Key Women Leadership Appointments in India Across August 2026

By: Priyanka Vyas, Content Writer

Women’s leadership across corporate India continues to rise, albeit at a gradual pace. Going beyond soft roles, women corporate leaders today lead organizational functions that are central to the development and growth of the organizations. From defining strategic directions, financial aspects, and adoption of technology to developing talent and building organizational cultures, women entrepreneurs are creating leadership success stories in domains which were once traditionally reserved for men.

Change takes on meaning when opportunities extend to those beyond a select few, creating space for women to become involved and evolving. The emergence of women in influential roles is reflective of a wider trend in corporate leadership where expertise and performance have begun to replace perception.

As women transcend from being mere symbol of representation, they bring strategic thinking, domain knowledge, flexibility, innovation, and people/business understanding to the table. Their growing influence is helping reshape corporate India while adding new perspectives to the country’s broader economic growth story.

Women Entrepreneurs Review magazine highlights key women’s corporate leadership appointments made through the month of August 2026. These latest appointments across tech, insurance, telecommunications, finance, consumer goods, advertising, and law firms, illustrate women leader’s rise across diverse business sectors and functions.

From technical role to strategy, corporate governance and HR leadership, the featured women corporate leaders showcase a diverse gamut of expertise and experience.

Take a look at the key women’s leadership appointments across corporate India in August 2026.

Jigyasa Sharma Takes Charges as Director GP Strategies

Jigyasa Sharma was named Director for GP Strategies Corporation, an L&D company based out of New Delhi. Jigyasa will be responsible to spearhead strategic partnerships in HSBC APAC, Middle East and GSC & Tech.

In her new role Jigyasa will focus to create AI capability building, workforce transformation, leadership development and innovative learning solutions for creating future-ready talent for organizations. She has developed expertise in strategic alliances, executive stakeholder engagement, AI capabilities advisory, leadership development, workforce transformation, and learning strategy. Her rich experience has enabled her to become an adviser to organizations going through digital transformation.

Before joining GP Strategies in a leadership capacity, Jigyasa co-founded and served as Director at Pause Play, a corporate training company that used theatre-based learning techniques to deliver transformational leadership and communication programs.

SAP Appoints Shweta Mohanty as Global HR Head

Shweta Mohanty has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Global Head of Business Partnering - Corporate Functions within SAP, adding to the already established global HR leadership team of SAP. Having been associated with SAP for over 11 years and with 25 years of professional experience in different domains such as Human Resources, Talent Strategy, Organization Development, Transformation, and Leadership Development, Shweta has abundant knowledge and experience with practical expertise.

Before joining SAP, Shweta has spent almost 8 years at the Microsoft India Development Center based out of Bangalore. She has rich experience in human resources in the Microsoft-Yahoo Alliance based in India to help integration of employees and has previously handled  Human Resources for Microsoft Research Lab India.

Smita Basu Roy Joins PepsiCo as India and SA Comms Head

PepsiCo has welcomed Smita Basu Roy as its Head of Communications in India and South Asia. Smita’s new portfolio amalgamates Corporate Communications, Digital Communications, Corporate Branding and Internal Communications. She will also be responsible for digital communications strategy on web and social channels and for enhancing corporate narratives and internal communications. The position places her at the nexus of strategic communication, brand reputation and stakeholder engagement.

With almost 20 years of experience behind her, Smita is an expert in corporate communication, public relations, digital strategy, branding, reputation management, and stakeholder engagement. At PepsiCo, she shall be responsible for corporate, digital, internal, and brand communication needs, along with web and social media strategy.

Isha Tiwari Takes Charge as Google India's DV360 Lead

Google India has once again brought back Isha Tiwari as DV360 Lead, after spending a period of three years at The Trade Desk. Isha’s new appointment is based on skills gained from programmatic advertising, media activation, campaign management, customer relations, and business development. At The Trade Desk, Isha worked in areas of business development and account management, where she was responsible for managing clients’ portfolios and growth opportunities.

Isha expressed her gratitude through a LinkedIn post for the new position and appreciation for her latest assignment. Additionally, she thanks Ashwini Dayal for making this possible for her. “A heartfelt thank you to Ashwini Dayal for making this possible and for the warm welcome to the team.”

