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Women who built empires and broke barriers in 2025
MUMBAI: For years, women were measured by restraint, by balance, by how well they fit into spaces never designed for them. Then they stopped fitting. They built, scaled and decided — not to prove a point, but to get results. What followed was not disruption. It was dominance.
They say when a woman smiles, the earth heals. In 2025, when women led, industries shifted. Long boxed into narrow roles and tired stereotypes, women tore through expectations that once confined them to the sidelines. They were no longer just rocking the cradle; they were running companies, shaping markets and taking decisions that moved balance sheets, boardrooms and headlines.
Gods may have spoken in history books, but power in 2025 bent towards women who delivered results. Across media, consumer brands, technology and finance, women leaders stepped up with clarity and conviction when it mattered most. Indian Television dot com bows to these women of iron. Forged in resistance. Tempered by crisis. Proven by results. They did not just lead their organisations — they redefined what power looks like, how it is held and who gets to wield it. These are women of iron and steel — unbending, unsentimental and exacting. They do not chase power. They exercise it.
Presented here are the women whose decisions, not designations, shaped industries in 2025.
Monika Shergill
As vice president of content, Shergill’s leadership this year is marked not by flashy launches but by something rarer: consolidation that works. Indian originals commissioned under her watch continue to travel internationally, sustain viewership across quarters, and feed Netflix’s global content engine. India now stands among the platform’s most strategically vital markets, not just in output volume but in cultural capital.
Netflix India’s 2025 strength lies in long-tail engagement. Flagship series and films routinely appear on international Top 10 charts, drive dubbed and subtitled viewership, and generate discovery cycles across regions. What emerges is less a slate of releases than a self-sustaining ecosystem—one built on scale, consistency, and earned audience trust.
Shergill’s programming philosophy has centered on creator-led storytelling, regional authenticity, and genre range. This allows Netflix to move fluidly between prestige drama, commercial entertainment, and documentary work without diluting its brand. In a year of industry-wide belt-tightening and slowing subscriber growth, that balance has proven commercially durable.
Her impact extends beyond the screen. Netflix India’s content leadership remains among the most gender-diverse in the market. Shergill, who came up through journalism and documentary filmmaking, has consistently championed stories rooted in lived experience over algorithmic safety.
The accolades follow accordingly. Netflix India’s titles remain fixtures at global awards ceremonies, festival lineups, and international content markets. More significantly, Indian content on Netflix has achieved cultural portability, it’s consumed not as niche foreign programming but as mainstream global fare.
Gauri Khan
Gauri Khan, the interior designer, producer and founder of Gauri Khan Designs, solidified her standing as a cultural entrepreneur in 2025, extending her aesthetic influence beyond film and into luxury lifestyle spaces.
In 2025, Gauri Khan reaffirmed her role as a producer with a sharp eye for new voices through The Ba**ds of Bollywood, a Netflix series produced under Red Chillies Entertainment that marked her son’s Aryan Khan’s directorial debut. The project drew attention for its satirical take on the Hindi film industry and for backing a first-time director on a global streaming platform. While avoiding the spotlight herself, Khan remained central to steering the production, reinforcing her long-standing influence in shaping mainstream, commercially ambitious content for evolving audiences. The year also kept her firmly in focus as anticipation built around King, a big-ticket theatrical project starring Shah Rukh Khan, slated for 2026, underlining her continued clout in assembling high-profile films that bridge cinema and streaming.
Alongside this milestone, in June 2025, Khan opened her first dedicated Delhi Experience Centre, an immersive, appointment-only space in the capital showcasing bespoke furniture, décor and curated artworks. The flagship marks a strategic expansion of her brand into India’s high-end interiors market, blending personalisation with glamour and comfort. Visitors can explore design collections and engage in tailored consultations that reflect her vision of luxury as inherently personal and lived-in.
Khan was also appointed brand ambassador for Emanate Home, reinforcing her influence in luxury interiors and lifestyle branding. The announcement at a high-profile launch event further positions her as a leading voice in design circles, capable of elevating both product and experience in premium markets.
Khan’s career arc spans from early media work to co-founding Gauri Khan Designs, parlaying her sensibilities into a business that has become synonymous with bespoke interiors for discerning clients. In 2025 she also continued her role as a mentor and honouree in design education, celebrating rising talent at the NIF Global Excellence Awards and nurturing the next generation of creative leaders.
Manjit Sachdev
Sachdev oversees original content strategy for one of the country’s fastest-growing entertainment networks, JioHotstar, shaping programming that aims to cut through an increasingly crowded streaming market. The mandate: sharper creative bets, scalable franchises and formats built for digital-first audiences.
Before joining Viacom18, Sachdev served as head creative director, vertical at Altt, Balaji Telefilms’ digital platform, where they played a key role in developing original series and strengthening the platform’s content identity. Earlier, as vice president, programming and creative director at Sony Pictures Networks India, Sachdev handled programme management and creative direction across a large broadcast portfolio, balancing mass appeal with editorial ambition.
With formal training in arts and media, holding degrees from Delhi University and the Academy of Art University, Sachdev brings a blend of creative instinct and operational discipline to the role. Educated at Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, they have built a career defined by hands-on programming leadership rather than headline-grabbing theatrics.
