Women Of Excellence Indu Shahani, Rajashree Birla, Supriya Sule, Chanda Kochhar, Anu Aga, Brinda Somaya and BK Sister Shivani honoured as Women Of The Decade by industry body ASSOCHAM’s Ladies League
Indu Shahani
Education & Community Development
A visionary thought leader and distinguished educationist, Dr. Indu Shahani has been the Principal of HR. College of Commerce & Economics in South Mumbai. A doyenne with over 31 years of experience in higher education, she has played the lead role in nurturing future leaders. Dr. Shahani was appointed vice Chairman the Board of the Governors of the International Baccalaureate and has over a decade of experience with the IB organization. She is the recipient of several awards including ‘Women’s Achievers’ Award’ by Young Environmentalists Programme Trust, ‘Woman of the Year Award by Junior Chamber International, and ‘Achievement Award’ by Sahyog Foundation.
Rajashree Birla
Exemplar for Women
India’s foremost philanthropist, Rajashree Birla is a Director on the Board of all the major Aditya Birla Group of Companies. As Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Centre forCommunity initiatives and Rural Development, she oversees the Group’s social and welfare driven work across 30 companies. She has been instrumental in the company’s initiatives in the fields of sustainable employment schemes, education and training, making safe drinking water easily accessible and women empowerment. She has been bestowed with several awards including, The Economic Times ‘Corporate Citizen 200l—2002 Award’ and ‘The Seva Shiromani Award’.
Supriya Sule
Social Service
An ardent philanthropist and decisive administrator, Supriya Sule has contributed to society through her various initiatives in social upliftment and women empowerment. She launched statewide awareness campaigns against female foeticide and dowry system, and encouraged young girls to actively participate in politics and society. She also provides support and guidance to several programs that help women in agriculture and self help groups through business of their products. An MP from Baramati Lok Sabha Constituency in Maharashtra, she is also a member of Standing Committee on Information Technology, and Consultative Committee of Human Resource Ministry, et al.
Chanda Kochhar
Banking
Chanda Kochhar is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of lClCl Bank- one of the largest private banks in India. A firm believer in the merit of woman workforce, she has always led from the front and brought about major turnarounds in her company’s fortune. An eternal optimist, she has won several awards and accolades including Padma Bhushan in 2011, the 20th spot in the Fortune’s List of Most Powerful Women in Business, 2009, the Business Woman of the Year 2005 by ‘The Economic Times’ and the Retail Banker of the Year 2004 by ‘The Asian Banker’. She was ranked 33rd in the List of Most Powerful Women in Business by ‘Fortune’.
Anu Aga
Corporate Responsibility and Community Service
An iconic businesswoman, Anu Aga has been known for her social work and activism as her business accomplishments. Thermax Ltd. touched the new heights under her leadership between 1996 and 2004. A postgraduate in psychiatric social work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and a Fulbright Scholar, she took up social initiatives after her retirement from Thermax. She has been closely associated with the Thermax Social Initiative Foundation which manages two schools for lower—income groups. She has been awarded the Padma Shri for Social Work and was nominated to Rajya Sabha in 2012. In 2007, she was part of 4O Richest Indians by net worth according to ‘Forbes’ magazine.
Brinda Somaya
Architecture and Urban Conservation
Infusing seamlessness in her work and scripting fluid spaces, Brinda Somaya’s inspiring body of work speaks of a strong social conscience. In a career spanning several decades, she has created not just statement—making large structures across the country but also smaller, more personally satisfying designs. Lauded for her exemplary work in heritage preservation, she underscores the importance of conservation. She has won several awards including, The Wienerberger Golden Architect Award for Lifetime Achievement, Urban Heritage Award for Banyan Park, et al. She is also voted among India’s Top IO Architects by ‘Construction World’ in 2009.
Surekha Sikri
Acting
A noted actress, theater veteran and television artist, Surekha Sikri has won several awards for her outstanding work on silver screen, on theater stage and on small screen. A graduate from National School of Drama, she worked with the NSD Repertory for over 1O years before shifting to Mumbai. She has acted in many films like Zubeidaa, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer and Raincoat. She has also worked in television serials such as Banegi Apni Baat, Kesar, Saher and Samay. She was the recipient of 1989 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, The National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress Twice—Tamas in I988 and Mammo in I995. In Dec 2008 she was awarded Best Actress in Negative Role for the serial Balika Vadhu.
BK Sister Shivani
Empowering Spiritual Consciousness
An articulate face of the Brahma Kumaris, BK Sister Shivani is a spiritual speaker and Rajyoga Meditation teacher who has taken the Brahma Kumaris movement to millions of people both in India and abroad. An engineering graduate with a Gold Medal from Pune University, she worked with Bhartiya Vidyapeeth College of Engineering, Pune as a lecturer for two years. An authority on subjects like spirituality, relationships and meditation, she speaks on a wide spectrum of themes such as stress free lifestyle, leadership skills, emotional intelligence, living values and the practical technique of Rajyoga Meditation. Her TV program on practical spirituality is aired in more than 160 countries across five continents.