30. Rashi Sanon Narang
Founder & CEO, Heads Up for Tails
Rashi Sanon Narang is the Founder of Heads Up For Tails (HUFT), one of India’s leading pet care and lifestyle brands. Established in 2008, HUFT has grown under her leadership from a small home-led initiative into a scaled omnichannel business with a strong national footprint across online and physical retail. Narang has steered the brand through rapid expansion, positioning it as a premium yet accessible destination for pet products in India. The company’s performance reflects this momentum, with revenues of approximately `278 crore in FY24 and a target of `345 crore for the same fiscal year. HUFT is currently tracking a 30–35% annual growth trajectory and is on course to achieve sustainable EBITDA profitability by the end of the next fiscal year, following a phase of aggressive investment-led expansion. Her work has been recognised globally, including HUFT being named ‘Brand of the Year’ at the World Branding Awards, underscoring Narang’s impact in shaping India’s organised pet care market.
30. Shaily Mehrotra
CEO, Fixderma India
Shaily Mehrotra is the driving force behind Fixderma, a dermatology-led skincare brand that has steadily reshaped India’s cosmeceutical landscape through science-backed innovation and disciplined execution. As the founder behind premium brand FCL and the leader steering Fixderma’s growth, she has combined clinical credibility with sharp business strategy to build a globally scaled skincare company. Under her leadership, Fixderma has achieved 10x growth between 2021 and FY25, crossed `100 crore ARR online in 2024, and remained EBITDA-positive throughout. She has overseen the brand’s fastest-growing e-commerce vertical, secured its first patent for Nigrifix, and expanded exports to over 30 countries. In 2024, Mehrotra has strengthened Fixderma’s operational backbone through SAP-led manufacturing integration, data-driven sales systems, and sharper internal governance. Her work has elevated clinical skincare conversations in India while earning industry recognition for entrepreneurship, exports, innovation, and leadership.
31. Anupama Ramaswamy
Chief Creative Officer and Managing Director, Havas Creative India
Anupama Ramaswamy is Chief Creative Officer and Managing Director at Havas Creative India, based in Gurgaon. In 2025, she emerged as one of the most defining creative leaders in the country, steering Havas to its first-ever Cannes Lions Gold and securing India’s first Gold of the year—an achievement that marked a decisive shift in the agency’s global standing. Under her leadership, Havas India climbed rapidly from a low-profile ranking to the top five creative agencies, driven by 42+ international and Indian awards, including a Cannes Lion in 2025. Her work, from the culturally resonant ‘Ink of Democracy’ to the sharp, youth-forward ‘Pepsi Anytime,’ demonstrated how purpose-led ideas can deliver both cultural impact and business results. Beyond the work itself, Ramaswamy’s influence extended to shaping a more inclusive creative ecosystem, mentoring women leaders who represented India on global platforms and helping bring gender balance at Havas India close to parity.
31. Sanchita Ganguly
Asia Business Enabling Team Lead, Bayer Crop Science Ltd.
Sanchita Ganguly is Asia Business Team Lead, Bayer Crop Science Ltd. A senior marketing and brand strategist, she is widely recognised for shaping B2C and rural outreach initiatives across India and the Asia Pacific region. At Bayer, Ganguly has played a key role in driving the shift from commodity-led portfolios to brand-led businesses, anchoring communication and engagement strategies across India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in her role as Brand & Communication Head. An active voice in industry conversations, she consistently champions digital transformation and meaningful engagement with India’s 145 million smallholder farmers. Her perspective on rural marketing has earned her recognition beyond the organisation, including serving as a jury member for the EMVIES from 2023 to 2025. Ganguly holds a management degree from K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, and is regarded a key contributor to the evolving marketing narrative within Indian agriculture.
