Why Women's Rise in India Inc.Matters?

By: Rachita Sharma, Managing Editor | Tuesday, 6 October 2026

Indian women have made real progress in the corporate world, and it shows most clearly in the boardroom. In 2014, women held just 5 percent of board seats at NSE-listed companies. By March 2026, that figure had reached 21 percent. Across all registered companies, women directors passed the one million mark for the first time in 2025-26, and they now hold about 29 percent of directorships.

There's movement further down the ladder too. The number of women in senior management has grown by 24 percent over the past four years, and women make up roughly 23 percent of employees at NSE-listed companies.

Still, the higher up you look, the fewer women you find. They hold 17.2 percent of senior management roles in corporate India, which works out to 43,331 of 252,103 positions. Only 119 of the 2,285 NSE-listed companies, about 5 percent, have a woman as CEO or Managing Director. India isn't alone in this, since women run only 11 percent of Fortune 500 companies. But it does show how much room is left to grow.

What these women achieve matters beyond their own careers. They create jobs, back new ideas and new entrepreneurs, and help Indian companies hold their own internationally. Arundhati Bhattacharya, the first woman to head State Bank of India, urged women that "they must take up the challenge" rather than hold back over problems they expect. That advice sums up the spirit of the women leading the way, and it shows young women that a seat at the top is a realistic goal.

As India's economy keeps growing, more women in senior business roles will make it more balanced and inclusive. Boardrooms are changing, and the next challenge is getting that same progress into the CEO's office.

In the current edition of Women Entrepreneurs Review magazine, we feature the success stories of several women corporate leaders who have built success in their respective fields. From advertising to business consulting and education, the featured women leaders have carved a niche in diverse industry sectors. 

Read their professional stories, leadership ideologies and more in the magazine’s current edition.

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