CEO | Devika Bulchandani | Global Indian

Global IndianstoryDevika Bulchandani: The first woman of colour to head Ogilvy

Devika Bulchandani: The first woman of colour to head Ogilvy

Written by: Charu Thakur

(September 13, 2022) “A champion of creativity who brings passion, purpose, and an uncompromising focus in generating impact to everything she does,” is how Mark Read, CEO of WPP – Ogilvy’s parent company described Devika Bulchandani’s appointment as the new Global CEO. Indian-origin CEOs are heading corporate giants across the globe, and the latest to join the bandwagon is advertising maverick Devika, who has not just become the first woman but the first woman of colour to take up the role of the CEO at Ogilvy.

“In this role, she will be responsible for all aspects of the creative network’s business across 131 offices in 93 countries and spanning its Advertising, Public Relations, Experience, Consulting, and Health units. Devika most recently served as Global President and CEO of Ogilvy North America,” the company said in a statement.

“David Ogilvy spoke of giants, and Devika truly is one of the giants of our industry.”

Today we are honored to announce that Devika Bulchandani will take the helm from Andy Main as our new Global Chief Executive Officer.

Learn more: https://t.co/MHdFOrQCT4 #TeamOgilvy pic.twitter.com/eAKiLgATX0

— Ogilvy (@Ogilvy) September 7, 2022

The 53-year-old, who was earlier the Global President of Ogilvy North America, spent 26 years at McCann in leadership roles before joining Ogilvy two years ago. For someone who got excited to get $7 per hour at a copy center when she first moved to New York in the mid-90s, this Global Indian has come a long way in the last three decades. “Creating a positive impact in society through the power of creativity” has been her motto, and she championed many such social causes through brand-building efforts. One such was the 2017 ‘The Fearless Girl’ campaign that challenged Wall Street’s symbol of charging bull with a bronze statue of a young girl with hands on her hips to send a message about workplace gender diversity. In no time, the statue became a symbol of women’s equality and one of the most awarded campaigns ever.

Devika Bulchandani is the global CEO of Ogilvy

Born and raised in the heart of Punjab, Amritsar, till the age of 10, she loved climbing trees and cycling with her brothers as a kid. But coming from a patriarchal family, Devika knew that she had to push the envelope to pave the way for herself. Despite a loving and supportive family, she was keen to cast her own identity and financial independence. “The drive came because we grew up in a family where girls didn’t get anything, they were supposed to get married. We (Priya and I) had to pave our way,” she told Vogue. This ambition led her to Welham Girls’ School in Dehradun and later took her to St Xavier’s College in Mumbai for her bachelors in English and Psychology. It was in 1991 that she took a flight to the US to fulfil her dreams of doing her master’s degree in communications at the University of Southern California, and later permanently shifted to the States after her marriage.

She stepped into the world of advertisement in 1995 when it was still evolving, and had a hard time adjusting to the American culture initially. “I didn’t worry about me being different, I worried about me not knowing anything. Advertising is very social, I didn’t feel like I belonged for the longest time,” Global Indian added. But she learnt on the go, and soon rose in seniority. McCann gave her the wings to fly, and in return, she worked on projects that spoke of creativity and social impact. The driving force behind Mastercard’s long-running Priceless campaign, she is known for her ideas that capture the cultural disposition.

CEO | Devika Bulchandani | Global Indian

Being in an industry in the US that’s dominated by white men, she made a path for herself. However, she praises her mentors at McCann- Harris Diamond, former CEO, and Rob Reilly, former Global Creative Chairman, for giving her the space to flourish. “They were my wings. I always say there were two white men who made me who I am because the last seven years were critical. If I had not been moved out of strategy, I would never have been where I am today.” she told Vogue.