Nidhi Rastogi
Uniqlo’s India growth in 2025 reflects the vision of Nidhi Rastogi, marketing head for the India region, whose LifeWear strategy combined compelling storytelling, celebrity endorsements and an unwavering focus on customer experience.
Rastogi, who has led Uniqlo’s marketing mandate since May 2023, has been central to positioning the Japanese retailer in a crowded market dominated by strong local and global rivals. Her first task was definition: explaining what Uniqlo stands for. The answer lay in LifeWear: everyday clothing designed to improve lives, from HeatTech thermals that offer warmth without bulk to lightweight puffer jackets built for portability.
Awareness followed. As Uniqlo expanded beyond its initial footprint, brand-building became critical in newer cities where familiarity was low. High-visibility celebrity partnerships with Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Sidharth Malhotra helped accelerate recall, while campaigns remained tightly anchored to product utility rather than fashion hype.
Equally distinctive has been Uniqlo’s insistence on owning the customer relationship. Under Rastogi, the brand has stayed away from e-commerce marketplaces, prioritising its own digital and physical platforms. In-store innovations such as self-checkouts and click-and-collect have been rolled out alongside upgrades to the online experience.
The strategy is delivering results. While festive-specific numbers remain under wraps, Uniqlo’s overall sales grew 44 per cent year-on-year, with revenues crossing Rs 1,100 crore in 2024. In 2025, the brand is doubling down on growth with new stores in Bengaluru and Pune, timing its push with the onset of winter, a high-value season for the retailer.
Priyankka Sethhi
Priyankka Sethhi has quietly but decisively shaped Haier Appliances India’s marketing playbook in 2025, steering the brand through a phase of premiumisation, digital acceleration and sharper cultural relevance in one of the world’s most competitive consumer-durables markets.
As director and head of marketing, Sethhi oversees brand strategy, demand creation and integrated communications for the Chinese appliance maker’s India business. With more than 15 years of experience spanning Panasonic, Discovery and NEC Corporation India, her approach has blended scale with nuance, using technology-led narratives to humanise a category often driven by specs and price points.
A defining theme under her leadership has been performance without noise. That idea crystallised in Haier’s 2025 campaign Perform Big, Silently, which celebrated women achievers whose impact is defined by consistency rather than spectacle. The campaign mirrored Haier’s own positioning: appliances that deliver high performance with efficiency, durability and quiet confidence.
Sethhi has also leaned heavily into digital-first engagement, recalibrating media spends to reflect changing consumption patterns while retaining the reach of traditional platforms. Social media, content partnerships and data-led storytelling have been deployed to build deeper engagement, particularly among younger, urban consumers upgrading to premium and connected appliances. Her industry standing has grown alongside Haier’s marketing ambition.
Marijke Desouza
Marijke Desouza, producer at Dharma Productions, emerged as a quietly influential figure in Indian cinema’s 2025 narrative, co-producing Homebound, the Dharmatic drama that garnered acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival and most recently got shortlisted in the ‘Best International Feature Film category’ for Oscars 2026.
Desouza’s role as co-producer on Homebound placed her at the heart of a project that has become one of the year’s most talked-about Indian films. Backed by Dharma Productions, the film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2025, earning a nine-minute standing ovation from audiences.
Desouza’s filmography also lists Sarzameen (2025), another project where she served as co-producer, illustrating a portfolio that spans mainstream and festival-oriented cinema.
In an industry where producers often operate behind the scenes, Desouza’s contributions to Homebound reflect a growing trend among Indian production executives to bridge local storytelling with international platforms, helping Indian narratives find broader audiences without diluting their cultural specificity.
Medhavi Singh
Medhavi Singh, country head of Criteo India, has quietly steered the global commerce media firm into a position of strategic prominence in 2025, linking brands, retailers and quick commerce platforms through AI-driven retail media solutions.
Singh oversees Criteo’s India business, a role that builds on more than six years at the company and earlier experience at Google across the US, UK and India. She heads growth strategy, partnerships and market development in a market where digital retail and advertising are both expanding rapidly.
Under her leadership, Criteo has deepened collaborations with quick commerce players such as Zepto, using its Retail Media Offsite platform to help brands deliver personalised, full-funnel campaigns beyond proprietary apps and websites. This effort reflects a broader effort to map consumer journeys across the open internet and drive engagement from discovery to conversion.
The retail media sector in India, characterised by fragmented e-commerce players and growing quick commerce adoption, presents both challenges and opportunities. Speaking to Financial Express, Singh has articulated Criteo’s positioning as a unifier in this space, arguing that integration and interoperability, rather than siloed solutions, are vital to realising retail media’s potential.
Her vision extends to “retail media 2.0,” where campaigns serve both performance and brand-building objectives. Singh notes that brands are increasingly using retail media not just for conversions but to craft compelling narratives and build recall, signalling a shift from purely transactional advertising to full-funnel engagement.
Kavya Maran
Kavya Maran, CEO and co-owner of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), has become one of cricket’s most visible young executives in 2025, steering the team’s strategic direction while also emerging as a fan favourite for her passionate on-field presence. Born into the influential Sun Group, she combines business rigour with a deep personal investment in the franchise’s fortunes.
