In recent years, India has witnessed a remarkable surge in women’s contributions to the nation’s growth. As per recent figures, women comprise 14 percent of the total entrepreneurs in India, which works out to 8 million. About 20.37 percent of the MSME industry in India is made up of women-led businesses, which also employ about 23.3 percent of the labor population.
These dynamic and talented businesswomen have shattered glass ceilings and created successful enterprises across various industries. This article delves into the inspiring journey of women Speakers in India, highlighting their achievements, challenges, and opportunities available to aspiring female entrepreneurs. Let’s explore the vibrant landscape of women speakers in India and celebrate the power of businesswomen in India.
While there are so many good examples of women’s empowerment, in stark contrast, during the same period, there is a spike in violence against women, a rise in unemployment, and poverty amongst women. To address such issues here are the Top 10 Women Speakers In India, who have shown commendable leadership and courage.
Invite them as speakers for your events and occasions before their calendar gets blocked!
- Barkha Dutt
Indian television journalist, author, and owner of News Channel MoJo
Barkha emerged as a prominent figure after her frontline war reporting on the Kargil conflict between India and Pakistan in 1999. She has won many national and international awards, including the Padma Shri. At NDTV, Dutt was the host of the weekly, award-winning talk-show We The People, as well as the daily prime-time show The Buck, Stops Here.
2. Nandita Das
Award-winning Director and Actor
Nandita Das has acted in more than 40 feature films in 10 different languages. Her directorial debut in 2008 was Firaaq. She has been twice on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival. Manto, Nandita’s second directorial film premiered in 2018 at the Cannes Film Festival and can be watched on Netflix. Her first book Manto & I chronicles her 6-year long journey of making the film.
3. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Award-winning author of Palace of Illusions and Forest of Enchantments
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning and bestselling author, poet, activist and teacher of writing. Her work has been published in over 50 magazines and her writing has been included in over 50 anthologies. Her books have been translated into 29 languages, including Dutch, Hebrew, Bengali, Russian and Japanese, and many of them have been used for campus-wide and city-wide reads. Several of her works have been made into films and plays.
4. Deepshikha Kumar
Founder and CEO, SpeakIn
Deepshikha is the founder and CEO of SpeakIn – India’s first and largest consortium of business speakers servicing over 2000 areas of expertise. The winner of the 2017 Asia Women Icon Award for entrepreneurship she works with speakers, industry experts, and thought leaders globally, engaging them to inspire, motivate and energize larger audiences. To invite her as a speaker for your next event, get in touch with us.
4. Radhika Gupta
CEO, Edelweiss Asset Management Limited
Radhika Gupta started at Edelweiss Global Asset Management as business head of multi-strategy funds and was responsible for setting the strategic direction for the team’s investment, distribution, and platform. She is India’s only female head of a major asset manager and has set up the country’s first domestic hedge fund.
5. Chetna Sinha
Founder-Chairperson Mann Deshi Bank and Mann Deshi Foundation
Chetna Gala Sinha has been awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar, India’s highest civilian award for women who work in the area of women’s empowerment. In 1996, Chetna Gala Sinha founded the Mann Deshi Foundation in Mhaswad, a drought-stricken area. Today, the Mann Deshi Bank has 100,000 account holders, has loaned over $50 million, and regularly creates new financial products to support the needs of female micro-entrepreneurs. To date, it has supported nearly half a million women.
6. Shweta Shalini
Spokesperson, Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP)
Shweta Shalini is an entrepreneur, an Indian market expert, speaker, philanthropist, youth icon, and a thought leader in politics, marketing, technology, design, and the learning industry. Shweta leads a diverse business portfolio and has had two successful entrepreneurial ventures – Fortune Cookie Marketing Solutions and Real-Time Wave before her foray into politics. She had been the inspiration of many young women to become founders and respected leaders in their own fields.
7. Rajshri Deshpande
Indian Actress and Activist – Founder of Nabhangan Foundation
Rajshri Deshpande’s portrayal of Laxmi i‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ got her international recognition and received critical acclaim for her performance as Subhadra in the Netflix Original ‘Sacred Games-1’, directed by Anurag Kashyap. She played the role of Ismat Chughtai in Nandita Das’s film ‘Manto’. Rajshri dedicates her time extensively to humanitarian causes and she created the Nabhangan Foundation to broaden her efforts towards sustainable village development and she is currently building an eco-sensitive school in the same village.
8. Shatbhi Basu
India’s First Women Bartender
Shatbhi Basu the first Indian Female Bartender and started her bartender mixology career at the age of 21. Since then has been raising the standards and opportunities in her career choice and blazed a trail in the male-dominated industry. Four years of sedulous efforts have earned her the high perch of a bartender, beverage consultant, and author.
9. Padmaja Ruparel
Co-Founder Indian Angel Network and Managing partner, IAN Fund
Padmaja Ruparel, Co-founder and President of Indian Angel Network (IAN), one of the largest group of business angels comprising successful entrepreneurs and dynamic CEOs from India and overseas. She began her career in her family-owned real estate business and nurtured the entrepreneur within her. Later in Delhi. As an Executive Director, she played a key role in building the Indian Venture Capital Association.
For the sake of space, we are stopping here. Please go through the complete list of amazing women here