Women Power

There’s little to differentiate India’s powerful women in business from their counterparts in the West: They’re as driven, if not more; they lead from the front; and they enjoy their day in the sun. But if there’s one visible feature that sets Indian professionals apart, it’s their utter disregard for the business suit. No blazers, or skirts with coordinated jackets, or grey-andblack-tweed suits for them. They’re at home—or should that be at office— in exquisite saris and salwar kameezes, doubtless of the designer variety. The Indian businesswoman’s preference for the homehemmed was amply on display at the Business Today bash to honour the 25 Most Powerful Women in Indian Business on October 1 in Mumbai. To honour the women were present Aroon Purie, Saluting women: HUL’s Nitin Paranjpe Editor-in-Chief of the India Today Group (of which Business Today is a part); and Shelly Lazarus, outgoing Chairman & CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide. That Lazarus was present to honour India’s finest female minds is significant because the Ogilvy veteran of 35 years has been on Fortune magazine’s list of 50 Most Powerful Women in Business ever since the American magazine conceived the rankings in 1998. Most underscored the need to celebrate the success of women and appreciate their achievements. “I have always wondered why, even though women start their careers with the same level of intelligence, education and commitment as men, relatively few of them reach the top echelons. This event and the special issue of Business Today shows that things are changing for the better,” he said. But even though the special issue of Business Today has become a reference point for charting the rise of Indian women in the last five years, the magazine didn’t have a clear picture of the road ahead when it first thought of recognising the success of women in business through a regular annual issue and an event in 2003. “We weren’t sure how far we could go with this initiative after the first year. As we approached the second year, we wondered if we would end up repeating the same names as in the list of 2003,” he said.But as BT discovered to its surprise, there was no dearth of women who were making a mark in diverse fields. “Not only was 25-30 per cent on the list of 25 that we prepared new, we also discovered some amazing stories of successes outside the traditional definition of corporate India,” Purie said.One couldn’t help but notice that of the 10 women who attended the show, six were from the field of financial services (of the 25, nine are from this sector). This prompted Sam Balsara, Chairman & Managing Director, Madison Communications, to quip: “BT has a strong weakness for financial professionals.” Well, we all know what happened on Wall Street. But then, as somebody said that evening: “If a few of these good women were calling the shots at those troubled banks, perhaps we wouldn’t have had such a crisis in the first place.”The ceremony ended with Aseem Kapur, Publishing Director of Business Today, thanking the guests and the sponsors, including New Dove Haircare, presenting sponsor; ITC Grand Central Mumbai, hospitality partner; and Kaya Skin Clinic, associate sponsor.