8 Indians Among Asia's Top 50 Businesswomen

The Indian women are enjoying the impact of globalization and making an influence not only on domestic but also on international sphere. They are passionate about their work, they are confident about what they do and the trend they have shaped has taken them to the top of their game. Read on to know these 8 “game-changers” who made it to the list of “50 dynamic women” by Forbes.

1. Shobhana Bhartia
Age: 56
Chairmen and Editorial Director HT Media

Media baroness hails from the storied Birla business clan. She joined her family's media empire in 1985 at the age of 28, eventually transforming it from a stodgy publisher into fast-growing listed outfit HT Media. It is one of the biggest newspapers in the nation and was started at the request of Mahatma Gandhi to her grand father Ghanshyam Das Birla. Other interests include the Hindi daily Hindustan; business daily Mint, in partnership with the Wall Street Journal; FM radio stations; and jobs portal shine.com. It is also expanding in the education space with a new 50-50 joint venture with U.S.-based Apollo Global.

2. Chanda Kochhar
Age:  51
Managing Director & CEO ICICI Bank

She is the first woman to run the country’s second largest lender and once its fastest growing bank, ICICI Bank. With around 25 million customers, the bank has assets of $91 billion, over 2,500 branches. Kochhar is credited with building ICICI's retail arm from scratch. She took charge of the bank in 2009, after a passionately contested the succession race, becoming its youngest ever CEO at 47.

3. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Age: 59
Founder, Chairman and Managing Director Biocon India

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw owns the tag of India's richest self-made woman. She established Biocon in 1978 at the age of 25 as a garage startup to make industrial enzymes and now the company is the country's largest listed biotech firm, with annual revenue of $572 million. It manufactures drugs for diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases. She has supported the Mazumdar-Shaw Cancer Center in Bangalore, where the poor are treated for free.

4. Chitra Ramkrishna
Age: 49
Joint Managing Director, National Stock Exchange

Ms. Chitra Ramkrishna serves as Joint Managing Director of National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. Chitra has been with the National Stock Exchange of India from its birth. Chitra Ramakrishna is a Chartered Accountant and she considers the opportunity to become a part of the team that set up the National Stock Exchange as the most important turning point of her career.

5. Renuka Ramnath
Age: 51
Founder, Managing Director and CEO, Multiples Alternate Asset Management India

The business tigress defines power as the ability to improve the economic condition of a large number of people. She is the founder, Managing Director and CEO, Multiples Alternate Asset Management India.
After work she prefers to spend time with her family and friend. Renuka considers raising $250 million for ICICI Venture between 2001 and 2003 just after the Internet bubble as the most important turning point of her career.

6. Preetha Reddy
Age: 55
Group Managing Director Apollo Hospitals

She has been an Executive Director of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd. since 1989 and became the managing director in the year 2011. The soft-spoken and self-effacing Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals firmly declares that she is not the first among equals among her siblings, and that it is age rather than ability that has given her that commanding designation. Dr. Reddy was awarded the Outstanding Personality Award by the Indian Medical Association in 1999 and received the Good Samaritan Award from the Rotary Club in 1999.

7.  Shikha Sharma
Age: 54
CEO and Managing Director Axis Bank, India

She is the CEO and Managing Director of the country's third-largest bank in the private sector, Axis Bank. Sharma worked for 29 years at ICICI Bank and was a contender for the CEO's post but surrendered the spot to Chanda Kochhar. Since Sharma joined Axis Bank its assets grew 30% last year to $55 billion. She has more than doubled the bank's network to 1,500 branches and 8,300-plus ATMs. She plans to continue expansion, notably of the corporate bank, while "balancing growth with risk."

8. Priya Paul
Age: 46
Chairman Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels

A graduate of Wellesley College in the U.S., Paul came back home in 1988 to join the hotel unit of the Apeejay Surrendra Group as marketing manager. Self-taught, hands-on hotelier today Paul runs the Park Hotels chain, a collection of 11 luxury boutique hotels in India known for their funky designs that attract a cheerful crowd. She plans to list the privately held company. Meantime, she’s spending more than $225 million to expand, with 4 hotels in the pipeline, becoming the first woman in her family to work in the family conglomerate.

Indians Among Top 4 Sources For Business Studies in U.S.

Business-related programmes are the most popular single field of study among international students in the US with China, India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia being the top four source countries, according to a new study.