32. Shraddha Jain
Content Creator
Shraddha Jain, widely recognised as Aiyyo Shraddha, is an Indian actress, comedian, radio jockey and television host whose work spans radio, streaming, television and digital platforms. A Mangalorean raised in Mumbai, she built a strong public profile during her nine-year stint as RJ Shraddha on Fever 104 FM, becoming a familiar and trusted on-air voice. Her screen presence expanded with hosting Kannada dance reality shows, including Dancing Star, and with acting roles in Amazon Prime Video’s Pushpavalli and the web series Kyaabre. Currently, she leads non-fiction programming at Colors Kannada, marking a significant creative and leadership milestone. On Instagram, Jain has carved out a distinctive space through sharp, multilingual sketch comedy in five languages—Tulu, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi and English. With over 1M followers on Instagram, her content captures everyday anxieties and social moments with humour, timing and cultural insight, cementing her position as a versatile, contemporary entertainment voice.
33. Padmaja Joshi
Managing Editor and Primetime Anchor, NDTV 24x7
Padmaja Joshi is Managing Editor and Primetime Anchor at NDTV 24×7, where she leads the 9 pm flagship show The Buck Stops Here. Since joining the network in August 2025, she has brought sharp editorial leadership and authority to one of Indian television news’ most watched time slots. With over 15 years in broadcast journalism, Joshi’s career reflects sustained newsroom impact across leading networks. As Senior Executive Editor at TV9 Network, she anchored In Your Interest and Parvah Desh Ki. At Times Now, she anchored and produced Newshour Agenda and India Upfront, while leading the Output Desk during major national events. Her editorial roles at India Today Group, NewsX and Star News further underline her depth. Known for a clear, fact-driven style and balanced reporting, Joshi’s credibility remains unquestioned—marking her out as a defining newsroom leader.
34. Priti Murthy
President, Client Solutions, WPP Media
Priti Murthy is President – Client Solutions at WPP Media, Gurugram, and a leader recognised for delivering measurable business impact at scale. Through 2024, she has driven a transformation that repositioned media delivery from a support function to a strategic growth engine. Under her leadership, revenue grew by over 20%, margins improved by 18%, and campaign ROI rose 30%, powered by precision planning, predictive analytics, and AI-led execution. Operational efficiencies increased by 12%, while 100% client retention reinforced trust in the model. Murthy has also played a central role in taking India-grown MarTech and performance solutions global, establishing the market as a hub for innovation and delivery excellence. Beyond numbers, her work has shaped culture—building high-performance, trust-led teams and advancing women’s leadership through the She Thrives platform. Her achievements have been recognised across the industry, including multiple IMPACT Top 50 Women Leaders citations, underscoring her influence on both company and category outcomes.
35. Pallavi Gupta
Brand Director, Gillette Venus, Procter & Gamble
Pallavi Gupta is Brand Director for Gillette Venus at Procter & Gamble, based in Mumbai. A seasoned FMCG marketer with over 12 years of experience, she is recognised for building and scaling brands through sharp brand management, e-commerce depth and a clear consumer-first lens. At P&G, Gupta leads Gillette Venus, driving growth, category expansion and revenue optimisation through disciplined strategy and innovation. Her impact was formally acknowledged in November 2021, when she was named ‘Brand Entrepreneur of the Year’—P&G’s highest individual contribution award—making her one of only four recipients across the AMA region. Gupta holds an MBA in Marketing from Indian Institute of Management, Indore and is an alumnus of Shri Ram College of Commerce, grounding her leadership in both academic rigour and executional excellence.
36. Pooja Baid
CMO, Versuni India Home Solutions (Philips)
Pooja Baid is Chief Marketing Officer at Versuni, based in Gurgaon, where she leads the company’s dual-brand portfolio of Philips and Preethi. Her work is defined by a sharp consumer-first lens, founder-style ROI discipline, and a clear mandate to drive innovation and profitable growth in the home appliances category. With over 17 years of experience, Baid has consistently delivered market leadership across roles spanning FMCG and consumer durables. At Versuni and earlier at Philips, she has led multiple businesses to strong profitability, while pioneering e-commerce marketing capabilities that delivered best-in-class return on ad spend. Her tenure at Coca-Cola saw her set up a new marketing function that shifted the organisation from traditional media to consumer experience-led thinking, backed by new structures and teams across South West Asia. Earlier, she worked across brand, strategy, and sales at ITC. Recognised among India’s 100 Most Influential CMOs and Pitch’s 40 Under 40, Baid’s impact reflects sustained category-building and execution excellence rather than episodic success.
