Most powerful women in business 2011

BT's eighth annual list of the Most Powerful Women tells stories of dreams come true.

NAINA LAL KIDWAI
Country head, HSBC

CAREER TURNING POINT
Harvard Business School

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH
It's time to reflect, to pick oneself up and try again

BUSINESS PERSON I ADMIRE THE MOST
Can't name one as I have many role models, both global and Indian, each for his or her specific strengths

PRICE I PAID TO BE HERE
What price? It's been a great ride

BIGGEST ADVANTAGE OF BEING AN MPW
The warmth and friendship of some of the most capable people on the planet

LAST TIME I USED MY MPW TRUMP CARD
Still holding on to it

WATCH: Naina Lal Kidwai on her journey
READ: What makes HSBC head a role model

KIRAN MAZUMDAR-SHAW
Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon

CAREER TURNING POINT
Transforming our business from industrial enzymes to biopharma

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH
It brings out the best in me

BUSINESSPERSON I ADMIRE THE MOST
As a businesswoman, I admire Indra Nooyi, because of the way she is transforming Pepsi into a 'healthy' fast food organisation

PRICE I PAID TO BE HERE
I don't think of it that way!

BIGGEST ADVANTAGE OF BEING AN MPW
I can influence change

LAST TIME I USED MY MPW TRUMP CARD
You don't need to 'play' this card. MPW is a membership card to the league of business leaders

WATCH: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on the MPW award
READ: Who can earn Biocon's MD admiration

SWATI PIRAMAL
Director, Strategic Alliances and Communications, Piramal Healthcare

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH
Strategic alliances was a new portfolio and a challenge for me. We have tie-ups with many global companies

BUSINESSPERSON I ADMIRE THE MOST
My husband, Ajay Piramal

PRICE I PAID TO BE HERE
Not enough time to do what I enjoy: read, cook up a gourmet meal, take holidays

BIGGEST ADVANTAGE OF BEING AN MPW
The network of strong women with diverse interests

LAST TIME I USED MY MPW TRUMP CARD
As the first woman head of ASSOCHAM, I had to present views on the economy to the Reserve Bank. I roped in four MPW bankers. Their views were appreciated

WATCH: Swati Piramal talk about knowledge-action link
READ: What helps her run country's one of the top firm

CHANDA KOCHHAR
Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Bank

CAREER TURNING POINT
Being asked to build ICICI's retail business

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH
It is important to stay calm and focus on the task at hand

BUSINESSPERSON I ADMIRE THE MOST
I have been fortunate to come into contact with many business leaders, and learnt something from the journey of each person. So all of them have been an influence

PRICE I PAID TO BE HERE
It has taken hard work to get here. But I followed this path out of choice, so I don't think I paid a price

BIGGEST ADVANTAGE OF BEING AN MPW
The chance to be an example for young women, and showing them it is possible for a woman to have a full and rewarding career

WATCH: What award means for Chanda Kochhar
READ: ICICI Bank's CEO and MD's success story

SHIKHA SHARMA
Managing Director and CEO of Axis Bank

CAREER TURNING POINT
Being given the opportunity to lead ICICI's venture into the life insurance business

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH
You put your best foot forward and focus on the task at hand

BUSINESSPERSON I ADMIRE THE MOST
Steve Jobs

PRICE I PAID TO BE HERE
Not getting as much time with my children as I would have liked

BIGGEST ADVANTAGE OF BEING AN MPW
The people I get to meet

LAST TIME I USED MY MPW TRUMP CARD
To get invited aboard Swati Piramal's yacht

WATCH: Shikha Sharma on her future goals
READ: What makes her the banakable star

MALLIKA SRINIVASAN
Tractors and Farm Equipment chairman and CEO

CAREER TURNING POINT
My stint at Wharton

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH
Stay calm, be objective and lower the breakeven point further

