Three Indians among 20 on Forbes’ list of Asia’s Power Businesswomen 2022
Three Indian entrepreneurs feature on Forbes’ list of Asia’s Power Businesswomen 2022. The trio are personal care brand Mamaearth co-founder Ghazal Alagh, Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) chairperson Soma Mondal, and Emcure Pharma executive director Namita Thapar.
According to the Forbes website, these 20 women were selected “for their achievements in their current role of running a business with sizable revenue and demonstrating strong leadership throughout their career.”
Ghazal Alagh
The 34-year-old Alagh co-founded Honasa Consumer along with her husband Varun Alagh in 2016. She is the chief innovation officer of Honasa Consumer, which owns popular brands such as Mamaearth, The Derma Co, Aqualogica, and Ayuga.
The company became a unicorn (valuation of $1 billion) in January after closing a $52 million funding round led by Sequoia Capital India. It is currently valued at $1.2 billion.
The couple’s hunt for chemical-free alternatives for their infant son, who suffered from a skin condition, gave birth to Mamaearth and toxin-free baby-care products. The company doubled its revenue in the last fiscal, which touched nearly Rs 10 billion ($121 million) through online and in-store sales.
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Soma Mondal
Mondal, 59, became the first women to chair the SAIL, a government enterprise with a Rs 103,480 crore ($13 billion) annual turnover in 2021–22. SAIL is part of an elite club of 11 state-owned companies called “maharatnas” that have more autonomy compared to other state-owned firms.
She took over the reigns of SAIL in 2021, and since then, the firm’s annual revenue has grown by 50 per cent to stand at more than Rs 1.03 trillion ($13.7 billion), the Forbes website reported. Profits have surged threefold to stand at Rs 120 billion for the 2021–22 fiscal. During that period, the company paid off around Rs 220 billion in debt, says the site.
Mondal, who is from Bhubaneswar, pursued her bachelors in electrical engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela. She joined the National Aluminium Co and rose to become the director before joining SAIL.
Also read: Reliance best Indian employer and 20th in world, say Forbes rankings
Namita Thapar
Namita Thapar, 45, is the executive director of the Pune-based Emcure Pharma, a Rs 61 billion ($73 million) company that makes HIV antivirals and cardiovascular and other drugs.
After earning an MBA degree from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, Thapar worked for six years in the finance and marketing department of medical devices developer Guidant in the US before joining Emcure as the chief financial officer in 2007. A chartered accountant by profession, she now serves as the executive director of the company that her father Satish Mehta founded in 2007. Ever since she took charge of its India operations five years ago, Emcure has doubled its domestic revenue to Rs 25 billion, says the Forbes report.
Besides being an entrepreneur, Thapar is an entrepreneurship coach, a reality show judge, and an author. She guides budding entrepreneurs on the popular TV show, Shark Tank India. She has published a book, “The Dolphin and the Shark: Stories on Entrepreneurship.” She also hosts a YouTube talk show called “Uncondition Yourself with Namita Thapar,” which discusses women’s health.