The winner of Effie Awards for Marketing Excellence and multiple 4As Jay Chiat Awards for Excellence in Strategic Planning, she was also honoured with the AdColor Innovator Award. Known for Ad Council campaigns tackling issues such as childhood and adult obesity, she has been breaking the glass ceiling. Taking on the new role, she said in a statement, “David Ogilvy changed the industry 74 years ago when he founded this iconic agency. As we write the next chapter in the history books of Ogilvy, we will do it together with our clients, using creativity to push the boundaries of what’s possible. I am honored and humbled to take on this role, and to do it with all our incredibly talented people all over the world.”

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Published on 13, Sep 2022

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R Gopalakrishnan: ‘Made-in-India Manager’ who shaped HUL and Tata Sons

(May 20, 2021) A series of unplanned coincidences: that’s how R Gopalakrishnan, management veteran and former honcho at Tata Sons, Hindustan Lever (now Hindustan Unilever) and Unilever Arabia, describes his career that spans over five decades. “My career happened to be the line joining the dots; and to think I had initially turned down a marketing traineeship in Hindustan Lever to work as an engineer,” he says. He wanted to stay in the individual contributor track as he thought “management was flaky,” says the trusted colleague of Tata chairman emeritus Ratan Tata. That’s why he chose IIT over IIM after completing his graduation. Managing the Indian way But today Gopalakrishnan is seen as a management guru who brings his life lessons from leading corporate teams across countries in the 16 books he’s authored over the years. His 2018 book The Made-In India Manager, examines how a unique combination of factors led Indian management thought and practices to evolve differently from the western discourse. “As Indians, we learn many managerial qualities without even realizing it. A lot of them dissipate in following protocols: Government and social.” Indians grow up in a highly competitive environment and that compels them to pursue goals

ed over the years. His 2018 book The Made-In India Manager, examines how a unique combination of factors led Indian management thought and practices to evolve differently from the western discourse. “As Indians, we learn many managerial qualities without even realizing it. A lot of them dissipate in following protocols: Government and social.” Indians grow up in a highly competitive environment and that compels them to pursue goals with a single-minded focus. “Which is why when Indians go abroad and work with better infrastructure, they are able to put their surplus energy to better use. They have a unique way of dealing with issues,” he says. But there are also downsides to the Indian way of managing. The lack of innovation from India, for instance, is largely because we cry victory too soon and don’t see the idea through to customer use and satisfaction. “We don’t plan long term; it’s more about quick fixes or jugaad engineering.” Gopalakrishnan also mentors a few startups. While there is more respectability surrounding the startup ecosystem today, there is also a lot of hype around them, he feels. “How many of our startups are actually profitable or IPO worthy? I believe a startup’s measure of respectability lies in the period of time it takes to make profit. We should encourage startups by applauding the effort behind them and not the inherent talent.” Gopalakrishnan is also uniquely qualified to talk about the divergence in Indian and MNC top management cultures. He’s someone who began his career as a computer analyst at Hindustan Lever, moved to a marketing role and eventually settled into the management track. Gopalakrishnan went on to serve as the Chairman of Unilever Arabia, MD of Brooke Bond Lipton and Vice Chairman of Hindustan Lever, before being handpicked by Ratan Tata to change things around at Tata Sons as executive director.

Tata Sons and Ratan Tata

The transition to Tata Sons wasn’t easy at first: One adjustment was about adopting a more indirect and diplomatic line, different from what he would have done as the chief executive of various businesses in previous stints. About Ratan Tata, his boss for many years, Gopalakrishnan says, “He was a good boss; not perfect, but good. No boss is perfect; I never was either.” “But Ratan Tata has a large heart, he can think long term and is a critical thinker; not qualities easy to come by.” Presently, he serves as the non-executive chairman of Castrol India and independent director of Press Trust of India. He also makes it a point to financially help charities. “I’m not actively involved in philanthropies, but I do support those who run them, for example my wife Geeta, who works extensively with children (Ma Foundation) and cancer patients (Tata Medical Centre).” Gopalakrishnan says that some of the greatest lessons he learned over the years is the ability to be adaptive and the fact that one’s human relations capability trumps technical capability. “You may be technically sound, but if you aren’t able to connect with the people around you there’s only so far that you can go. Some of the best leaders are people who have the ability to connect with people. It’s what drives the world.”

