India's Most Successful Female Entrepreneurs

If you are looking for some inspiration to launch your business or take on that leadership role, look no further than this list of India’s eight most empowering and successful female entrepreneurs. From heads of global business giants to founders of some of the most innovative startups, these super accomplished women have fought against all odds to get where they are today.

Indra Nooyi

Chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi is among India’s most successful global entrepreneurs. Born and raised in Chennai, and an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) alumna, Nooyi has consistently been featured in the Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list. In addition, she was named the world’s most powerful woman in business – twice – by Fortune, one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2007 and 2008 by Time, as well as being awarded a Padma Bhushan (India’s third highest civilian award).

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

Vandana Luthra

An unrivalled leader in India’s health and wellness industry, Vandana Luthra started VLCC Health Care Limited as a small health and beauty services center in New Delhi in 1989. Today, the company operates in 323 locations across 150 cities over 11 countries, and employs more than 4,000 people. Consistently ranked among the top businesswomen in Asia, Luthra is also a recipient of the Padma Shri–India’s fourth highest civilian award.

Chanda Kochhar

As Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Bank, one of India’s largest banks, Chanda Kochhar has been one of the most important figures in shaping the course of retail banking in the country. An alumna of the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai, Kochhar, she first joined the bank as a management trainee in 1984. She is a frequent name on the Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in addition to several other well-known rankings of influential global figures.

Ekta Kapoor

Ekta Kapoor, head of one of Indian television’s most revolutionary production companies – Balaji Telefilms – is undoubtedly one of the most important entrepreneurs in India’s entertainment industry. Her company’s productions include some of India’s most influential television shows – from Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, which with 1,833 episodes was one of India’s longest running shows, to Naagin, one of the most watched shows in Indian television history.

Indu Jain

As Chairperson of The Times Group, India’s largest media group, Indu Jain is undoubtedly one of the country’s most influential figures. A recipient of the Padma Bhushan award, Jain has to her credit the founding of the The Times Foundation which runs a variety of community service programs and developmental initiatives, among several other accomplishments.

Upasana Taku

Co-founder of Mobikwik, one of the country’s leading digital payment wallets, Upasana Taku can take a fair share of credit for India’s switch from relying on cash to electronic payments in the past few years. With 35 million current users and set to serve 150 million customers by 2018, Mobikwik is among a list of highly successful young Indian companies revolutionizing the country.

Shahnaz Hussain

As CEO of Shahnaz Herbals, one of the country’s leading herbal cosmetics companies, Shahnaz Hussain is a household name in India. The Padma Shri award recipient founded her company in 1970 in New Delhi, and today serves more than 375 formulations, based on Ayurveda, for beauty and health to countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.