37. Ipsita Das
Managing Director, Moet Hennessy (LVMH)
Ipsita Das is Managing Director of Moët Hennessy India, the Indian arm of LVMH, where she has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s growth and leadership agenda in the country. Appointed Managing Director in 2021 after serving as Commercial Director since 2019, Das has been responsible for driving strategic initiatives to expand and strengthen Moët Hennessy’s presence in India, overseeing a portfolio that includes Dom Pérignon, Moët & Chandon and Hennessy. With over 14 years of cross-sector experience spanning Uber, Maersk and Housing.com, she brings a sharp general management and commercial lens to luxury brand-building. An alumna of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and the Indian School of Business, Das’s leadership credentials have been recognised with honours such as BW 40 Under 40 and EU India Under 40 Leaders, marking her as a clear business leader of her generation.
38. Harmeet Singh
Chief Brand Officer, The Body Shop India
Harmeet Singh is Chief Brand Officer at The Body Shop India, where she plays a defining role in shaping the brand’s purpose-led growth and cultural relevance. One of the earliest architects of The Body Shop’s India journey, she has been instrumental in strengthening the brand’s commercial performance while keeping its ethical core intact. In recent years, her work has focused on repositioning the brand as a meaningful gifting destination, delivering a threefold growth in the category, and introducing The India Edit—an India-inspired Bath & Body range that refreshed the portfolio during a year of limited global launches. Singh has also led high-impact campaigns such as ‘Changemaking Beauty’ and the ‘Spark A Change’ franchise, which blended storytelling with measurable outcomes, driving scale across media, retail, and community impact. Her leadership has consistently translated purpose into performance, reinforcing The Body Shop’s standing as a changemaking beauty brand in India.
39. Nikita Prasad
Co-founder and Creative Head, GIVA
Nikita Prasad is Co-founder and Creative Head of GIVA, a Bengaluru-based jewellery brand she launched in 2019 alongside Ishendra Agarwal and Sachin Shetty. As the creative force behind the brand, Prasad oversees the design language and visual identity of GIVA’s expanding portfolio across silver, gold, and lab-grown diamond jewellery. Her role has been central to shaping a contemporary aesthetic that balances modern design with commercial scale. An alumna of National Institute of Fashion Technology, Chennai, Prasad brings formal training in fashion and lifestyle accessories, complemented by hands-on experience gained at multiple jewellery houses prior to founding GIVA. Under her creative leadership, GIVA reported operating revenue of `274 crore in FY24, marking a 66% rise from the previous year. Even as the company continues to invest in growth, Prasad’s design stewardship remains a defining pillar of GIVA’s market presence and brand identity.
40. Hema Malik
Chief Investment officer, Omnicom Media
Hema Malik is Chief Investment officer, Omnicom Media (formerly called IPG Mediabrands), where she has emerged as one of the most influential voices shaping India’s media investment and trading ecosystem. With nearly three decades of experience, Malik has institutionalised media investment as a strategic growth lever, launching IPG Mediabrands India’s Investment Unit and building high-impact partnerships with brands such as Samsung, Amazon and Tata Motors. In FY25, her leadership delivered a 10%+ year-on-year uplift in partner value, unlocked incremental revenue streams and strengthened margin structures through a restructured, performance-led trading model. She scaled IPG’s ORION platform across 30+ clients, driving double-digit savings, and led MAGNA India’s market intelligence outputs that helped clients act faster in volatile conditions. Recognised among e4m’s Top Women in Media, Malik’s work has set new internal benchmarks and helped redefine industry standards for transparent, outcome-driven media investment.
