5 Indian Women making India Proud at Davos

Davos woke up to a brighter sun, as the World Economic Forum was called to order yesterday. Inviting 2500 of the most luminous achievers and torch bearers in the economic world, a seat in this session could double up as a throne anywhere else. While the gender ratio at this year’s conference didn’t paint a very optimistic picture, with an overall 17 percent of women attendees, the ones that did get away, especially on the Indian front, are some of our most gifted women leaders. Read on to know who the five most prominent Indian women are, contributing to this prestigious event:

Chanda Kochhar

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Chanda Kochhar: Chanda Kochhar is the Chief Financial Officer of the ICICI bank- India’s largest private sector bank. Her first recognition came with the "Business Woman of the Year 2005" award presented to her by The Economic Times. Since then, Kochhar’s fame went global.  She has been on Fortune's list of "Most Powerful Women in Business" since 2005, currently at No. 43. Kochhar was also presented the Padma Bhushan Award,  for the year 2010 for her services to banking sector. She is the highest ranked Indian on all global lists featuring women leaders.

Arundhati Bhattacharya

Picture Courtesy: Economic Times

Arundhati Bhattacharya:  This banker is first woman to be the Chairman of a Fortune 500 company: the State Bank of India. Coming from a family that gave her a humble start, this woman scaled mountains in her 36 year career with the SBI. In 2014, she was named the 36th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes, and was ranked among the FP Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine.

Nita Ambani

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Nita Ambani: A business woman, teacher, interior decorator and philanthropist, Nita Ambani has been lauded greatly for her diverse contribution to these fields. She is the wife of topmost businessman Mukesh Ambani, and is a director at the Reliance Industries. She chairs one of India’s premier international baccalaureate schools- the Dhiurubhai Ambani International school, and heads the Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation and Project Drishti- non-profit initiatives offering subsidized education and healthcare amongst the poor and under privileged in India. She accepted the Samaj Seva Vishwa Bhushan in 2005 , Corporate Citizen of the Year −2012' for her contribution in the field of education, philanthropy and social work.

Sangita Singh

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Sangita Singh: Senior Vice President and head of Wipro’s global IT operations, this Bihar bred, early-wed woman is a classic example of taking control of one’s own destiny. From being a mere employee- she demanded an executive role to prove her mettle from her thence Vivek Paul, who took a gamble that paid off handsomely for her and the company. She was recognized as the Young Global Leader 2010 by the World Economic Forum. She was christened as the 'Outsourcing Wunderkid' by the Time magazine and is a recipient of Stevie Award for 'Best Asian Woman Executive' and 'Excellence in Information Technology' award by FLO, the women's wing of FICC.

Chetana Singh Gala

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Chetana Sinha Gala:  Chetana is an Indian Social Activist working to empower women in drought prone areas of rural India by inculcating entrepreneurial skills. She also founded- Mann Deshi Mahila Sahkari Bank, a micro finance bank which lends to women in rural areas. She received the first Godfrey Phillips Bravery Amodini Award on 11 September 2009 by Godfrey Phillips , as well as the Governor of Maharashtra Shri P. C. Alexander Award 1994 for her outstanding work in development.

Amongst the other leading Indian women who are at Davos right now are Shanu Hinduja, Sanjana Govindan Jayadev, Priya Hiranandani Vandewvala, Vandana Goyal, Lisa Heydlauff, Smiti Kanodia, Aparna Dutt Sharma, Chetna Sinha, Ritika Suri, Nidhi Tanti and Monica Yadav.

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