Tech giant HCL Technologies’ Roshni Nadar Malhotra is India’s wealthiest woman closely followed by Falguni Nayar, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Nilima Motaparthi, and Radha Vembu.
According to the ‘Leading Wealthy Women, 2021’ report published by Hurun India with Kotak Private Banking the cumulative wealth of the top 100 of India’s wealthiest women increased by 53% to ₹4,16,970 crore from ₹2,72,540 crore in 2020.
‘Leading Wealthy Women 2021’ is the third annual list of India’s wealthiest women, entrepreneurs, and professional managers, and the wealth calculations in the report are based on 31 December 2021. It highlights the success stories of India’s top 100 self-made or active women entrepreneurs, businesswomen, and professionals.
Oisharya Das, CEO – Private Banking at Kotak Mahindra Bank, said in a statement:
“Each woman’s journey is unique; however, what is common among them is the drive, commitment and passion to succeed. Over the years, Indian women are slowly yet surely coming into their own – carving a space for themselves through knowledge, excellence, passion, and empathy.”
The total wealth of Roshni Nadar Malhotra, estimated at ₹84,330 crores (AUD), increased by 54% in 2021. Further, under her leadership, HCL purchased seven IBM products worth ₹13,740 crores, the largest in its history.
Roshni Nadar Malhotra is closely followed by Falguni Nayar, the founder and CEO of Nykaa, with a net worth of ₹57,520 crores.
Falguni Nayar is India’s richest self-made woman and the world’s 10th richest self-made woman. She had previously worked with the Kotak Mahindra Group for nearly two decades. Falguni Nayar and her family’s net worth has jumped 963% in 2021 to ₹57,520 crores.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the founder and CEO of Biocon, saw her wealth estimated at ₹29,030 crores which has declined 21% in 2021. In February 2022, her company announced the acquisition of the U.S.-based Viatris’ biosimilar business for ₹22,350 crores (US$3 billion).
Nilima Motaparthi of Divi’s Laboratories is at number four with a net worth estimated at ₹28,180 crores.
Radha Vembu ranks fifth with an estimated net worth of ₹26,260 crores. She is the sister of Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu and leads the company as the product manager of Zoho Mail.
Leena Gandhi Tewari of the global pharmaceutical and biotech corporation USV ranks sixth on the list. Her estimated wealth is ₹24,280 crore.
Anu Aga and Meher Pudumjee of energy and environment firm Thermax rank seventh on the list.
Neha Narkhede, the co-founder of data streaming company Confluent is eighth on the list. Her net worth stands at ₹13,380 crores. Neha had previously worked as a software engineer at Linkedin.
Vandana Lal, the executive director of Dr Lal Path Labs, is at number nine with an estimated wealth of ₹6,810 crores. She is the new entrant to the top 10 list and handles the company’s R&D department.
Renu Munjal, the Managing Director of Hero FinCorp, ranks tenth on the list with an estimated net worth of ₹6,620 crores.
Anas Rahman Junaid, MD and Chief Researcher at Hurun India said in a statement:
“Women-led wealth creation directly improves women’s employment, corresponding families, and society. Inclusion of women, who represent 50 per cent of India’s population in the workforce or wealth creation, cuts across societal barriers.”
Almost one-fourth of the list constitutes new entrants and their cumulative wealth contributes to 2% of India’s nominal GDP. According to ‘Leading Wealthy Women 2021’, the cut-off for the new list was ₹300 crore.