An MBA graduate, Maran took charge of SRH in 2018 and has played an active role in player acquisitions, team branding and auction strategies, including high-profile bids in the 2025 IPL auction. Her leadership also extends to associated Sun Group sports assets such as Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 League and other global cricket ventures.
Maran’s visibility this season goes beyond the boardroom. Her animated reactions during matches, from celebrations to moments of frustration, have frequently gone viral, making her a social media talking point and amplifying SRH’s cultural resonance with fans. She has publicly acknowledged that her emotional responses stem from her deep attachment to the team’s performance.
With an estimated personal net worth of around Rs 409 crore and a commanding place in one of India’s largest media conglomerates, Maran represents a new generation of sports executives forging a blend of commercial strategy and fan engagement.
Mallika Petkar
In 2025, Mallika Petkar emerged as one of the senior strategic voices shaping India’s sports media landscape in her role as head of business, consumer acquisition and distribution strategy for Star Sports at JioStar, a newly consolidated media and entertainment giant born from the Reliance–Disney merger.
Positioned at the nexus of rights acquisitions, platform growth and audience expansion, Petkar has been instrumental in driving Star Sports’ reach and relevance across television and digital screens, particularly after the integration of the former Sports18 channels into the wider Star Sports network. Her remit spans strategic partnerships, distribution frameworks and fan engagement initiatives, as the company seeks to deepen sports fandom across diverse markets in India.
Petkar is recognised for her strategic influence in India’s sports media landscape, having helped shape growth and revenue strategies across leading digital and broadcast platforms. She was head of SMB growth strategy and inside sales at Disney+ Hotstar, where she played an integral role in commercial strategy for one of India’s largest streaming services before moving to Viacom18 as senior vice president — strategy, sports in 2021.
Petkar’s tenure at Hotstar and Star India spanned over a decade, during which she developed expertise in product and revenue strategy, contributing to the evolution of sports content distribution, monetisation and audience engagement across digital and traditional broadcast ecosystems.
Hephzibah Pathak
Hephzibah Pathak, the executive chairperson of Ogilvy India stands out as a strategic force in Indian advertising in 2025, having taken the reins of one of the country’s most storied agencies in January 2024. With a career at Ogilvy that stretches back to 1997, she is the first woman to lead the agency in its 95-year history.
Pathak has driven a broad transformation agenda focused on deepening client partnerships, scaling creative tech and data-led personalised experiences, and modernising talent capabilities. She has highlighted the role of first-party data in powering branded engagement across the consumer journey and emphasised the integration of innovation into traditional advertising frameworks.
Under her leadership, Ogilvy India has continued to win major business and award recognition, reflecting a balance between creative impact and commercial effectiveness. Pathak has also spoken publicly on leadership, career development and the importance of resilience, particularly for women in a fast-moving industry.
Shubhra Saraf Sethi
Sethi has carved a distinct niche in media strategy as executive vice president and head of entertainment ad strategy (TV and digital) at JioStar Network, applying her extensive experience in live sports and cross-platform media to drive brand engagement. Prior to her current role, Sethi held senior positions in product, revenue strategy and customer marketing for sports at Disney Star, shaping how live sports content drives viewer engagement and commercial outcomes.
Her insights into the impact of live sports on the sales funnel have been noted industry-wide, emphasising how televised events can elevate both reach and recall for brands across the advertising ecosystem.
Sethi’s leadership reflects the growing intersection of entertainment, sports media and advertising strategy in India’s digital age, where multi-platform engagement and data-driven campaigns are central to capturing consumer attention in an increasingly crowded media landscape.
Pallavi Mohadikar
In 2025, Pallavi Mohadikar, CEO and founder of demi‑fine jewellery brand Palmonas, solidified her role as a leading voice in India’s fast‑evolving fashion and lifestyle space by steering one of the year’s most talked‑about retail scale‑ups. Under her leadership, Palmonas raised ₹55 crore in a Series A round led by Vertex Ventures SEAI, lifting the company’s valuation and fuelling ambitious expansion plans to open 100 new stores nationwide while bolstering its signature 9kt gold demi‑fine collection. The brand, which has fulfilled more than 6.5 lakh orders since inception, has rapidly built a loyal customer base through a design‑forward, everyday luxury proposition that bridges the gap between fast fashion and fine jewellery.
In early 2025, Palmonas also gained visibility through ₹1.26 crore in funding on Shark Tank India, helping amplify its omnichannel presence. Mohadikar’s strategic vision, blending agile execution, strong investor backing and celebrity influence, has positioned Palmonas not just as a domestic challenger in the jewellery market but as a potential aspirant for global scale, with talks underway for a substantially larger funding round that could value the company at over ₹1,600 crore.
Shailja Saraswati Varghese
In 2025, Shailja Saraswati Varghese, closed a defining chapter in her long media leadership career by stepping down as chief content officer at Omnicom Media Group India, where she had built and led the unified content practice, OMG Content, across the network’s agencies. During her nearly two decades in the business, she earned a reputation for marrying data‑led insights with creative storytelling, integrating performance and brand‑driven content and shaping cross‑platform strategies for major clients.
Her tenure at OMG was marked by the consolidation of disparate content functions into a cohesive practice that serviced OMD, PHD and other group partners, reinforcing content as a strategic growth lever for brands.
