Forbes released its annual list of Most Powerful Women and four Indians were included in the 2023 edition of the list. The highest-ranking Indian woman on the list is Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The Forbes’ list of the world’s most powerful women, which also features personalities like Taylor Swift and US Vice President Kamala Harris, mentioned three Indian businesswomen along with FM Sitharaman.
While Nirmala Sitharaman was on the 32nd spot on the Forbes list, the other three Indians were – HCL Corporation CEO Roshni Nadar Malhotra (rank 60), Steel Authority of India chairperson Soma Mondal (rank 70), and Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (rank 76).
Nirmala Sitharaman was appointed as the finance minister of India in 2019. She also holds the post of Union Corporate Affairs Minister. Before this, Sitharaman served as the 28th defence minister of India, being the second woman in the country to hold both these ministries.
Last year, the finance minister was ranked 36 on the Forbes most powerful women list of 2022. Meanwhile, Fortune named her as the most powerful woman in India.
The second-highest-ranked Indian woman on the list is Roshni Nadar, the billionaire daughter of businessman Shiv Nadar. She took over as the Chairperson of HCL in July 2020 and is in charge of all strategic decisions in the company.
Forbes World’s Most Powerful Women list 2023
The most powerful woman in the list, ranked at the top, is European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen followed by European Central Bank boss Christine Lagarde at the second place. US Vice President Kamala Harris is ranked third on the list.
Nirmala Sitharaman is ranked higher than prominent female personalities like Beyonce (Rank 36), Rihanna (Rank 74) and Donna Langley (Rank 54). Other women in the top 10 list include Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Melinda Gates and Jane Fraser.