41. Sowmya Iyer
Founder & CEO, DViO Digital Pvt Ltd
Sowmya Iyer is Founder and CEO of DViO Digital Pvt Ltd, an independent marketing and technology agency with a global footprint. Under her leadership, DViO has grown into a $10M+ business operating across six international markets, serving over 100 clients and recording 50% growth in FY25. Iyer has steered the agency through defining moments, including navigating the COVID-19 period without layoffs or salary cuts, followed by accelerated growth. She has driven innovation through platforms such as DViO One, an AI-powered marketing engine, and DViO Collab, which has enabled large-scale influencer marketing for brands including Adani Wilmar and Reebok. Her focus on MAD-Tech innovation has positioned DViO at the intersection of creativity, data, and technology. Her work has been recognised with multiple industry honours, including Independent Agency of the Year 2025 and AdTech Company of the Year 2025, alongside personal recognition such as BW Marketing 40 Under 40.
41. Anita Kotwani
Senior Partner Growth - Zoo Media
Anita Kotwani is Senior Partner Growth - Zoo Media. Kotwani was formerly Chief Client Officer, Dentsu South Asia, and one of the most influential client leaders in the region’s agency ecosystem. Previously, in her expanded role spanning Creative, Media and CXM, Kotwani has been central to reshaping dentsu into a more integrated, client-first organisation. Her re-architecting of the operating model, built around dedicated client clusters, has delivered tangible impact—80 new logo wins and 10% growth in FY24, followed by 55% of the FY25 new business target achieved within the first quarter alone. Under her leadership, media capabilities were centralised across Product & Tech, Full-Funnel and Analytics, unlocking scale and efficiency. She has also driven the growth of future-facing solutions across commerce, retail media, BIGS and data, translating capability-building into sustained business momentum. Consistently high client trust scores and industry recognition underscore her leadership record defined by outcomes, and not optics.
42. Vaishali Verma
Chief Executive Officer, Initiative India
Vaishali Verma is Chief Operating Officer of Initiative India, based in Bangalore, and a defining force behind the agency’s success. Under her operational leadership, Initiative delivered 15% growth in a challenging year, driven by sustained new business wins and strong partnerships with existing clients. She has played a pivotal role in shaping long-term client relationships, most notably a decade-long partnership with Amazon, for which Initiative built several market- and industry-first data and technology platforms. Her impact is equally visible in competitive new business victories across categories, including brands such as Puma, Volvo, Wagh Bakri, IFB, Ramco Cements, Sensodent and Zepto, alongside consistent recognition at the ABBYs and EMVIES. Beyond commercial results, Verma’s influence extends to industry leadership and mentorship. A four-time IMPACT 50 Most Influential Women honouree and a Businessworld Most Influential Women Leader, she is widely recognised for building talent, reducing attrition, and mentoring emerging women leaders across the group.
43. Parul Gulati
Influencer & Founder, Nish Hair PVT LTD
Parul Gulati, Founder of Nish Hair Pvt. Ltd., has emerged as a defining new-age leader in India’s beauty and D2C space. At 30, she has scaled Nish Hair into a fast-growing, women-led business with a strong offline and digital footprint. In FY25, the brand expanded from two to five physical stores, including its first international outlet in Dubai, while deepening presence across Delhi, Hyderabad and new markets through pop-ups. Sales grew 15% year-on-year, supported by high-impact creator collaborations and content-led growth that delivered sharp gains across social platforms. Gulati has also driven platform expansion onto Blinkit, Amazon and Myntra, while strengthening core operations with a dedicated warehouse and expanded in-house stitching and customer support teams. Beyond numbers, Nish Hair stands out for being entirely run by women, creating meaningful employment and leadership opportunities across manufacturing, retail and management—making Gulati’s impact as structural as it is commercial.
