Women and Leaders, two words that are on the staircase of being ONE – one step after another. There are women entrepreneurs taking the mantle, working hard and wanting to make a name for themselves.
One mighty and rising category of such entrepreneurs are the ones who not only have received a family legacy to lead but are also here to ensure the everlasting success of their family businesses with their extraordinary efforts
Here is a list of such 8 women leaders who said ‘Family businesses are (just) NOT for Sons!’
1) Philanthropy at its best
Awarded the NDTV’s Indian of the Year in the Philanthropy category, Roshni Nadar Malhotra is the CEO and Executive director of HCL. She graduated from North-western University and then did her MBA in Social Enterprise from world-renowned Kelloggs School of Management to now successfully launch HCL Talentcare under its healthcare business. Her interests also include ShivNadar, the foundation working to support the education of underprivileged kids.
2) Motoring away
Another MBA grad, this one from Carnegie Mellon University, Sulajja Firodia Motwani started her career by working in the investment analytics firm and then later being the Joint MD of her family business, The Kinetic Motor Company. She has handled the Business development division, launching new products and expanding the business empire. Infact, The World Economic Forum has named her the ‘Young Global Leader’ and a ‘Global Leader of Tomorrow’.
3) A Pharma journey
Lupin Pharma is known as the world’s seventh-largest pharmaceutical company; Vinita Gupta has been a part of her family business since 1993. She mainly handles the front-end work, including acquisitions which allowed her to expand the company to countries like Japan, Germany, and Australia.
4) A consumer story
A common household name, Big Bazaar gave us our youngest entrepreneur, Ashni Biyani who has been hanging out with her father, founder Kishore Biyani since she was 8 years old to understand the business. A graduate in the field of design and general management, she is the Director of Future Consumer Enterprise Limited (FCEL), working on ideas like family centers and the Desi Atta company.
5) The Energy coefficient
Starting her journey as a trainee in the organization, Meher Pudumjee is now the Non-Executive Chairperson of Thermax Group, providing strategic direction to the company. Her role has allowed the firm to go global and improve sales by huge margins. Along with this, she also contributes to society by being on the Board of directors for Teach for India.
6) Risking it right
Nandini Piramal worked with experience at McKinsey and then an MBA at Stanford, after which she joined her family business, Piramal Enterprises. Her work includes the OTC business of the company, HR at Piramal Group and Risk at Piramal Healthcare.
7) Leading Innovation
Becoming the part of FMCG giant, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd, Nisaba Godrej joined the company as an executive director. She has immensely contributed to the talent and innovation field of the organization, with products like GoodKnight FastCard being a grand success.
8) Going Medical
Dr. Prathap Reddy founded the mammoth brand Apollo in 1983. The hospital chain has founded its success in four strong ladies leading the way. The four sisters Preetha, Sangita, Sunita, and Shobhana have carried forward their father’s company, united and carefully handling various divisions together.
To become an invincible part of an already operational and well-established enterprise is tougher than starting new ventures. There’s a reason why it is said, its difficult to get onto a running train!