BUSINESSPERSON I ADMIRE THE MOST
Not just one, many

PRICE I PAID TO BE HERE
Long hours

BIGGEST ADVANTAGE OF BEING AN MPW
Being able to inspire and motivate others - to empower dreams and enrich lives

LAST TIME I USED MY MPW TRUMP CARD
I have learnt to play the deck I am dealt and never to depend on a particular cardTrump or otherwise

WATCH: Mallika Srinivasan on her success mantra
READ: What is her working style

MEENA GANESH
CEO and Managing Director, Pearson Education Services

"It is like marrying your daughter off," says Meena Ganesh, 47, serial entrepreneur, and CEO and Managing Director of Pearson Education Services. Ganesh is talking about the heartbreak involved in selling a thriving business one has incubated. She should know. She had to do it with CustomerAsset, which she and her husband K. Ganesh sold to ICICI and is now ICICI OneSource, and again with TutorVista, which Pearson took over.

PRICE I PAID TO BE HERE
In the tripod of family, career and the self, sometimes the self took a back seat, but no regrets.

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

FALGUNI NAYAR
Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Capital Company, or KMCC

The mother of 21-year old twins says the biggest challenge is that of doing a successful initial public offering, or IPO, for a company. Timing is critical. "Don't bring the bride too early to the wedding," she advises her clients. KMCC has done IPOs for several important companies in the country. Among Nayar's recent successes was the Coal India IPO last October, which turned out to be the government's single largest disinvestment ever, netting Rs 15,745 crore.

LAST TIME I USED MY MPW TRUMP CARD
I use it routinely when I don't want to enter the kitchen

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

NITA AMBANI

A day in the life of Nita Ambani, Reliance Industries' first lady, includes attending to the needs of her family; mandatory Bharatnatyam practice; ensuring there are no hiccups at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School of which she is Chairperson; keeping abreast of all cricket-related developments, since she is co-owner of the Indian Premier League team Mumbai Indians; and most of all, checking on work progress at her dream projects, the H.N. Hospital and Reliance University, both in Mumbai.

FAVOURITE QUOTE
It is not what you possess, but what you do with what you have that determines your true worth

BUSINESS PERSON I ADMIRE MOST
Papa Dhirubhai Ambani, now Mukesh

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

ROOPA KUDVA
Managing Director and CEO of Crisil

Kudva has been with the rating agency for 19 years. She is also Region Head, South Asia, of Standard & Poor's, which holds majority shares in Crisil. She started her career in 1986 at IDBI, after an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. Her early years were not always easy.

FAVOURITE QUOTE
Don't let what you can't do get in the way of what you can do

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH
I switch to top gear


MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

ZIA MODY
Managing Partner, AZB & Partners

Mody, 55, is Managing Partner, AZB & Partners, the law firm that has advised companies such as Reliance Industries, Vedanta and Bharti Airtel on their biggest deals - with BP, Cairn and Zain, respectively. Having started practising at a time when there were hardly any women lawyers, she says she is grateful to the judges of the Bombay High Court for the 'nurturing environment' they provided, thus boosting her confidence.

EARLY BREAK
Getting to argue cases in Bombay High Court with barely three years at the bar

FAVOURITE QUOTE
Honesty pays

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

VINITA BALI
Managing Director, Britannia Industries,

Britannia has also tried to differentiate itself by adopting health and nutrition platforms, creating brands like NutriChoice and removing trans fats from its biscuits. In a 30-year-long career, Bali has also worked with consumer goods majors like Voltas, Coca Cola and Cadbury India.

WHAT SETS HER APART
I have always made decisions that are not conventional. I worked in Nigeria in 1992 and South Africa in 1993

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

PREETHA REDDY
Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise

Reddy loves art and has even trained in the fine arts. But the healing provided by her chain of hospitals gives her even more pleasure.