However, among Indian and Saudi students business ranks third behind engineering and math, and engineering and English respectively, while it is the single-most popular field among Chinese and Korean students, according to World Education Services (WES).

This growth in the popularity of business programmes has paralleled, to a degree, the overall demand for undergraduate programmes at US institutions, the WES study on "International Student Mobility Trends 2013: Towards Responsive Recruitment Strategies" noted.

As a result, international undergraduate students in business studies grew by approximately 60 percent in the US between 2003 and 2011, with nearly three out of ten international undergraduates enrolled in business fields-a proportion that is now comparable to the UK and Canada.

The authors Rahul Choudaha, director of research and advisory services, and research associates Li Chang and Yoko Kono noted how student mobility patterns to the US have changed in the decade following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Due to visa policy changes and perceptions that the US had become a less welcoming host country for international students, enrolment growth stalled in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.

At that time, Indians represented the largest international student population, rising almost 12 percent in 2002/03 compared to just two percent among Chinese students-bucking an overall downward trend in enrolments that would last until the 2006/07 academic year.

Within a decade, that story has been turned on its head. Overall enrolments are again growing at a healthy level.

Chinese enrolments have been booming at an average annual growth rate of well above 20 percent since 2007/08, while Indian enrolments have stagnated and recently started a downward trajectory.

A look into the level of study reveals that India is a graduate market, but a combination of socioeconomic and demographic factors suggest an inflow of more Indian undergraduates in the coming years.

Three fourths of Indian students at the graduate level (77 percent) were enrolled in S&E fields, significantly higher than the concentration for international students overall (59 percent), according to WES.

In addition to aggressive outreach in traditional Asian markets, particularly China and India, the WES study highlighted the need for diversification of international student populations by place of origin.

Visa Problems prevent U.S. Indian Grads from nurturing their Dreams

The immigration laws in the U.S. are chasing away talented foreign students, who are forced to leave the country despite their highly skilled profiles, reports IANS.

Recently, Anurag Bajpayee and Prakash Narayan Govindan, two Indian post-doctoral mechanical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) came up with an innovative system, which disposes contaminated water from oil and natural gas hydraulic fracturing, in a cheaper and cleaner way.

According to reports by the Washington Post It "just might be a breakthrough that creates wealth and jobs in the United States and transforms the white-hot industry. That is, as long as the foreign-born inventors aren't forced to leave the country."

 The system developed by these young minds is termed as one of the top 10 "world-changing ideas" of 2012, by the Scientific American magazine.

But both of them will have to leave the U.S. soon since their student visas are about to expire. They will have to set up their company in India or somewhere else.

Indians and students of other countries studying in U.S. universities usually gets funding from U.S. taxpayers. Leon Sandler, executive director of MIT's Deshpande Centre for Technical Innovation says that to educate a single PhD student it costs around $250,000 and around 80 percent is paid by the government for the graduate research.

"Essentially we are funding their research, spending a quarter-million dollars in taxpayer money; then we make it hard for these people to stay here," Sandler was quoted as saying.

The Post reports that Bajpayee and Narayan doesn’t want to move to some other country such as Israel or Singapore, where the opportunities are less when compared to the U.S. If they don’t get the opportunity to nurture their dream in this country, then the next choice would be their own country.

Narayan also adds, "If it doesn't happen in the U.S., we will make it happen somewhere else."

If Obama's new immigration bill, which would create a ‘Lawful Prospective Immigrant’ visa for 11 million illegal immigrants living in America, is passed, it will prove to be a great relief to the foreigners settled here.

10 Richest Indians of 2013

It has been always said that India is a rich country when it comes to culture and heritage and now it is not far behind in wealth too. Few of the businessmen who have gained fame and wealth around the globe belong to this land and undoubtedly made all Indians proud. Hare are 10 richest businessmen in India according to Forbes list of Indian billionaires, 2012.

1. Mukesh Ambani

Estimated Wealth: $21 billion

Source of Wealth: Inherited

His father started Reliance Industries with mere $100 and had a dream to make the company among the biggest companies of the nation. Considering his father his role model and making his dream come true, Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani is one of the richest men in India as well as Asia with an estimated wealth of $21 billion. Mukesh Ambani is also considered to be among the most influential CEOs in the world. RIL is one of the largest publicly traded companies in India by market capitalization and is the second largest company in India by revenue after Indian Oil Corporation.

