Nirmala Sitharaman on list of 100 most powerful women influencing India-UK relations

To mark 'India Day' in the Houses of Parliament in London on Monday, Sajid Javid, UK Home Secretary, released the '100 most Influential in UK-India Relations: Celebrating Women' list. The list includes newly appointed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman among the UK's 100 most influential women, who have played a significant role in strengthening relations between India and the UK. Along with Sitharaman, the list includes one of Britain's senior most Cabinet ministers, Penny Mordaunt, along with other prominent names such as Priti Patel and Baroness Sandy Verma, filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, Indian law firm chiefs Zia Mody and Pallavi S Shroff, Apollo Hospitals' managing director Suneeta Reddy and Nasscom President Debjani Ghosh.

The 100 most influential list called Nirmala Sitharaman one of India's most "powerful women" and credited her for playing a "pivotal" role in the bilateral relationship between the countries as the former Defence Minister of India and now as the finance minister.

"Having studied at the London School of Economics (LSE) and worked in the UK in her previous career, Nirmala is familiar with the UK more so than probably all her other colleagues," read the power list, released by UK-based media house India Inc.

On the other hand, Penny Mordaunt, who is another senior politician in the list and Britain's Secretary of State for Defence is credited as the first woman to be assigned the role in the UK cabinet.

"With India emerging as the world's largest importer of defence products, and a significant strategic partner for the UK, Penny plays a crucial role in the UK-India relationship," her citation reads.

Meanwhile, Ruchi Ghanashyam, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, who is also honoured in the list welcomed the compilation and considered it to be recognition of the "front and centre role" played by women in the bilateral relationship.

(Edited by: Nehal Solanki)

Also read: Budget Expectations: Real Estate Industry's wish list from Modi 2.0

Also read: 15th Finance Commission stresses on dialogue with GST council