44. Aditi Mishra
CEO, Lodestar UM
Aditi Mishra is Chief Executive Officer of Lodestar UM, where she has steered the agency into the top tier of India’s media networks through a clear focus on data, AI and differentiated thinking. Under her leadership, Lodestar UM has ranked among the top three agencies in the latest RECMA standings and strengthened its reputation for future-ready planning through its ‘Stand Against Bland’ philosophy. She has overseen the rollout of Full Colour Media, a proprietary planning approach powered by extensive custom research, alongside AI-led tools that link identity, influence, commerce and performance. Mishra has also led industry-defining work, including landmark launches such as Mahindra’s Electric Origin SUVs, which delivered record-breaking Day One bookings. In FY25, she guided strong new business momentum while deepening high-value client relationships, with several marquee accounts exceeding $20 million in annual spends. Her tenure is marked by sustained growth, innovation-led credibility, and consistent recognition across leading industry forums.
45. Aparajita Biswas
Head of Marketing, The Hindu Group
Aparajita Biswas is Head of Marketing at The Hindu Group Publishing Private Limited, where she has emerged as a defining force behind the organisation’s contemporary brand and revenue transformation. In FY25, her leadership helped marketing and brand solutions contribute 8% of overall revenue, up from 5% the previous year, while Brand Solutions revenue grew by 200% through long-term partnerships with IBM, AMD, Apollo Hospitals, and Fragomen. She repositioned The Hindu as a community-first brand through high-impact campaigns such as ‘Made of Chennai’, ‘No Tobacco Day’, and ‘Last Pack’, blending editorial credibility with participative storytelling. Aparajita also reimagined legacy IPs—Lit for Life, The Hindu Huddle, and Sportstar ACES Awards—as 360-degree engagement and monetisation platforms. Her work has earned 12 major wins across WAN-IFRA and INMA platforms, including ‘Champion of the Year’, cementing her reputation as a leader who aligns cultural relevance with measurable business impact.
46. Geetanjali Sachwani
VP and Head - Marketing, Franklin Templeton India
Geetanjali Sachwani is VP and Head – Marketing at Franklin Templeton India, where her work sits at the intersection of purpose, performance, and category impact. In FY25, she led ‘Change The Soch,’ a campaign that challenged entrenched biases around women and money, delivering over 75 million views, 120 million-plus impressions, and a 60%+ completion rate, while contributing to a 10% rise in women investor participation. Her initiatives extended beyond communication to structural change, including HERizons, aimed at increasing women’s participation in the mutual fund advisory ecosystem. Known for building and retaining a stable, multi-generational marketing team in a traditionally high-churn BFSI environment, Sachwani has also set benchmarks in inclusive leadership, notably through championing returnship opportunities. Her work has helped reposition Franklin Templeton as a progressive voice in the mutual fund category, where inclusive growth is treated not as a theme, but as a measurable business outcome.
47. Saloni Anand
Co-Founder, Traya
Saloni Anand is Co-Founder of Traya, a health-tech brand that has carved a distinct position in India’s hair-loss category by combining Ayurveda, dermatology and nutrition into a single, evidence-backed model. Under her leadership, Traya has scaled to over 1,00,000 customers, delivered a reported 93% efficacy rate, and built an organisation of 800 people. Between 2024 and 2025, Anand has sharpened the brand’s credibility through clinical validation, including a landmark study conducted with MS Clinical Research Pvt Ltd that demonstrated Traya’s customised regimen to be three times more effective than Minoxidil, later published in the International Journal of Research in Dermatology. She has also driven portfolio expansion and strengthened brand storytelling through initiatives such as What The Health, India’s first D2C-led health podcast, and the next leg of the ‘Hope for Hair’ campaign. Her work has translated into 2.5x growth over 12 months, a 70% retention rate, and expanding offline presence—achievements recognised by honours from Hurun India, IMPACT, Inc42 and Entrepreneur Awards.
48. Shubhra Saraf Sethi
Executive VP - Entertainment, Ad Sales Strategy, JioStar
Shubhra Saraf Sethi, Executive VP - Entertainment, Ad Sales Strategy, JioStar was earlier Head of Strategy – Entertainment at JioStar, where she steered monetisation and advertising strategy across one of India’s largest entertainment ecosystems, spanning 85+ television channels and JioHotstar. With over two decades of experience, she is widely recognised for shaping large-scale revenue engines in Indian media, most notably for building the monetisation blueprint that turned the IPL into a highly profitable property with nearly fourfold revenue growth in five years. At JioStar, she has driven integrated, multi-platform sales thinking and introduced new ad products and frameworks that have unlocked fresh revenue pools. Her work has directly contributed to double-digit growth across marquee sports properties, a record-breaking Women’s World Cup, and the onboarding of new advertiser categories. Beyond numbers, Sethi’s impact lies in redefining how sport, entertainment and purpose-led innovation intersect—making her one of the most influential strategic leaders in the media and entertainment industry today.
