Amidst the increasing awareness regarding female education and the role of women in business, there has been a significant increase in the successful women entrepreneurs in India. As per some recent reports, out of 58.5 million entrepreneurs in India, approximately 14% are women, and although this is not a massive number if seen from the perspective of percentage but they have been inspiring young women entrepreneurs across the country to explore the opportunities for women in business. At present, there are approx. 8.19 million women entrepreneurs in our country and this figure is very extraordinary for a male-dominant country like India! With the rise of start-up ecosystem and numerous innovative platforms for digital marketing, the young female entrepreneurs in India are gradually coming out as the flagbearers of their ventures. Despite facing numerous biases and challenges throughout their journey these women entrepreneurs fought for their place within the industry and succeeded.
This article highlights the journey of 7 women leaders, who not only stood out owing to their impeccable leadership qualities as well as success but have become inspirations to many young girls.
Vandana Luthra, Founder, VLCC
Started as a wellness center in 1989 with a focus on health and beauty in New Delhi, VLCC is the brain child of Vandana. Since the concept of beauty and wellness was quite unique in the 1980s, Vandana endured a lot of criticism and competition to become an entrepreneur. Born into educated middle-class parents, Vandana’s father was a mechanical engineer and her mother was an Ayurvedic doctor who ran an organization called Amar Jyoti. To impact others life and make the world a better place to live in, Vandana travelled to Europe to study beauty and wellness. When her daughter was just a toddler, Vandana established the wellness and beauty brand VLCC back in 1989 and faced a lot of challenges while trying to balance a healthy work-life balance. Starting its journey with a small business loan, VLCC is now located across 11 countries including Southeast Asia, the GCC Region and East Africa under the guidance of Vandana. Due to her sheer dedication and diligence, Vandana was awarded with the Padma Shri in the year 2013. She has also been acknowledged by Fortune India as the 33rd most powerful Indian female entrepreneur.
Richa Kar, Co-founder & CEO of Zivame
Born in Jamshedpur, Richa comes from a very conservative family. After completing her engineering from BITS Pilani, Richa went ahead to complete her master’s degree from Narsee Monji Institute of Management Studies in 2007. Starting her career with SAP Retail Consulting, a company that helped her gain valuable retail experience, Richa got the opportunity to work with the famous lingerie company, Victoria’s Secret. As she started noticing the existing gaps in the Indian lingerie market in terms of comfort, good materials, and affordability, Richa co-founded Zivame which means ‘radiance in Hebrew, along with her friend Kapil Karekar. As lingerie is considered a massive taboo in India, she faced objections from her family along with some financial hurdles as well. Within three years, Zivame grew to be a team of more than 200 members under the guidance of Richa and is considered as one of leading online lingerie stores of India.
Kiran Majumdar Shaw, Founder, Biocon
After completing her B.Sc. in Biology and Zoology in the late 1970s, Kiran aspired to follow in her father’s footsteps as a brew master. After returning from Australia being trained as a brew master, she was refused a job as the Indian brewing industry is heavily male dominated. After deciding to start her own business, Kiran met an Irish entrepreneur, Leslie Auchincloss, and together they started producing enzymes – a role that suited Kran’s interest in biology. In 1978, Kiran launched Biocon India as a joint venture with Ireland-based Biocon Biochemicals. As Biocon become India’s largest biotech company with a market capitalization of nearly $7bn on the Bombay Stock Exchange, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw become first self-made Indian female billionaire, and an inspiration to hundreds of female entrepreneurs.
Falguni Nayar, Founder & CEO, Nykaa
With a net worth of approx. $6.5 billion Falguni now joins the ranks of the wealthiest business tycoons across the world and has been acknowledged as India’s wealthiest self-made female billionaire on 10th November, 2021. Under the guidance of Falguni Nayar, Nykaa has been listed as one of the top-notch online shopping platforms. As a woman entrepreneur, Falguni’s journey started around nine years ago, when she left her job as the managing director of the Kotak Mahindra Group during her late 40s to start afresh as an entrepreneur. At present, Nayaka sells more than 40,000 products from 650 brands in a day at a global level. Falguni holds an MBA in Finance from IIM, Ahmedabad and previously worked as the M.D of Kotak Mahindra Capital Co., before starting her entrepreneurial journey in 2012. She has been awarded with the Most Powerful Women in Business award in 2017.
Ekta Kapoor, Owner, Balaji Telefilms
Now who is not aware of Soap queen of Indian television. Starting from our grandparents to our parents and now us, Ekta has been successful in catching the attention of all the three generations of every Indian household. Fondly known as the ‘Queen of Soap Operas’, Ekta is an eminent Indian Film producer of India. As the director in Balaji Telefilms, she owns Balaji Telefilms, has received huge responses from the Indian audiences in the last few years. An alumnus of Mithabai College, Ekta started her journey in1995 and has been bestowed with Indo-American Society Awards, National Media Award for Asian Academy of Film and Televisions, Most Powerful Women in India Award and so on.
Sairee Chahal, Founder & CEO, SHEROES
As a new-age entrepreneur who came forward to help other women, Sairee is a source of inspiration for many other women. Through her dream venture SHEROS that can be interpreted as meaning ‘She is a Hero’, Sairee has strived hard to make a direct impact on other struggling women by finding jobs for them. It is for women who left their career options behind for social responsibilities. Initially its journey as a career-centric platform for women, SHEROES had almost 1 Mn women and 20K companies signed up in just two year and at present, the organization has over 16 Mn women on its network. An alumnus of IMT Ghaziabad, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Sairee holds a degree in International Relations. Equipped with prior work experience with Heidrick and Struggles as well as CII, Sairee started her entrepreneurial voyage in 2014. Till now, she has been bestowed numerous awards including Devi Award, Femina Achievers Award, Cartier Award, Editor’s choice for L’Oreal Femina Women’s Award, Business Today and Most Powerful Women in Indian Business.
Shubhra Chadda, Co-Founder, Chumbak
Within few years of its arrival in the market, the brand ‘Chumbak’ has become synonymous with art and vivid designs. With mesmerizing daily products and artworks, Chumbak is the realization of Shubhra Chadda who succeeded in bringing colourful imaginations into reality. Under the guidance of Shubhra, Chumbak has evolved as a gift and a boon for millennials. As a unique brand, Chunabk promises some unique items across clothing, accessories, home décor and personal products category which are exclusive, attractive, and affordable at the same time. No wonder, the youngsters of India are inspired Shubhra, who is playing a prominent role in leading the organizations as its co-founder and Head of products. Starting her entrepreneurial journey in 2009, Shubhra has been awarded with ET Startup Awards, Iconic Women Creating a Better World for all, and Young Entrepreneur of the year. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and a Master’s degree Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communications.
