The world is full of challenges and obstacles, and even more so if you’re a woman. With a demanding life, women usually are faced with problems at work and may even hear many say, “This is not what women are supposed to.”





As much as the world may say, women can’t be the bosses or otherwise, women have conquered many things, and above all, they have conquered their own self and beat everyone’s thoughts of who they should be.





Here is a list of inspirational Indian talent that will make you believe anything is possible!





Successful Women in India





Indra Nooyi













No list of successful women begins without the mentioning of Indra Nooyi. Like most success stories of entrepreneurs, Nooyi’s journey was full of struggles. Belonging to a South Indian family, she had worked in product management at Johnson’s and Johnson’s. Not happy with her work, she persuaded her parents to let her study at Yale University in the US. Before landing a job at PepsiCo, and becoming the CFO and the president, she was rejected at job interviews. However, some rejection never stopped her from being strong.





Vandana Luthra













Successful entrepreneurs and their stories come with their doses of obstruction and hardships. Vandana Luthra, the owner of VLCC, which now has spread to 11 Asian countries, had some troubles when she first started. Deciding to do something in the healthcare center, Vandana started her business in the late 1980s on a small bank loan. During those times the market was filled only with men, which made it hard for her, but she persevered and today, she owns one of the biggest wellness companies in India.





Naina Lal Kidwai













Success comes to those who believe in themselves and work hard for it, and the story of Naina Lal Kidwai is nothing but just that. Belonging to the category of true inspirational stories, Naina’s story began when she found herself loving her studies. After she graduated from DU, she went overseas. Becoming the first Indian woman to graduate from Harvard Business School. Putting in the extra effort, she is a chartered accountant by profession and an Indian banker and business executive. At present, she serves as the Chairman of HSBC Asset Management and HSBC InvestDirect for the Indian market. Not only that, but she is also a non-executive member of the board for Nestle, Global Advisor at Harvard Business School and Chairwoman at City of London’s Advisory Council for India.





Indu Jain













Indu Jain is one of the most successful women in India. Not only is she the chairperson of Bennet, Coleman, which includes TOI and many other famous newspapers in India, but also is a widowed mother of two sons and a daughter. Born in Faizabad Uttar Pradesh India, she work as hard as she could for her passion. Not only that, she is a lover of art and culture and even received the prestigious Padma Bhushan in 2016.





Ritu Kumar













Ritu Kumar, who needs no introduction, has made a name for herself. With more than 35 high-end stores across India, her life as a designer started with a small thing. She graduated with a degree in history and musicology in the 1980s. The success story of one of the most influential women entrepreneurs began when she was in Kolkata. Inspired by the works of artisans and their block painting, Ritu Kumar took her ideas and dream forward and created her own label!





Richa Kar













Zivame is one of the biggest stores in India today, and the lady behind the success is Richa Kar. An engineering graduate from BITS Pilani and worked in the IT sector for a while but her heart wasn’t in it. Taking charge of her life, Kar decided to launch an online portal to help women bypass going to the store to get lingerie with Kapil Karekar. Today she is one of the successful women in India.





Chanda Kochhar













Women with eyes on their dreams and the prize never stop, even when the going gets tough. Chanda Kochhar’s tale is yet another successful woman story to learn from. Finishing her school from Mumbai, this Rajasthan born went all out with her dreams. Working hard and doing what she wanted to, she is the former MD and CEO of ICICI Bank. With her at the helm, ICICI Bank won the “Best Retail Bank in India” award for four consecutive years from 2001 to 2004.





Jyothi Reddy













Jyothi Reddy’s life story is nothing like the regular rags to riches story. When she was an infant, she had to be given up to an orphanage by her mother due to financial conditions. At the orphanage, she began to visit a government school, where she found herself determined to study and get a good job. During her tough times, she worked as a laborer for INR 5 as wage, only. She got married, had two children, and knew that she needed a decent job. Right at that time, like fate unfurled right in front of her, she found out about a Central Government program NYK, where she got to teach at a school. She finally had a decent job.





But that did not stop her. With enough money, she went to the US to finish her higher studies. To make do, she babysat, worked at gas stations and did everything in between to keep herself afloat, and finally, she made it big! Today she owns and runs a successful consultancy firm!





Falguni Nayar













When you have a vision, nothing stops you. Today, Nayar is one of the top women entrepreneurs in India and her journey to that place was not exactly a text-book set-up. An IIM A graduate, Nayar had been the MD at Kotak Mahindra Capital Company. At 50, with two children, she decided to quit and she started her own start-up. Nykaa, the brainchild of Falguni Nayar has been a complete hit and is the poster child of it’s-never-too-late club.





Upasana Taku













Upasana Taku is yet another interesting young entrepreneur who made it big. Fighting throughout her life, she worked hard every day, even on her wedding day! During her working days, she shared home-cooked meals with five! Fighting everyday struggles and gender biases at her workplace, she landed back at home, in Kashmir. There she had her entrepreneurial calling and gave life to Mobikwik, and the rest is history.





Success goes hand in hand with hard work. Women who set their dreams, as high as the sky and beyond, went just as far as to achieve them! Let’s salute these brilliant minded women of our nation.