49. Anuja Trivedi
Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer, Shemaroo Entertainment Limited
Anuja Trivedi is Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer at Shemaroo Entertainment Limited, where she has emerged as one of the most decisive marketing and strategy leaders in India’s entertainment industry. Elevated to her current role in 2025, Trivedi has played a central role in reshaping Shemaroo’s brand and growth narrative across broadcast, digital and immersive platforms. Her leadership has driven the launch of Shemaroo Josh, the expansion of ShemarooMe with over 150 new titles, and the debut of ShemarooVerse, positioning the company at the intersection of legacy content and emerging technology. Under her strategic direction, Shemaroo crossed `685 crore in consolidated revenue in FY25 and expanded into 15 new international markets. Beyond numbers, Trivedi has steered culturally resonant initiatives like ‘Har Role is Her Role’ and helped build inclusive leadership frameworks within the organisation, reinforcing her reputation as a winner who delivers both commercial scale and cultural relevance.
50. Gurmeet Kaur
Independent Business Advisor
Gurmeet Kaur was Chief Operating Officer of Henkel Anand India Private Limited, where she played a defining role in reshaping the company’s growth and strategic standing within the mobility ecosystem. Under her leadership, the business doubled in size from €40 million to €100 million between 2022 and 2025, alongside a 30% improvement in EBIT, marking one of the strongest performance turnarounds within the Henkel network. She led the shift from a cost-led manufacturing model to an innovation-driven, integrated solutions partner for the automotive industry, embedding portfolio governance, co-innovation, digital capability, and sustainability across the value chain. Her impact has been recognised through multiple global and regional honours, including Henkel’s Global Lion Award, IMEA Growth Wiz IMPACT Award, and the Global FR Award for profitability and cash-flow turnaround. Consistently selected for high-trust leadership cohorts, Kaur’s achievements reflect measurable value creation, organisational resilience, and long-term relevance in a rapidly evolving industry.
SPECIAL MENTIONS
Priya Pardiwalla
Co-founder & Chief Creative Officer, Steve Priya
Priya Pardiwalla is a leading creative force in India’s advertising world, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Steve Priya, the boutique creative and content agency she launched with Steve Mathias. A former Executive Creative Director at Wunderman Thompson (formerly JWT), she is known for bold, category-moving work across automobiles, FMCG, finance and entertainment. Under her leadership Steve Priya quickly won marquee creative mandates—notably The Sleep Company—and positioned itself as a studio for what the founders call ‘creative adventures.’ Her work blends sharp strategic insight with storytelling that privileges audience engagement over formula; today she is widely regarded as an influential creative leader whose projects consistently aim to surprise, entertain and shift markets and elevate brand culture.
Shivani Poddar
Co-Founder and CEO, FabAlley
Shivani Poddar is Co-Founder and CEO of FabAlley, one of India’s most prominent fast-fashion, women-focused D2C brands. Launched in 2012 with her partner Tanvi Malik under High Street Essentials (HSE), FabAlley has scaled on the strength of Poddar’s operational and financial leadership. With a background in finance rather than fashion, Poddar built the backbone of the business—overseeing supply chain design, sourcing, manufacturing, and financial systems that enabled rapid, sustainable growth. Under the HSE umbrella, she helped expand the portfolio into Indya and Curve, creating a multi-brand fashion platform. In FY23, HSE reported total revenue of `189.8 crore, underscoring Poddar’s role in shaping FabAlley and Indya into a scaled, resilient fashion enterprise driven by disciplined execution rather than trend-led hype.