In late 2025, Saraswati pivoted her leadership energy toward her own venture, launching Season 4 of her Unstoppable Woman podcast and platform, which in its latest iteration reframes stories around resilience, inner strength and personal evolution beyond gendered achievements. The move reflects a deliberate transition from corporate mandating to enabling deeper cultural conversations about growth, mindfulness and the human side of leadership: a theme she has championed throughout her career.
Kanika Mohan Saxena
Kanika Mohan Saxena has played a pivotal role in shaping Vodafone’s Movies and TV proposition at a time when telecom operators are competing as much on content as connectivity. Her focus has been on strengthening content partnerships, platform usability and customer stickiness.
Working within a highly metrics-driven environment, Saxena has helped position entertainment as a value differentiator rather than an add-on. Her initiatives have contributed to improved engagement and retention across Vodafone’s digital ecosystem.
While the category is not award-heavy, Vodafone’s entertainment offerings have been cited in telecom and digital industry assessments for innovation and consumer relevance. Saxena’s impact is reflected in performance outcomes rather than trophies.
More recently, Saxena’s work has reflected a wider shift in how telecom players view entertainment, not as a bolt-on but as a habit-forming service. As consumption moves decisively app-first, her focus on discovery, frictionless access and content relevance has helped Vodafone compete in an environment dominated by pure-play streaming platforms.
Mrinalini Jain
Mrinalini Jain has been closely associated with Banijay India’s rise as one of the country’s most prolific and scalable content studios. Her work spans both scripted and unscripted formats, supporting the company’s rapid expansion across broadcasters and streaming platforms.
Banijay India produces hundreds of hours of content annually, including long-running franchises and local adaptations of global formats. Jain’s role has been instrumental in managing this scale while maintaining creative and operational consistency.
The studio’s shows have won multiple national and international awards over the years, and Jain’s contribution lies in strengthening the production engine behind those successes. Her work reflects the industrialisation of content without creative dilution.
Beyond output, Jain has been closely involved in strengthening Banijay India’s internal systems, from talent pipelines to production processes. Her contribution highlights how modern studio leadership increasingly depends on structure and scalability, ensuring creative ambition can be sustained over long-running franchises and multiple platforms.
Aradhana Bhola
At Fremantle India, Aradhana Bhola has worked at the intersection of format development, production strategy and platform alignment. Her focus has been on translating global IP into culturally resonant Indian programming.
She has supported Fremantle’s push into premium unscripted and factual entertainment, helping the company strengthen its reputation for high-quality, globally benchmarked formats. Her role has involved balancing creative ambition with broadcaster and platform expectations.
Fremantle’s Indian slate has earned industry recognition and critical acclaim, with Bhola’s work contributing to that momentum. She represents a new generation of content executives shaping India’s premium programming landscape.
As platforms become more selective and risk-averse, Bhola’s role has expanded to shaping development slates that balance originality with commercial viability. Her ability to align creative teams with broadcaster and streamer expectations has helped Fremantle remain competitive in a market tilting towards fewer but more premium commissions. Her work increasingly reflects the changing power dynamics between creators and platforms, where format strength and adaptability decide longevity. Bhola’s contribution lies in ensuring Fremantle’s IP remains relevant across evolving commissioning models and audience expectations.
Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana is among the most decorated figures in Indian women’s cricket. A recipient of the Arjuna Award and multiple ICC honours, she has been named ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year and ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year.
On the field, she has scored centuries across formats and played a central role in India’s rise as a competitive global side. Her leadership stints and consistent ICC Team of the Year selections underline her influence beyond individual performances.
Off the field, Mandhana is one of India’s most endorsed women athletes, contributing significantly to the commercial growth of women’s sport. Her career blends sporting excellence with cultural impact.
Mandhana’s impact is also visible in how women’s cricket is packaged and sold. Her presence has helped elevate broadcast interest, sponsorship confidence and fan engagement, contributing to the broader commercial momentum around women’s sport in India and internationally.
Mandhana’s stature was further cemented during India’s World Cup 2025 campaign, where she once again shouldered responsibility at the top of the order. As one of the senior-most players in the squad, she set the tone with decisive starts, calm leadership under pressure and a visible presence in high-stakes matches. Her performances and on-field authority provided stability to a transitioning Indian side, reinforcing her role as both a run-scorer and a standard-bearer on the sport’s biggest stage.
Mandhana’s career has also helped redefine what longevity and leadership look like in women’s cricket. As younger players enter the system, her consistency and professionalism have become reference points for the next generation of Indian athletes.
Jemimah Rodrigues
Jemimah Rodrigues has built a reputation as one of Indian cricket’s most versatile and expressive batters. Known for her adaptability, she has delivered key performances across formats and major ICC tournaments.
Her contributions have earned her recognition within BCCI honours and state-level awards, and she remains a regular feature in India’s senior squads. Rodrigues is valued for her composure under pressure and sharp fielding.
Beyond statistics, she has emerged as a strong advocate for women’s sport, using digital platforms to engage younger audiences. Her influence extends well beyond the boundary rope.