THE PRICE PAID TO BE HERE
No price. On the contrary, I am here because of many blessings, primarily in the form of having three sisters who along with me work as a team

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

RENUKA RAMNATH
Managing Director and CEO, Multiples Alternate Asset Management

She was dubbed the 'queen of private equity in India' when she headed ICICI Venture. But in April 2009 she quit abruptly to begin work from scratch on a start-up. The start-up now is a $450 million (Rs 2,025 crore) fund, Multiples Alternate Asset Management, backed by top Indian and global institutional investors, of which she is Managing Director and CEO.

MY DREAM PROJECT
To make success synonymous with Multiples

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

EKTA KAPOOR
Joint Managing Director of Balaji Telefilms

She has been the talk of the television industry for over two decades. Most of her shows are among the top 50 on TV. Her company has also evolved from a pure play TV content provider into one that produces content for the big screen, the Internet and mobiles, too. The past year has been particularly busy for her as she got back into movie production with a new company, ALT Entertainment, that looks at niche and distinct film content.

CAREER TURNING POINT
The birth of Balaji Telefi lms

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

ASHVINI YARDI
Programming Head of TV channel Colors

A degree in Psychology has not only helped her understand human relations better, but also given her insights that enable her to lend colour to characters on the TV screen. "Television has the capacity to influence people's minds and lifestyles," says Ashvini Yardi.

FAVOURITE QUOTE
Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

ARCHANA HINGORANI
CEO and Executive Director of IL&FS Investment Managers,

The youngest in her MBA class in the University of Pittsburgh, US, she went on to do a PhD in Corporate Finance from the university. Returning in 1993, Hingorani joined IL&FS, then known as Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services. When she took over in 2005, IL&FS's PE corpus was barely $300 million. She has played a key role in raising it to its current level.

A GOOD DAY IS
When things you set into motion earlier achieve fruition

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

ASHU SUYASH
Managing Director and Country Head of Fidelity International's Indian asset management business

The mutual funds business Suyash has built is largely retail. "You can never ask investors for trust; you need to build it," she says. Regulations passed in 2009, prohibiting mutual funds from charging entry load fees, hit hard. But Suyash saw them as a challenge. Fidelity won the 'Best Equity Fund House' award at the Lipper Mutual Fund Awards 2011, organised by Business Today and Thomson Reuters in May.

A GOOD DAY IS
When I can convert a situation to a 'win-win' one, rather than 'I win and someone else loses

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

ZARINA MEHTA
Chief Creative Officer of Broadcasting at UTV

Her child-like enthusiasm is infectious. Zarina Mehta has recently launched a new channel, UTV Stars, and is busy getting programmes on air. "Everyone is expecting an edgy channel, not routine Bollywood," say Mehta. With no formal training in television, this Economics graduate who joined as an edit hand, has come far. "When things go smooth, I'm bored to death," she says.

FAVOURITE QUOTE
Imagination is more important than knowledge

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

LEENA NAIR
Executive Director and Vice President, Human Resources, South Asia, HUL.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd, or HUL, is back in Hewitt's list of best employers for the last two years. Nielsen, too, has adjudged it Employer Brand Number One. No one is happier than Leena Nair. "We are continuously working at building capabilities and driving vitality at work," she says. To foster work-life balance at HUL, Nair has introduced flexi-hours.

MY DREAM PROJECT
To contribute to education, employability and women's empowerment in this country

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

VINITA GUPTA
Group President and CEO, Lupin Pharmaceuticals and Director, Lupin

Vinita Gupta is based in the United States, but has been in India a lot in the past one year. With an expanding role in Lupin's universe, Vinita has been spending more time outside the US, at times taking her six-year-old son, Krish with her. Gupta is married to US-based businessman Brij Sharma.

A GOOD DAY IS
When I have done something creative

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

KIRTHIGA REDDY
Director, Online Operations, and Head, Facebook India Office

"Do not accept choices that are given to you. Be creative and create new choices," says Kirthiga Reddy, 39, Director, Online Operations, and Head, Facebook India Office. She is speaking from experience. When she worked as Director, Project Management, Good Technology, a start-up in the US (which was later acquired by Motorola), she would take her newborn daughter everywhere with her when she travelled for work, rather than choose between home and career.

