The latest profiles stories from the Women desk.
New Delhi: Indra Nooyi stands as one of the most influential business leaders of the modern era, known for her transformative leadership and visionary approach during her tenure as Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo.
A Vision Ahead of Its Time In the late 1970s, when India’s industrial landscape was dominated by traditional sectors like manufacturing and textiles, the idea of building a biotechnology company was almost inconceivable. Scientific entrepreneurship was rare, venture capital was nearly nonexistent, and women in leadership roles were even rarer. Yet, in this unlikely environment, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw chose to build something the country had never seen before. What began as a small venture in a garage would eventually grow into Biocon — a global biopharmaceutical powerhouse that redefined India’s role in affordable healthcare and innovation.
New York startup Origin Genomics, led by founder and CEO Cathy Tie, is testing AI-designed gene editors on cells carrying disease-causing mutations, with the long-term aim of correcting them in human embryos. The work is legal as research but US law bars editing embryos for reproduction.
Green Hermitage, founded by climate professional Gayatri Varun with co-founder Anubhav Pratap Rai, makes handbags and accessories in India from apple, cactus, coconut and banana-based plant leathers, employing artisans who lost work during the pandemic.
Sarika Pathak Kulkarni left a career abroad to co-found Cresa, a biodegradable sanitary-pad startup, with her father Mohan Kulkarni, funding the company's earliest years through personal savings and a patchwork of government and CSR grants including a dedicated women-entrepreneurship scheme.
UK-based Indian-origin nurse Agimol Pradeep has won the $250,000 Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2026 for her pioneering work in organ transplantation and stem-cell donation advocacy among Asian communities.
UK-based Indian-origin nurse Agimol Pradeep has won the $250,000 Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2026 for her pioneering work in organ transplantation and stem-cell donation advocacy among Asian communities.
Women drive 80% of household purchases and control $15 trillion in spending power. Yet as they age, advertising feels less relevant — nearly 75% have avoided a brand because its ads ignored them. The marketing industry is bleeding its biggest customers.,
Indian athlete Shashruti Nakade has transformed a career built on swimming medals into a rising para-triathlon journey, climbing to World No. 9 as she now sets her sights on qualifying for the LA 2028 Paralympic Games.