Rodrigues has also become one of the most relatable faces of Indian cricket, blending elite performance with authenticity. Her digital presence and public engagement have helped bring younger audiences closer to the game, reinforcing the cultural shift underway in women’s sport. Rodrigues represents a new sporting archetype, where performance, personality and purpose coexist. Her growing influence signals how modern athletes are shaping the narrative of women’s sport both on and off the field.
Litisha Mangat Panda
Litisha Mangat Panda has played a significant role in strengthening Odisha Television Network’s editorial and business positioning. Her work has focused on audience growth, content diversification and regional relevance. Operating in a fragmented regional news market, she has helped the network expand its reach while retaining credibility. Digital engagement has been a key focus area under her leadership.
The network has received regional journalism recognition and sustained viewership gains, reflecting Panda’s impact. She represents the growing importance of strong leadership in regional media ecosystems.
Panda’s leadership reflects a broader shift in regional media, where local networks are no longer just information providers but community platforms. Her focus on relevance over sensationalism has helped build trust in an environment often challenged by credibility concerns. In a media environment increasingly shaped by national narratives, Panda’s work underscores the enduring relevance of strong regional voices. Her leadership highlights how local media can scale influence without losing authenticity.
Laxmi Shetty
Laxmi Shetty has been part of Zee TV’s leadership during a period of rapid change for general entertainment channels. Her work has focused on programming strategy and audience retention. She has contributed to balancing mass appeal with content refresh, ensuring Zee TV remains competitive amid streaming disruption. Ratings performance and GRP stability have remained central metrics.
Zee TV’s shows during this phase have won multiple television awards across genres, reflecting the channel’s continued relevance. Shetty’s contribution sits within that sustained success. As viewing habits fragment across screens, Shetty’s work has involved recalibrating traditional programming strategies for multi-platform relevance. Her role highlights how linear television leadership now requires fluency across content, scheduling and audience migration.
Shetty’s role also reflects the recalibration underway within broadcast television, where success is measured as much by brand loyalty as by ratings alone. Her work points to how legacy networks are adapting to remain culturally resonant.
Subhasri Prasad
With over 24 years of cross-industry experience across Retail, FMCD, and Media & Entertainment, backed by an MBA in Sales & Marketing, Prasad is passionate about building brands, scaling portfolios, reviving legacy brands and driving revenue-focused growth. Her work sits at the intersection of strategy, execution, and last-mile impact.
Often operating quietly behind the scenes, Prasad has played a pivotal role in the big-bang trade launches of marquee, distribution-driver channels such as Sony ESPN, Sony Ten Sports (seven-channel bouquet), and Sony Marathi—backed by last-mile initiatives that strengthened subscription uptake and supported market penetration.
She also led the creation of SPN A.C.E, the industry’s first award-winning distribution trade engagement platform, designed to align and actively engage the trade ecosystem with SPNI’s content priorities, strategic vision, and on-ground execution. The platform marks a meaningful shift in how distribution partners are incentivised, integrated, and engaged.
As distribution economics grow increasingly complex, Prasad’s work highlights how trade marketing and partner engagement can act as a powerful lever for content amplification, supporting network reach, subscriber growth, and revenue sustainability. Drawing from her deep B2C marketing background, her approach demonstrates how structured grassroots engagement and amplification can indirectly—but materially—impact visibility, reach, and revenue performance.
Nandini Shenoy
Nandini Shenoy has played a defining role in Pinkvilla’s evolution from a celebrity news site into a diversified digital entertainment and lifestyle platform. As part of the senior editorial leadership, she has overseen content expansion across fashion, beauty, wellness and pop culture, helping the brand stay relevant to younger, social-first audiences.
Under her editorial stewardship, Pinkvilla has strengthened its position as one of India’s most-read entertainment publishers, consistently clocking millions of monthly users across web and social platforms. The platform has won multiple digital publishing and content awards, reflecting its ability to combine scale with brand-safe storytelling.
Shenoy’s work illustrates how editorial rigour, audience insight and platform-native storytelling can drive sustained growth in digital-first media businesses.
Ananya Birla
Ananya Birla has built parallel careers across entrepreneurship, music and social impact. In business, she founded Svatantra Microfin, which focuses on financial inclusion for women, and later launched Ikai Asai, a luxury handcrafted home décor brand. She is also associated with mental health initiatives aimed at reducing stigma among young people.
As a musician, Birla has released English-language pop tracks internationally, achieving chart placements and streaming traction across global platforms. She is among a small group of Indian artists to pursue a mainstream global music career independent of Bollywood.
Birla’s ability to operate credibly across business, culture and philanthropy places her among India’s most distinctive new-generation leaders.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Priyanka Chopra Jonas is one of India’s most globally recognised cultural exports. A National Film Award winner and multiple Filmfare Award recipient, she has successfully transitioned from Hindi cinema to international film and television, starring in major Hollywood productions and global streaming series.
Through her production company, Purple Pebble Pictures, she has backed regional Indian films and diverse international stories, extending her influence behind the camera. She has also been named to the Time 100 list and serves as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, with sustained advocacy work across education and children’s rights.
Her career represents a rare blend of commercial success, global reach and cultural diplomacy across industries and geographies.
Anupriya Acharya
As ceo of Publicis Groupe South Asia, Anupriya Acharya leads one of the region’s largest and most complex communications networks, spanning creative agencies, media buying, data, commerce and technology platforms. She oversees thousands of employees across India and South Asia.
