India’s most influential women collectively command a wealth and business valuation of Rs 39 lakh crore, with 84% of the 117 honourees being self-made, according to the 2026 Candere Hurun India Women Leaders List released on Thursday. The combined value of the women featured on the list exceeds the GDP of Finland, underscoring their growing contribution to India’s economy and society.
In the list, entrepreneurs, startup founders, professional CEOs, Olympic medallists, journalists, authors, digital creators and sustainability leaders occupy the same stage.
The annual Hurun list has expanded from 97 women across nine categories in 2025 to 117 women across 12 categories this year, a 21 per cent increase that mirrors the broadening definition of leadership itself.
According to the report, 98 women have built their own positions, while only 19 are classified as inheritors, indicating that self-made leaders now outnumber inheritors by more than five to one.
Rank-wise analysis:
As per the Candere Hurun India Women Leaders List, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCLTech, topped the Wealth Multipliers category with a net worth of Rs 2.84 lakh crore.
Priya Nair, Managing Director and CEO of Hindustan Unilever, led the Professional CEOs category, heading a company valued at Rs 5.06 lakh crore.
Further, Preetha Reddy and Suneeta Reddy of Apollo Hospitals jointly topped the Veterans category, backed by a group valuation of over Rs 1.21 lakh crore.
Avani Lekhara led the Olympic and Paralympic Medallists category with three medals, while Sudha Murty topped the Authors category based on readership impact.
Further, Faye D’Souza emerged as the most-followed independent journalist, and Ananya Birla recorded the fastest social media follower growth during the year
City-wise list:
Mumbai retained its position as India’s leading hub for influential women with 26 honourees, followed by New Delhi with 21 and Bengaluru with 16. Maharashtra accounted for the highest number of women leaders at 31, while Delhi and Karnataka followed with 21 and 17, respectively.
India’s Most Influential Women Command Rs 39 Trillion In Wealth, 84% Are Self-Made