Isha has previously worked for EssenceMediacom India and Essence gaining skills in digital media and programmatic buying.

Airspan Networks Appoints Triveni Parab as HR Director India

Triveni Parab has been named as the Director, HR for Airspan Networks India, following her eleven years of service at the company. Working from the Indian office, Triveni will be responsible for handling HR functions including strategy, talent management, work force planning, leadership development and HR activities that align with business development.

Prior to this new appointment, she worked as Airspan’s Senior HR Manager and HR Manager, India. Triveni leverages over 15 years of experience in Human Resource field thanks to her Masters in Human Resources and Diploma in HR Management from Welingkar Institute of Management. Her founding expertise and commitment to ‘people-centric leadership' will play an important role in propelling the next phase of growth in India, Airspan commented.

Mahindra Group Appoints Shveta Arya as Group Chief Strategy Officer

Shveta Arya has been appointed as the Group Chief Strategy Officer for Mahindra Group, effective from September 15, 2026. She will head the Group Strategy Office and help the Group in identifying new growth opportunities and creating value through a range of strategies that would ensure sustained competitive advantage. Shveta will also be part of the Senior Management of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and the Group Executive Board.

Dr. Anish Shah, Group CEO & MD, Mahindra Group said, “We are pleased to welcome Shveta Arya as Group Chief Strategy Officer… Her passion for constructive change and holistic progress also resonates strongly with Mahindra’s purpose. I wish her the very best in this key leadership role.”

Shveta joins Mahindra Group after a career spanning more than 23 years across publicly listed multinational organizations as well as management consulting, with experience across the automotive, travel, financial services and telecom sectors.

Vandana Baluni Joins Ageas Federal Life Insurance as Actuary

Ageas Federal Life Insurance Company has appointed Vandana Baluni as Appointed Actuary, leveraging more than 17 years of experience in life, health, and general insurance segments. As an FIAI Actuary, she is an expert in statutory valuation, asset-liability management, capital management, financial risk management, and actuarial strategy.

Before joining Ageas Federal Life Insurance, Vandana worked as Chief Actuary and Executive Vice President of TATA AIG General Insurance. Before that, she had also worked for Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance and Ernst & Young in a senior position.

Vandana is a Fellow Actuary from Institute of Actuaries of India (IOI) with two specializations: Life and Health Insurance, and has also won several academic excellence awards.

Sarah M. George Joins MuthootFinCorp Board as Independent Director

Sarah M. George has been appointed as an Independent Director on the board of Muthoot FinCorp Limited w.e.f August 12, 2026.

An experienced Chartered Accountant and ICAI Member with over 35 years of experience in areas of audit, assurance, governance, strategy, and leadership roles, Sarah had worked in Price Waterhouse where she held the positions of All India Assurance Markets Leader and West Region Assurance Leader and was part of the India Board of the company between 2018 and 2023.

Shaji Varghese, Chief Executive Officer, Muthoot FinCorp, said, “We are pleased to welcome Ms Sarah to the Board of Muthoot FinCorp. Her extensive experience in audit, assurance, governance and strategic leadership across Indian and multinational organizations will add significant depth to the Board’s deliberations.”

Emerge Legal Appoints Kaaba Khan to Lead Media & IP Practice

Pan-India corporate law firm, Emerge Legal has appointed Kaaba Khan as the company’s Practice Head for Media and Entertainment, Intellectual Property and Commercial practice. Her new role will involve advising on content and rights deals, licensing and distribution issues, talent/endorsement deals, commercial transactions, and trademark/copyright concerns. She will also provide assistance in cross-border deals related to Indian content and rights holders.

Before joining Emerge Legal, Kaaba was a Partner at GK Legal, practicing media and entertainment, IP, and commercial law.

A graduate of New Law College, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Kaaba brings experience across media, entertainment, IP and commercial law. Her background in negotiations and representation is expected to support Emerge Legal’s work on complex rights and business arrangements.

What Women’s Leadership Appointments Indicate

The increasing presence of women in senior roles has laid the foundation for evolved leadership increasing the scope and impact involved in making decisions at the corporate landscape. With growing business opportunities to choose from, inclusivity has now becomes a priority in the developing Indian economy fostering an environment that opens global avenues for women to succeed.