Reading Time: 6 mins

Parmesan’s Indian connect: How Sikhs saved the Italian cheese industry

(September 27, 2022) The pale-golden rind and straw-coloured interior, aged for over two years, make Parmigiano-Reggiano rich in flavour and world-famous. The authentic and artisanal cheese from northern Italy, with its rich, nutty, and delicate taste, has brought the world to its knees. But not many know that the Sikh community has a major role in keeping Parmesan alive. Yes, you read it right! Some three decades ago, when the economy was booming, the Italian goivinezza (youth) turned their back on countryside living and the traditional occupation of cheese-making and moved to the main cities in search of better career opportunities. They left a vacuum that was instantly filled by Sikhs who came to the land of wines and cheese seeking work away from their homeland after the insurgency in Punjab. They came armed with a love for farming and innate skills that were in short supply in Italy and played a key role in the resurrection of Italy's Parmesan cheese. [caption id="attachment_29866" align="aligncenter" width="622"] Sikh community has played a pivotal role in saving Italy's cheese industry (Photo courtesy: thecanyonchronicle.com)[/caption] Though it wasn't the cheese that attracted the Sikhs to the green pastures initially, the flat territory with hot and

ly's cheese industry (Photo courtesy: thecanyonchronicle.com)[/caption]

Though it wasn't the cheese that attracted the Sikhs to the green pastures initially, the flat territory with hot and humid weather reminded them of a home away from home. For two decades, the Sikhs worked at the stalla (dairy farm) tending to the cows, as language was hardly a barrier while dealing with cattle, but it was only in 2011 that famed writer Khushwant Singh first brought the stories of the Sikh community in Italy to the forefront. In an article for Hindustan Times, he unraveled the secret that was tucked away from the public eye for too long. A trip to village Olmeneta, near Cremona in Lombardy, brought him in contact with the ‘mini-Punjab’, created by Sikhs on Italian soil. Most moved to Italy in the 80s and 90s when Punjab was boiling due to riots. In search of a better life, many sought asylums in Europe, ready to find a footing in Italy.

[caption id="attachment_29869" align="aligncenter" width="736"] Sikh | Parmesan | Global Indian Italy's Parmesan is world-famous for its distinct flavour. (Photo courtesy: Travelandleisure.com)[/caption]

"At home, we have fields and cows, and our relationship with the land and animals is very particular to us. So, when we came here and didn't know the language, this was something in our favour," Amritpal Singh, a Punjab native who moved to Novellara in Italy in the 80s told BBC. While most Sikhs became involved with the cows, others found themselves immersed in the art of cheese-making - something that the young locals were abandoning. “They (Sikhs) saved an economy that would have gone to the dogs because young people didn’t want to work with cows,” the then Mayor Dalido Malaggi of Pessina Cremonese told NYT.

Today, Italy has the largest Sikh population in Europe, only second to the United Kingdom, with an estimated number of 220,000. What started as a safe haven in the 80s for Sikhs escaping the riots has now turned into a land that is dependent on them for keeping their dairy industry and parmesan alive. Khushwant Singh quoted Aldo Cavagnoli, the then director general of Latteria Sorseina, one of the largest cheese factories in the region, saying, "We certainly owe it to the Sikhs for keeping the business of cheese alive."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZhUM2ojJWc

Around 54 percent of the people involved with producing cheese at Latteria Sorseina are Sikhs. Originally made by the monks near Parma in the Middle Ages, it only got its name Parmesano (of or from Parma) in the 1530s, by Italian nobles. However, in 1954 it officially became Parmigiano Reggiano, popularly called Parmesan.

