Business Today celebrated its 21st annual Most Powerful Women in Business (MPW) event on November 8, 2024, in Mumbai. The event celebrated women leaders who have achieved remarkable success across various sectors, spotlighting their resilience, vision, and impact in the ever-evolving landscape of Indian business. The ceremony honored 60 top women leaders, including 12 newcomers and two Hall of Fame inductees, for their transformative contributions.
The event was inaugurated by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Kalli Purie, Vice-Chairperson and Executive Editor-in-Chief of India Today Group. They unveiled the MPW Special Issue, a publication celebrating the accomplishments of this year’s honorees.
In his address, Goyal highlighted the Indian government’s commitment to empowering women in leadership roles, emphasizing India’s readiness to adapt to changing global trade dynamics. This year’s list features powerful women like Schauna Chauhan (CEO, Parle Agro), Ananya Birla (Founder, Svatantra Microfinance), Prabha Narasimhan (MD & CEO, Colgate-Palmolive India), Prativa Mohapatra (VP & MD, Adobe India), Ameera Shah (Executive Chairperson, Metropolis Healthcare), and Padmaja Ruparel (Co-founder, Indian Angel Network).
The event focused on the theme “Balance. Work. Life. Safety.”, discussing the unique challenges faced by women in leadership roles. Insightful panels featured prominent speakers such as Prabha Narasimhan and Padmaja Ruparel, who shared their personal stories of overcoming societal barriers and finding self-worth. Radhika Gupta, MD & CEO of Edelweiss AMC, discussed the multitasking skills that women bring to leadership roles, while Shefali Goradia (Chairperson, Deloitte South Asia) and Amisha Vora (Chairperson & MD, Prabhudas Lilladher Group) addressed the ongoing need for gender parity in corporate spaces.
The MPW event, which has been held annually since 2003, remains a significant platform for celebrating women’s achievements, reinforcing the need for gender equity, and providing a roadmap for the next generation of female leaders in India.