EARLY BREAK
In 2000 at Silicon Graphics. She was the youngest Director of Engineering and the only woman in this role in her department.

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

SHOBHANA BHARTIA
Chairperson and Editorial Director of HT Media

A nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, Shobhana Bhartia also runs one of India's largest media houses. She is Chairperson and Editorial Director of HT Media which had revenues of Rs 1,815 crore in 2010/11.

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

VISHAKHA MULYE
Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Venture Funds Management

It is an awesome career graph. Vishakha Mulye, 42, took over as Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Venture Funds Management two years ago, after having been Chief Financial Officer of the ICICI group. Since then, she has raised fresh capital of $400 million (Rs 1,800 crore) within the country, realised another $350 million from a dozen exit deals across various funds, and sealed five new investments in high growth companies.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH
Be calm and have faith

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

KALPANA MORPARIA
During a leadership course some years ago, Kalpana Morparia, 62, CEO, JPMorgan Chase, had to act out what power means to her. She chose to be a fairy. "That is exactly what power means to me - getting things done," she says.

A GOOD DAY IS
When I get whatever I've set my heart on - whether it is a mandate we must win or a person I wish to hire

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

VEDIKA BHANDARKAR
43, Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Credit Suisse in India

Bhandarkar graduated from IIM Ahmedabad in 1989. She was with ICICI and later JPMorgan for some years, and, since last summer, with Credit Suisse.

HER PASSIONS OTHER THAN WORK
Kathak. She also plans to take up Hindustani classical music

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

JYOTSNA SURI
Chairperson and Managing Director, Bharat Hotels

Though diminutive in size, Jyotsna Suri, 59, Chairperson and Managing Director, Bharat Hotels, is known for her strong ideas and forthright behaviour. She can threaten you with dire consequences if you incur her displeasure and then charm you with a smile, all within five minutes.

BUSINESSPERSON I ADMIRE THE MOST
M.S. Oberoi is an iconic figure. He started from nothing and built the most fantastic group of hotels

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

RENU SUD KARNAD
MD, Housing Development Finance Corporation

"Are you having fun at HDFC?" Renu Sud Karnad, 59, Managing Director of Housing Development Finance Corporation, often asks employees. With HDFC still a leader in the home loan space, having disbursed loans of Rs 3 trillion in 2010/11, she certainly has a reason to be happy.

PRICE I PAID TO BE HERE
I do not have a sparkling home. I have a conventional home.

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

CHIKI SARKAR
Publisher, Penguin Books India

"You have brandy at four and you are in high heels. I want to be like you," Chiki Sarkar, then about to finish college, told Alexandra Pringle, then editor-in-chief at Bloomsbury, at their first meeting in the late 1990s. It so happened that Pringle was looking for an assistant and took on Sarkar to work with her.

MY AMBITION
To publish the best writers in the world and get more people reading

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

NANDITA GURJAR
Senior Vice President and Group Head, Human Resources, Infosys

She has to manage the expectations of 1.3 lakh employees and build the Infy brand globally. Gurjar says she is amazed by how much she is still learning every day.

CAREER TURNING POINT
Joining Infosys in 1999

TIPS FOR WOMEN EXECUTIVES
Learn when to say no and when to switch off in order to stay productive

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business

ARUNA JAYANTHI
CEO, Capgemini India

She has eagerly grabbed every opportunity that came her way in the last two-and-a-half decades to become, at 48, CEO of Capgemini India. But now Aruna Jayanthi also wants to dabble in music. She recently bought a piano. "I'm searching for a music teacher," she says.

BIGGEST ADVANTAGE OF BEING AN MPW
It provides a platform to make a difference

MY PROTEGE
Everyone who works with me

MUST SEE: Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc
MUST READ: Most powerful women in business