Sikhs’ hard work and love were reciprocated by the Italians when the Novellara municipality in 2000 granted permission to build Gurudwara Sri Guru Kalgidhar Sahib, touted to be the largest Sikh temple in Continental Europe. Many have now got Italian citizenship but most identify as Indo-Italians. "You can't cut your roots so I keep them alive inside me, but the rest is Italian," Amritpal told BBC. Italy embraced them at a time when they were looking for safety and provided a livelihood in a foreign land. Though the influx of Sikhs to Italy from Punjab is on a rise, the land of cheese is welcoming them with open arms.

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The future is now: Indian startups going strong in Metaverse space

(September 5, 2022) What was originally planned as a computer-generated graphic novel turned into a science fiction paperback in 1992 where author Neal Stephenson first introduced the word Metaverse. And now almost three decades later, the concept has caught up with the world so much that startups have started popping up in the space. Interestingly, the global metaverse market, which reached $47.69 billion in 2020, is expected to register $828.95 billion by 2028. And Indian startups are not far behind in playing a pivotal role in the metaverse space. Global Indian turns the spotlight on a handful of such startups that are making a mark for themselves in the space. OneRare Food does have a language of its own and connects people like nothing else, and husband-wife-entrepreneur-duo Gaurav Gupta and Supreet Raju knew it was time to bring the F&B industry to Web3 with OneRare. It was during the lockdown that the couple decided to dip their toes into the world of food metaverse or ‘Foodverse’ by creating virtual experiences, food NFTs and games, and interactions with foodies from across the globe. "Food is what connects us and the metaverse only brings us closer together in a unique way in

ns with foodies from across the globe.

"Food is what connects us and the metaverse only brings us closer together in a unique way in which we can share our culture and our food. Now with the launch of the Foodverse, there is no reason why brands and consumers can't come together in this safe, virtual setting," Supreet said in a statement.

Metaverse | Onerare | Global Indian

So how does it work? Designed like the real world, the Foodverse indicates geographical locations like forest, beaches and the lakeside, and one can explore the world at their own will. Moreover, it features zones where users can discover celebrity chefs, food brands and virtual restaurants, and can even claim dish NFTs by collecting ingredients and following recipes to mint exclusive NFT artworks. Interestingly, the dishes include global cuisines, festive specials, keto and vegan-friendly recipes, as well as signature recipes from celebrity chefs and restaurants. "As we grow, users will also be able to swap these NFTs for real meals and deals – amalgamating our real and virtual lives," Raju said in a statement.

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Wall.app

In 2021, when NFT market boomed and an increasing number of startups began innovating in the space, entrepreneurs Anuj Kodam and Amarnath JV felt that something was amiss. Despite the hullabaloo, they couldn't find any reliable platforms that provided easy access to trends, analytics and on-chain data in the NFT market. That's when the idea of Wall App germinated, which helps users discover and stay up-to-date with new NFT projects.

On Wall.app, users can look at NFT data on Ethereum in terms of volumes, price action, the number of sales, track leading NFT collections, get details on specific whale wallets that move markets, big sweeps in the sector, and other highlights," Anuj told The Decrypting Story in an interview.

For Anuj, things started to shift when he stumbled upon Web3 in 2017 after he quit his job at Ola, and started spending time playing poker professionally. It was then that he realised the similarities between the lack of transparency in online poker platforms and lack of information on blockchain assets. That's when he met Amarnath and started working on Wall.app.

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NextMeet

At a time when isolation and UI fatigue due to remote working was taking a toll on people, Hyderabad-based Pushpak Kypuram decided to shake things up with Next Meet - India's first avatar-based immersive platform that enables virtual conferencing and networking in a 3D environment. In October 2020, he started incorporating interactive environments, spatial audio and 3D avatars to facilitate UI within its diversified ecosystem.