Under her leadership, Publicis has won multiple Agency Network of the Year honours and accelerated its shift towards integrated, data-led and platform-driven services. The group has also strengthened its position in digital, performance marketing and consulting-led solutions.
Acharya’s leadership reflects the structural transformation underway in the advertising industry, where scale, technology and integration increasingly define competitive advantage.
Gayatri Yadav
Gayatri Yadav is one of India’s most influential brand and reputation strategists, serving as personal cmo to Nita and Mukesh Ambani. Her remit spans global positioning, stakeholder influence, philanthropy narratives and cultural diplomacy.
She has previously held leadership roles across media, advertising and strategic communications, and is a regular presence on industry power lists. Her work has shaped high-profile narratives across business, sport, culture and social impact initiatives.
Yadav’s role highlights how strategic personal and institutional branding has become a core boardroom function in an era of heightened visibility and scrutiny.
Priya Mukherjee Sainath
Priya Mukherjee Sainath has played a key role in strengthening India TV’s editorial operations and content strategy within an intensely competitive broadcast news landscape. Her work supports newsroom planning, editorial prioritisation and long-term content direction.
India TV has consistently ranked among the most-watched Hindi news channels, maintaining strong prime-time viewership and winning multiple broadcast journalism awards. Sainath’s contributions reflect the operational discipline required to sustain leadership in mainstream television news.
Her career underscores the continued relevance of linear news broadcasting, even as audiences fragment across digital platforms.
Naina Parekh
Naina Parekh is the co-founder and creative force behind EUME, the Indian travel-gear brand that turned luggage into a talking point. With over two decades in marketing and product innovation, she’s best known for EUME’s massager backpack, the world’s first at scale, designed to ease strain for commuters and travellers. The product earned a feature on Good Morning America and helped EUME stand out in a crowded market with memorable innovation.
Under Parekh’s leadership, EUME has evolved into a fast-growing D2C and retail brand spanning backpacks, luggage and vegan handbags. The company raised ₹25 crore in Series A funding in 2024, led by Ashish Kacholia. A Harvard Business School alumnus, Parekh has won multiple accolades including an International Women’s Award and Economic Times Entrepreneurial Idea of the Year, proving that thoughtful design and a sharp point of view can carry serious commercial weight.
Aruna Daryanani
Aruna Daryanani leads customer growth, product, technology and marketing for Amazon MX Player as director at Amazon India. A longtime Amazonian, she was key in scaling Amazon miniTV from experiment to mainstream destination and served as chief of staff to the Amazon India CEO. Her earlier decade at Citibank shaped her data-led, customer-first approach to digital products.
At MX Player, Daryanani has pushed AI-driven personalisation, smarter content discovery and shoppable advertising that links viewing to Amazon’s retail engine. She’s overseen high-impact partnerships and integrated MX Player into Amazon’s shopping events, blurring entertainment and commerce. Named to BusinessWorld’s 40 Under 40 and Economic Times Young Leader lists, her career spans banking to big tech to streaming with a leadership style that blends rigour with imagination.
Sonal Kabi
Sonal Kabi is director and head of marketing at Amazon Prime Video India, steering brand and content marketing for millions of viewers. Rejoining Amazon in 2024 after a high-profile Netflix India stint, she led marketing for marquee titles, turning releases into cultural conversations rather than short-lived launches in an increasingly crowded OTT market.
Across nearly two decades, Kabi’s career spans Netflix India (Heeramandi, The Railway Men), earlier Amazon tenure with Prime Video Originals and miniTV, plus senior roles at McDonald’s India, Star TV, Leo Burnett and Lowe Lintas. Kabi is known for believing great marketing should entertain as much as it persuades, proving smart storytelling at scale can be both commercially effective and culturally sticky.
Jyoti Deshpande
Jyoti Deshpande has quietly become one of Indian cinema’s sharpest business minds, steering Jio Studios with a mix of clarity, courage, and an instinct for what audiences crave. At a time when streaming platforms and changing viewing habits are shaking up the global film industry, she has built a model that doesn’t pit theatres against digital screens but strengthens the entire entertainment ecosystem. Her vision has paid off spectacularly, with 2024 firmly positioning Jio Studios as India’s biggest film studio by both impact and output.
Her strategic genius shone brightest with Dhurandhar, where backing the film as a two-part cinematic event combined creative ambition with commercial intelligence. Taking the bold step of handling distribution in-house, Jio Studios orchestrated one of the most coordinated nationwide releases ever, and the gamble paid off. In under four weeks, Dhurandhar crossed Rs 750 crore in India alone, cementing its blockbuster status and laying the foundation for what could be a hat-trick of hits with Dhurandhar Part 2 set for 2026.
Jyoti’s magic isn’t limited to tentpoles. In 2024, Jio Studios delivered hits across the spectrum, from Stree 2 and Article 370 to Shaitaan and Laapataa Ladies, showing an uncanny ability to balance mainstream appeal with daring storytelling. That momentum has flowed into the digital world as well, with 12 OTT releases in 2025 including Mrs., Dhoom Dhaam, Bhagwat, Saali Mohabbat and Baramulla. From theatres to streaming platforms, Jyoti Deshpande is turning Jio Studios into a powerhouse that commands attention everywhere, proving that smart strategy and fearless execution are a blockbuster combo.