2. Lakshmi Mittal

Estimated Wealth: $16 billion

Source of Wealth: Self-Made

Lakshmi Mittal is the perfect role model for rags to richest story. From a simple young man who has gone through many hardships of life, Lakshmi Mittal is now the CEO of world’s biggest steel manufacturer company Arcelor Mittal. In 2011 Mittal was listed as the sixth richest person in the world.  He also ranks sixth among the worlds richest business man with an estimated wealth of $16 billion.

3. Azim Premji

Estimated Wealth: $12.2 billion               

Source of Wealth: Inherited

Azim Premji enjoys a richly deserved status as one of the most influential entrepreneurs of India and has frequently featured as one of the most powerful men in the world. With an estimated wealth of $ 12.2 billion Azim Premji occupies the position of India’s third richest men. He is also well complimented for transforming “Wipro Limited” which was initially a FMCG firm to one of the leading blue chip technological organizations in India.

4. Pallonji Mistry            

Estimated Wealth: $9.8 billion

Source of Wealth: Inherited

With an estimated wealth of $9.8 billion Pallonji Mistry is the fourth richest man in India and the wealthiest person of Parsi descent. Born in 1929 Pallonji Mistry is an Irish construction tycoon and chairman of Shapoorji Pallonji Group. He is the single largest shareholder in India’s biggest multinational company Tata Group holding 18.4 percent stakes. Recently his son Cyrus Mistry inherited the post of CEO after Ratan Tata got retired.

5. Dilip Shanghvi             

Estimated Wealth: $9.2 billion

Source of Wealth: Self-Made

Here is another billionaire who is a complete self-made man.  He is the Founder and Managing Director of Sun Pharmaceutical, an Indian global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra that produces and sells pharmaceutical formulations and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) primarily in India and the United States. Dilip Shanghvi’s wealth is estimated to be $9.2 billion that grabbed him the fifth rank among India’s richest men.

6. Adi Godrej    

Estimated Wealth: $9 billion     

Source of Wealth: Inherited

He heads the Godrej group of companies and is considered as the business icon Indian business industry and is definitely among one of the richest in India. Though Adi Godrej inherited his family business but his innovative ideas and inspiring leadership qualities took the Godrej group of companies to the heights. After Pallonji Mistry, Adi Godrej is the second richest in the Parsi descent. The annual turnover of Godrej Group of Companies is estimated to be $3.3 billion.

7. Savitri Jindal and Family         

Estimated Wealth: $8.2 billion

Source of Wealth: Inherited

She is simple, soft spoken and down to earth. Inheriting Jindal Group after her husband’s sudden death, with nine children, Savitri Jindal and her family occupies the seventh rank among the richest Indian people with $8.2 billion estimated wealth. Savitri Jindal is an Indian steel magnet, the wealthiest woman in India and the world's 80th richest person and also the member of Haryana Legislative Assembly.

8. Ravi Ruia        

Estimated Wealth: $8.1 billion

Source of Wealth: Self-Made

Ravikant Nand Kishore Ruia better known as Ravi Ruia is the Vice-Chairman of Essar Group. The company is owned by both the Ruia brothers, Sashi and Ravi and operates in about 25 countries around the globe. The Essar group functions in many sectors like of steel, oil & gas, power, communications, shipping, ports & logistics, projects and minerals. With an estimated wealth of $8.1 billion, Ravi Ruia is the eighth richest man in India.

9. Hinduja Brothers       

Estimated Wealth: $8 billion     

Source of Wealth:  Inherited

Hinduja Brothers, the name is a must mention among the most reputed Indian business families who have worldwide gained prestige. Srichand, Gopichand, Ashok and Prakash are the famous Hinduja brothers who inherited Hinduja Group, started by their father Parmanand Deepchand. With an estimated wealth of $8 billion the Hinduja Brothers grabs the ninth rank among India’s richest men. In June 2012, Hinduja Group bagged its first overseas order of 50 units of vestibule buses from Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation.

10. Kumar Mangalam Birla          

Estimated Wealth: $7.8 billion

Source of Wealth:  Inherited

Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group one of corporate India's most triumphant fourth-generation industrialists. He inherited the company at the early age of 28 and took the company to its heights. Few big achievements were done by Kumar in the year 2012 like he bought Pantaloon Retail worth 1,600 crore from Kishore Biyani. With an estimated $7.8 billion, Kumar Mangalam Birla is the tenth richest man in India.