Events in the Metaverse are a synonym to
1) Saving Costs
2) Highly Immersive
3) Global Presence
4) Flexibility

Download the app now!https://t.co/QPN9yoSYKe
#thefuture #virtualengagement #nextmeet #web3 #immersive #virtualreality pic.twitter.com/5CAMTx94TE

— NextMeet (@NextMeet_Live) August 29, 2022

"I endorse virtual realities wherever possible. If one could get splendid views of the Himalayan mountain ranges and the next minute, don an avatar to walk in and out of an office, meet in a huddle room and even indulge in the proverbial water cooler talk – all virtually, then why not?," Pushpak told International Institute of Information Technology.

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LOKA

Fancy a multiplayer gamified virtual metaverse? Then LOKA is your answer - India's first multiplayer gamified virtual metaverse based on 3D maps of real-world cities and locations where players can participate in live and concurrent experiences. Founded in 2020 by Krishnan Sunderarajan, LOKA provides gaming experiences that are powered by third-party apps - which means one can visit a theatre in the game and watch the latest movies on the Netflix app or attend yoga classes via the Cult Fit app or order pizza which will be delivered to your actual address via Zomato.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpiWky1L3j4

Additionally, the platform also boasts of elements like ambience, background noise and non-player characters.

Follow LOKA on Twitter

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Sandhya Devanathan: The VP leading Meta to “power India’s decade”

(August 30, 2024) In November 2022, as India began driving tougher regulatory policies for social media companies, Sandhya Devanathan was appointed Vice President Meta India. Only two weeks prior, the former VP, Ajit Mohan, had resigned from his post, causing a stir. Sandhya has a proven track record of scaling businesses, building exceptional and inclusive teams, driving product innovation and building strong partnerships," Meta's Chief Business Officer Marne Levine said, commenting on the appointment. This year, she was named one of the Most Powerful Women in Business 2024 by Fortune Magazine, and brings 22 years of experience in banking, payments and technology. Within one year of her appointment, Meta saw a 16% increase in global revenue, and a 69% rise in net income. AI, messaging and creator empowerment have been the focus areas for Meta in the last year. "Meta and its AI suite of products can turbocharge this transformation," Devanathan told Fortune India. Who is Sandhya Devanathan Devanathan graduated with a BTech degree from the Andhra University College of Engineering, Vishakhapatnam, in 1998, completed her MBA at the Faculty of Management Studies and attended a course in leadership from Said Business School, Oxford University. She began her career in

hool, Oxford University. She began her career in 2000, as Webmaster & Product Manager, Citibank Online, e-Business.

[caption id="attachment_32372" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Sandhya Devanathan, Vice President, Meta India[/caption]

With an international career spanning over two decades, Sandhya Devanathan doesn't come with the usual set of tech credentials. Instead, the graduate from the Faculty of Management Studies in New Delhi, Devanathan pivoted from banking to technology in 2015, after having spent nearly a decade at Citi and another six years with Standard Chartered Bank. In 2016, she joined Meta, going on to play a key role in building its presence in Singapore and Vietnam, apart from working on the company's e-commerce initiatives in South East Asia.

Teething troubles

She calls the move one of the hardest things she's ever done, in terms of learning how to adapt. The strict hierarchies of the banking sector gave way to a more egalitarian, empowered atmosphere, where the emphasis lay on having a "shared vision, purpose and sense of community," she wrote, in a 2020 blog post for Meta Careers. "When it came to banking, I knew the industry really well. I knew about fintech, but Meta and the digital consumer tech landscape were brand new to me. I faced a steep learning curve managing teams that function very differently from traditional companies."

In 2020, Devanathan moved to Indonesia, where she headed Meta's gaming vertical in the A-Pac region and is the global lead for Play Forward, Meta's bid to improve diversity in gaming. Soon afterwards, the pandemic hit and the job market, Devanathan recalls, was transformed. People started onboarding remotely and she had to come to terms with the process, on being unable to establish an in-person rapport with teammates and managers.

