is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo. PepsiCo’s main businesses include Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola. With nearly $63 billion in annual net revenue, Nooyi has changed the face of the company. Nooyi became the President of the company in October 200, and since then the company has had a massive heights in its production. From focusing on profits, to giving a healthy way of eating and consuming sodas, Nooyi’s ideas have benefitted the company in an enormous way.

3. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

One of India’s self-made women Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is the founder and owner of biopharma firm Biocon. She founded the company in 1978, which makes a range of generics to treat diseases, especially autoimmune diseases, diabetes and cancer. Shaw’s company is Asia’s largest unsulin producer, with a factory in Malaysia’s Johor region. Shaw was awarded the French’s highest civilian honor, the Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur, for her outstanding contribution to bioscience.

4. Shobhana Bhartia

Shobhana Bhartia serves as the chairperson and editorial director of India’s largest listed media company HT Media Private Limited, the publisher of the English and Hindi language dailies Hindustan Times and HT Mumbai, along with the business paper, Mint. Under her tenure, the company gained a profit of 36 per cent increase in last December quarter net profit. Bhartia also introduced the two other operations under the company, FM Fever 104, and Radio Nasha.

5. Roshni Nadar Malhotra

Roshni Nadar Malhotra, the famous daughter of businessman Shiv Nadar, is a successful leading business woman. Malhotra is the CEO of tech giant HCL Corporation. She took over the company since 2009, when she was just 27 years old. She took the company to heights as of now, the company is a USD 7.5 billion enterprise, operating in technology, healthcare, and innovation sector.