Roshni Nadar Malhotra
Roshni Nadar Malhotra became the first woman to chair a listed Indian IT services company when she took over HCLTech in July 2020. Under her stewardship, the $13-billion-plus enterprise has sharpened focus on cloud, engineering services, cybersecurity and AI-led transformation, employing 220,000+ people worldwide with multi-billion-dollar deal wins. Her influence shapes strategic intent, culture and capital allocation.
Beyond business, she oversees ambitious education initiatives through the Shiv Nadar Foundation including Shiv Nadar University and VidyaGyan, plus conservation work via The Habitats Trust. Named India’s richest woman on the Hurun list, Forbes’ World’s Most Powerful Women multiple times, and conferred France’s Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2024, her deliberately understated leadership style proves scale and sensitivity can coexist at corporate India’s top.
Sonia Huria
Sonia Huria is head of brand, consumer and social communications at Maddock Films, with over two decades shaping brands at moments of scale and cultural relevance. Her work sits at the crossroads of cinema, pop culture and digital communities, crafting narratives that speak to consumers, stakeholders and media alike.
Before Maddock Films in 2025, she was head of communications for Asia Pacific at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, and spent 12+ years at Viacom18 building brands across television, films and digital during rapid media growth. She began at Genesis Burson-Marsteller, sharpening her strategic counsel. Across roles, Huria’s driven sustained visibility and culturally fluent campaigns with clarity, timing and an instinctive sense of what audiences care about next.
Kusha Kapila
Kusha Kapila has turned internet fame into a full-bodied career across fashion, film and pop culture. Rising with razor-sharp Delhi humour on digital platforms, she’s built millions of followers and moved beyond sketch comedy into Hindi films like Selfiee and Thank You for Coming, plus streaming titles including Masaba Masaba. Her fashion credentials include front-row appearances at international fashion weeks and global luxury brand collaborations. In 2024, she launched her own fashion and lifestyle brand Underneat, expanding her entrepreneurial footprint beyond content creation and acting.
Kapila stays culturally relevant while constantly reinventing herself, hosting major awards shows, judging reality formats, and speaking openly about body image, mental health and ambition. Industry estimates peg her brand endorsement value among the highest for Indian lifestyle creators. Her career reads like a case study in how the new Indian celebrity is built: one reel, role and risk at a time.
Nita Ambani
Nita Ambani stands at the intersection of business, philanthropy and culture as chairperson of Reliance Foundation, overseeing one of India’s largest philanthropic organisations with programmes reaching millions. Her most visible cultural legacy is the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Mumbai, hosting world-class theatre, music and art, placing India on the global cultural calendar.
In sport, Ambani’s the driving force behind Mumbai Indians, one of IPL’s most successful teams with five titles, and serves as an International Olympic Committee member advocating for greater Indian participation. Combining corporate discipline with cultural sensitivity, she’s carved a leadership style blending ambition with institution building, shaping multiple arenas at once with sustained impact and visibility.
Kaumudi Mahajan
Kaumudi Mahajan is head of marketing and content strategy for Colors at JioStar, sitting at the intersection of storytelling, scale and sharp commercial instinct. With 15+ years in broadcast and digital entertainment, she’s sharpened Colors’ content positioning since late 2023, helping reinforce its mass reach while keeping storytelling contemporary and culturally agile.
Her strategic muscle was forged at Disney Star, rising to senior vice president of marketing and strategy for the Marathi network, building Star Pravah into a market leader. In 2022, she shifted to Meta as head of entertainment partnerships for India, integrating entertainment IPs across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Her career-long contribution: making content travel further, land sharper and stay culturally resonant.
Preetha Athrey
Preetha Athrey is director of brand marketing at The Trade Desk, shaping the brand voice of the global ad tech company as programmatic advertising evolves. Her 2025 move followed a respected tenure at Twitter as marketing director for Asia Pacific, strengthening advertiser engagement during platform transformation. She was named a Wonder Women Awards 2025 winner for shaping the future of marketing and media in India.
Across 20+ years, Athrey held senior marketing roles at Airtel, Time Warner and Apollo Tyres, delivering multi-market brand initiatives. At Turner Broadcasting, she expanded Cartoon Network and POGO’s reach in India. A two-time entrepreneur, she founded Mavens 360 and co-founded Tap In Tribe. A certified independent director, she’s a rare mix of strategist, operator and mentor defined by consistency, credibility and long-term impact.
Sandhya Devanathan
Sandhya Devanathan is vice president & head of India and South East Asia at Meta, steering strategy and revenue across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in some of Meta’s fastest-growing markets. Since taking charge of India in 2023 and expanding to South East Asia, she’s deepened partnerships with advertisers, creators and governments while accelerating business messaging, Reels and commerce-led products.
Before Meta, Devanathan spent nearly two decades at Citibank and Standard Chartered building expertise in consumer banking and digital payments. She joined Meta in 2016, leading high-growth businesses across Asia-Pacific including gaming. She’s built a reputation for commercial sharpness with people-first leadership, serving as executive sponsor for Women@APAC. Regularly on Fortune India’s Most Powerful Women list, she represents a new generation of tech leadership: commercially rigorous, culturally fluent and deeply invested in platforms that work at scale.