Sandhya Devanathan

Leading in a new world

"Leading through change must start from a place of empathy," she wrote. "Everyone is going through something. Leaders must also have the humility to understand that we are constantly in learning mode because there is so much change happening around us." Reviving the old sense of light-hearted togetherness, she realised, was key, now that there were no more water-cooler gatherings and coffee-break tete-a-tetes.

Skills in demand today

The ability to deal with ambiguity, Devanathan believes, is key. Independence and the ability to adjust to change can make all the difference. Communication and collaboration, she writes, are critical, more so as people work remotely and don't often meet in person. The third skill in Devanathan's book is resilience. Variables are infinite, from employees stepping back to deal with personal challenges, to the collapse of economies. "You live in markets in Asia that are vibrant but also somewhat volatile, so having resilience is very important."

An analytical mind that can strategise and plan in an uncertain world is an essential hard skill to be at a company like Meta. "We look for people who are able to set a strong strategy but setting strategy is useless if you can't break it down into what needs to be done today and what needs to play out longer term."

Troubled waters

Devanathan takes over Meta India at a stormy time in the company's India story. With the current administration tightening regulations for big tech, there is lots to navigate. The company is pulling out all the stops to woo Indian developers and creative talent and pledged $1 million for an extended reality fellowship programme in India.

Meta's Chief Business Officer, Nick Clegg has said that the revised version of the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill is "really promising." Clegg noted that India is on its way to becoming a digital superpower. India is a key market for Meta India, with over half a billion Indians using its services, forming one of the company's largest markets.

In this atmosphere, Devanathan's priorities will be on bringing business and revenue priorities to partners and clients.

Follow Sandhya Devanathan on LinkedIn

Five Indians make it to Forbes’ list of USA’s richest self-made women

(July 8, 2022) The US stock exchange depends heavily on several Indian-American CEOs - many of whom are female. Breaking the barriers of gender, these female trailblazers have been at the helm of some of the biggest firms in the USA. Their soaring aspirations and the will to fight adversities have encouraged several other women in the industry to thrive for success. In its eighth annual edition of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, Forbes has recognised five such Indian American female business leaders. Global Indian turns the spotlight on these business executives, who have not only managed to take their companies to new heights, but also amassed a fortune for themselves. Jayshree Ullal, CEO, Arista Networks Born in London and raised in New Delhi, Jayshree Ullal studied electrical engineering at San Francisco State University and later pursued her master's at Santa Clara University. Always ambitious, Jayshree worked in a few companies - including Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Fairchild Semiconductor - before joining the Crescendo Communications (later acquired by Cisco), where she grew to the position of vice president of marketing. [caption id="attachment_26627" align="aligncenter" width="464"] Jayshree Ullal, CEO, Arista Networks[/caption] In 2008, Jayshree joined the Arista Networks, a cloud networking company

s://www.globalindian.com/story/entrepreneurship/jayshree-ullal-indian-american-self-made-billionaire-on-forbes-list/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jayshree Ullal studied electrical engineering at San Francisco State University and later pursued her master's at Santa Clara University. Always ambitious, Jayshree worked in a few companies - including Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Fairchild Semiconductor - before joining the Crescendo Communications (later acquired by Cisco), where she grew to the position of vice president of marketing.

[caption id="attachment_26627" align="aligncenter" width="464"] Jayshree Ullal | Self-made women | Global Indiale CEO | Global Indian Jayshree Ullal, CEO, Arista Networks[/caption]

In 2008, Jayshree joined the Arista Networks, a cloud networking company as the CEO and President. Interestingly, at the time of her joining, Arista was a tiny startup, with not more than 50 employees. After years of hard work, the 61-year-old business executive led the company to an IPO at the New York Stock Exchange in 2014. Currently one of America's wealthiest female executives, Jayshree’s net worth stands at about $1.9 billion.

