HCL Tech’s Roshni Nadar Malhotra is the wealthiest woman in India: Report

Roshni Nadar Malhotra, the chairperson of HCL Technologies, is the richest woman in India with a wealth of ₹84,330 crore. 

She retained the position for the second year in a row, as per the third edition of ‘Kotak Private Banking Hurun - Leading Wealthy Women List’ which is compiled based on the net worth of women as on 31 December 2021. 

Falguni Nayar of Nykaa overtook Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon to become the richest self-made woman in India with a wealth of ₹57,520 crore, the report said.

The 2021 edition of the wealthiest women in India focused exclusively on women who have established themselves in the higher echelons of the corporate world, according to the press release. Twenty-five new faces have made it to the list, which took ₹300 crore as cut-off, as against ₹100 crore in 2020.

The other key highlights of the report include that the average wealth of women in 2021 went up to ₹4,170 crore as against ₹2,725 crore in the last edition of the list. Further, 33-year-old Kanika Tekriwal of Jetsetgo is the youngest self-made woman on the list. In terms of the age of these wealthy women, the report pointed out that the current average age of women in the list went up by two to 55 years, as compared to the last list. Nine out of twenty women under the age of 40 years or younger category are self-made.

On analysing the sectors that the wealthy women are in, it was observed that pharmaceuticals led the list with 12 entrants, followed by healthcare with 11 entrants and consumer goods with nine women entrants.

“Each woman’s journey is unique; however, what is common among them is the drive, commitment and passion to succeed. Over the years, Indian women are slowly yet surely coming into their own - carving a space for themselves through knowledge, excellence, passion, and empathy. We are honoured to partner with Hurun India and celebrate the unrelenting spirit of 100 such women leaders - women who are living their purpose, blazing a new trail and inspiring millions of young and aspiring women,” said Oisharya Das, CEO – Private Banking, Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Location-wise, with 25 women entrepreneur-residents, Delhi NCR has surpassed Mumbai as the preferred city of residence, as per the report.

“Women-led wealth creation directly improves women’s employment, corresponding families, and society. The inclusion of women, who represent 50% of India’s population in the workforce or wealth creation, cuts across societal barriers. And therefore, wealth creation stories of women entrepreneurs and professionals bind us with emotion and the inspiration to work towards a more inclusive tomorrow, one which we have strived to achieve through the Kotak Private Banking Hurun Leading Wealthy Women List 2021,” Anas Rahman Junaid, MD & Chief Researcher, Hurun India.