Summary of this article
Women leaders control Rs 39 lakh crore in combined wealth
Self-made women account for 84 per cent of the list
Mumbai leads, while Delhi records the biggest increase in honourees
India's 117 most influential women, drawn from boardrooms, startups, sports arenas, newsrooms and literature, together control a combined valuation of Rs 39 lakh crore, a number that surpasses Finland's entire gross domestic product (GDP). Of these women, 98, or 84 per cent, reached the top through their own achievements, far exceeding the number who inherited wealth or position. These findings are part of the second edition of the 2026 Candere Hurun India Women Leaders List, released by Candere by Kalyan Jewellers and Hurun India.
The list featured 97 names in 2025. This year it carries 117, a jump of 21 per cent, spread across 12 categories instead of last year's nine.
The list includes HCLTech Chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Nykaa founder Falguni Nayar, Godrej Consumer Products Executive Chairperson Nisaba Godrej and author-philanthropist Sudha Murty. Fashion entrepreneurs Anita Dongre and Masaba Gupta feature alongside Olympic and Paralympic medallists PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Mary Kom, Manu Bhaker and Mirabai Chanu. Also on the list are journalists Faye D'Souza, Barkha Dutt and Palki Sharma Upadhyay, actor-writer Twinkle Khanna, Emcure Executive Director Namita Thapar, content creator Kusha Kapila and entrepreneur Ananya Birla.
"What defines this year's list is not just its size, but its reach," said Anas Rahman Junaid, founder and chief researcher, Hurun India. He noted that the list includes women across seven decades in age, from 19-year-old para-archer Sheetal Devi to 86-year-old Bectors Food Specialities founder Rajni Bector, and argued that Indian leadership is "increasingly earned rather than handed down." Sanjay Raghuraman, managing director of Candere, called the second edition an attempt to build "an enduring record of leadership for generations to come."
Who's On Top, And Where The Money Sits
The 117 women on the list are divided into five pillars. Culture is the largest, with 42 leaders, making up 36 per cent of the list, across fields such as fashion, literature and sports. Startups follow with 28 women, accounting for 24 per cent, while Value Creation has 19 leaders, or 16 per cent. Wealth Creation includes 18 women, representing 15 per cent, and Impact is the smallest category with 10 leaders, accounting for 9 per cent of the list.
The list also highlights the scale of businesses led by these women. Priya Nair, CEO of Hindustan Unilever, tops the Professional CEOs category, with the company worth Rs 5,06,600 crore. Apollo Hospitals' Preetha Reddy and Suneeta Reddy jointly lead the Veterans category on a group valuation crossing Rs 1,21,000 crore. Among the ten Veterans alone, cumulative valuation runs to Rs 4.3 lakh crore. Roshni Nadar Malhotra tops Wealth Multipliers with a net worth of Rs 2,84,000 crore, a fresh entrant to that list last year.
The list also recognises achievements beyond the corporate world. Para-shooter Avani Lekhara, 24, tops the Olympic and Paralympic Medallists category with three medals, including two gold and one bronze. It is the largest category on the list, featuring 20 women, of whom 60 per cent are para-athletes. Sudha Murty leads the Authors category, while Faye D'Souza tops the Independent Journalists category with more than 22 lakh Instagram followers. Shipra Khanna has the largest social media following on the list at 6.29 million, while Ananya Birla recorded the fastest follower growth over the past year at 277 per cent.
Geography, Age And The Rest Of The Profile
Mumbai remained India's top city for influential women for the second year in a row, with 26 women on the list, accounting for 21 per cent of the total. However, its count fell by 12 from last year. New Delhi added the most new names, eight, taking its total to 21 and narrowing the gap with Mumbai. Bengaluru ranked third with 16 women, up by seven from last year. Gurugram entered the top five for the first time with six women, while Pune completed the top five with five.
Among states, Maharashtra led with 31 women, accounting for more than a quarter of the list. It was followed by Delhi with 21, Karnataka with 17 and Haryana with nine, making the state a new entrant to the top five.
The average age of the women on the list is 48 years. Bectors Food Specialities founder Rajni Bector is the oldest at 86, while para-archer Sheetal Devi is the youngest at 19. Six women on the list have been active in their fields for more than four decades. Lupin's Manju D Gupta has the longest career, spanning 58 years, followed by designer Ritu Kumar with 57 years.
The University of Delhi has the highest number of graduates on the list, with 22 women, up from 13 last year. The University of Mumbai is next with seven graduates. Among postgraduate institutions, Harvard University tops the list with nine alumnae, including Nisaba Godrej and Swati Piramal. IIM Ahmedabad follows with four alumnae.
Six women feature in more than one category on the list. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Leena Gandhi Tewari appear in both the Veterans and Wealth Multipliers categories, while Arundhati Bhattacharya features in the Veterans and Professional CEOs. Mary Kom, Palki Sharma Upadhyay and Rujuta Diwekar are recognised in both their main category and the Social Media Influencers category.