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Neerja Sethi, cofounder, Syntel

A Delhi University graduate, Neerja Sethi was always interested in pursuing a career in the IT industry. She moved to the United States of America for a master's in computer science at Oakland University in the late ’70s. Soon after graduating, Neerja joined the IT firm Tata Consulting Services. And this is where she met her husband, Bharat Desai. In 1980, after the couple tied the knot, they co-founded Syntel - an IT consulting and outsourcing company - in their small apartment in Michigan.

[caption id="attachment_26626" align="aligncenter" width="365"] Neerja Sethi | Self-made women | Global Indian Neerja Sethi, cofounder, Syntel[/caption]

From starting it with a tiny investment of $2,000, the couple ran the company successfully till French IT firm Atos acquired it for $3.4 billion in 2018. Neerja received an estimated $510 million for her stake during the acquisition, and decided to not continue her association with the company. With a net worth of about $1 billion, Neerja was ranked 24th in the Forbes America’s Richest Self-Made Women 2022 list.

Neha Narkhede, CTO and cofounder, Confluent

A Maharashtra girl, Neha Narkhede went to the Pune Institute of Computer Technology (PICT), where she earned an engineering degree. Her quest to become a software engineer took her to USA, where she pursued a master's in computer science from Georgia Institute of Technology. Neha started her career as a principal software engineer at Oracle, and later moved to LinkedIn, where she created the open-source software platform Apache Kafka, along with Jun Rao and Jay Kreps.

[caption id="attachment_26625" align="aligncenter" width="568"] Neha Narkhede | Self-made women | Global Indian Neha Narkhede, cofounder and CTO, Confluent[/caption]

In 2014, the three engineers cofounded Confluent, a company for real-time data and Apache Kafka in Palo Alto, California. Although, she started as the Chief Technology Officer, Neha later also served as the Chief Product Officer of the company till 2020. In 2021, the company went public at a $9.1 billion valuation. Serving as a board member of Confluent, Neha presently advises several techno startups. With investment in several tech companies, her net worth stands at $490 million according to Forbes.

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Reshma Shetty, cofounder, Ginkgo Bioworks

Synthetic biology is one of the fasted growing markets across the globe, and Utah-born Reshma Shetty was quick to realise its potential. After she received a Ph.D. in biological engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Reshma, along with four other scientists founded the Ginkgo Bioworks, in 2008. As synthetic biology was just an emerging technology at that time, the company was completely bootstrapped at the beginning.

[caption id="attachment_26624" align="aligncenter" width="391"] Reshma Shetty | Self-made women | Global Indian Reshma Shetty, cofounder, Ginkgo Bioworks[/caption]

Slowly but surely, things started to change and Ginkgo managed to raise $45 million in its series B funding. By 2017, Ginkgo became one of most well-known companies in the sector and went public in 2021. Since she found the company, Reshma has received several awards and honors, including the Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology and Agriculture in 2019. Positioned at 97 in the 2022 Forbes America’s Richest Self-Made Women list, Reshma's net worth is estimated to be about $220 million.

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Indra Nooyi, former Chair and CEO, PepsiCo

Indra Nooyi needs no introduction. The former chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo, this Indian-American business executive is ranked among some of the most powerful names in the corporate world. Born in Chennai, India, Indra moved to USA in 1978 to pursue a master's in public and private management at the Yale School of Management. After working with companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Beardsell Ltd, Indra joined PepsiCo in 1994.

[caption id="attachment_26623" align="aligncenter" width="491"] Indra Nooyi | Self-made women | Global Indian Indra Nooyi, former Chair and CEO of PepsiCo[/caption]

In 2006, she was appointed as the CEO of the multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation. In a tenure that lasted 12 years, Indra was honored with several accolades and awards, including the third-highest Indian civilian award, Padma Bhushan in 2013. With a net worth of $320 million, Indra is currently ranked 66th on the Forbes list.

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Devika Bulchandani: The first woman of colour to head Ogilvy

Written by: Charu Thakur

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