Falguni Nayar, Upasana Taku on Forbes Asia's Power Businesswomen 2019 list
Four Indian businesswomen feature on the Forbes list released on September 24, which recognizes the women who are breaking barriers are shaping Asia's business landscape
Forbes announced the 2019 Asia’s Power Businesswomen list on Tuesday, highlighting 25 outstanding women in business on the continent. The list recognises women who are breaking down barriers and playing a significant role in shaping Asia’s business landscape. This includes entrepreneurs who have started their own businesses, those transforming their family enterprises and high-level executives.
From India, Falguni Nayar, founder and CEO of Nykaa; Upasana Taku, cofounder of MobiKwik; Anita Dongre, cofounder and chief creative officer of House of Anita Dongre and Smita Jatia, managing director, Hardcastle Restuarants, have made it to the list. The list seeks to expand the community of women business leaders by building upon its legacy, since the inaugural Asia’s Power Businesswomen list in 2012.
Launched in 2012, Nykaa has 46 stores across India and attracts 45 million visitors a month to its website and app today. MobiKwik, launched in 2009, has more than 100 million registered users and more than a million transactions a day; it is one of India’s largest fintech players.
“By profiling these 25 outstanding women, Forbes Asia aims to highlight their achievements in the business world and present them as both powerful and empowering so that their success may inspire all our readers,” says Rana Wehbe, editor of the 2019 Asia’s Power Businesswomen list.
Also on the list is Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, founder and CEO of Vietjet Aviation, who made history as the only woman in the traditionally male dominated aviation business to start and run her own major commercial airline. Shares of Vietjet, founded in 2007, have more than doubled since its 2017 IPO, giving it a market value of US$3 billion. Thao is also Vietnam’s first self-made woman billionaire, and Southeast Asia’s wealthiest self-made woman, with a net worth of $2.5 billion.
Another listee is Tan Hooi Ling, cofounder and COO of Southeast Asia’s first decacorn, super app Grab. The 35-year-old Malaysian has led the company alongside her cofounder Anthony Tan in raising over $9 billion since Grab’s launch in 2012. As chief operating officer, Tan focuses on growing Grab’s market share in the eight countries and 336 cities where the company operates.
Click here to view the full list.