Gunjan Soni
Gunjan Soni is country managing director of YouTube India, expanding the creator ecosystem, driving innovative engagement models and opening new monetisation avenues. Under her leadership, YouTube India has seen substantial growth in active creators and content consumption, with pioneering initiatives in Shorts and video commerce strengthening its position in India’s fast-evolving digital landscape.
Before YouTube, Soni left her mark at Myntra leading marketing strategies, at ZALORA as group CEO expanding Southeast Asian fashion e-commerce, at Star India reshaping digital content initiatives, and at McKinsey & Company honing strategic rigour. Recognised in Fortune India 40 Under 40 and serving on CBRE Group’s board, she combines technical expertise, business acumen and creative vision, consistently transforming brands, empowering teams and shaping India’s digital landscape.
Palki Sharma
Palki Sharma has carved a distinctive space as a sharp, globally minded anchor at Firstpost. As the face of Vantage, her nightly show broke away from studio theatrics to focus on international affairs, geopolitics and India’s place in a shifting world order. Her explainers on global flashpoints routinely clocked millions of views, helping Firstpost build a strong international audience beyond traditional TV ratings.
Sharma blends clarity with conviction, reporting from global forums and interviewing world leaders with a distinctly Indian lens. Vantage emerged as one of India’s most-watched international affairs shows online, strengthening Firstpost’s positioning as a serious global news brand. In an era of loud prime-time debates, her calm delivery and sharp editorial focus prove authority on television can still come without raised decibels.
Harini Lakshminarayan
Harini Lakshminarayan is chief operating officer of Colour Yellow Productions, blending a storyteller’s heart with a strategist’s mind across 20+ years in film production. She’s helped bring to life films like the atmospheric horror-fantasy Tumbbad (2018), which earned international praise, and the politically charged documentary An Insignificant Man (2016), working on projects that resonate with critics and audiences alike.
In her 2025 COO role at Aanand L Rai’s studio, she shapes strategic growth across Hindi and regional markets, oversees business development and drives original IP creation beyond the legacy of Raanjhanaa and Tanu Weds Manu Returns. Known for forging strategic alliances and championing innovative storytelling, she actively pushes for sustainable creative entrepreneurship in a fast-evolving industry.
Smita Prakash
Smita Prakash is managing director and editor of ANI, India’s largest multimedia news agency, steering coverage that feeds thousands of platforms daily. She’s also host of the widely watched ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, where long-form conversations explore power, policy and personality. Her interviews with ministers, chief ministers and global leaders regularly clock hundreds of thousands of views, turning the podcast into one of ANI’s fastest-growing digital properties.
Prakash’s career spans over three decades across Doordarshan, NDTV and ANI, giving her command over broadcast polish and agency rigour. Under her leadership, ANI has aggressively scaled digital and video operations while expanding international bureaux. Known for interviews that are firm without theatrics, she’s shaped how political journalism is consumed today: shorter attention spans, sharper questions, formats that invite audiences to stay longer, making authority sound conversational.
Nandita Sinha
Nandita Sinha continues to lead Myntra with strategic vision, driving the e-commerce giant to new heights in India’s competitive fashion market. Under her leadership, Myntra has maintained its position as one of India’s leading fashion platforms, consistently pushing boundaries in customer experience, technology integration, and brand partnerships.
Throughout 2025, Sinha has championed initiatives that blend technology with fashion retail, ensuring Myntra remains at the forefront of India’s digital commerce revolution. Her leadership style emphasizes innovation, customer-centricity, and sustainable growth, making her one of the most influential women in Indian e-commerce.
Praveena Rai
Praveena Rai leads the Multi Commodity Exchange of India with exceptional expertise, overseeing one of India’s largest commodity derivatives exchanges. Her leadership has been instrumental in driving innovation in commodity trading, enhancing market transparency, and strengthening regulatory compliance.
In 2025, Rai has continued implementing strategic initiatives that modernize trading infrastructure and expand market participation. Under her stewardship, MCX has reinforced its position as a critical platform for price discovery and risk management in India’s commodity markets, contributing significantly to the nation’s economic framework.
Shradha Sharma
Shradha Sharma has transformed YourStory into India’s premier platform for entrepreneurial stories, innovation, and startup ecosystem coverage. Her vision has made YourStory an indispensable resource for the startup world, providing news coverage, insights, networking opportunities, and ecosystem building.
Throughout 2025, Sharma has continued to expand YourStory’s reach and influence, hosting major events, launching new content initiatives, and strengthening the platform’s role as a connector between entrepreneurs, investors, and corporations. Her relentless passion for storytelling and commitment to showcasing diverse voices has inspired countless individuals to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.
Priya Nair
2025 was a watershed year for Priya Nair, as she became the first woman CEO and managing director in Hindustan Unilever’s 92-year history. Nair leads Hindustan Unilever’s Beauty & Wellbeing and Home Care divisions, overseeing some of India’s most iconic brands and driving innovation in product development and sustainable business practices. In 2025, Nair has focused on accelerating digital transformation, enhancing brand portfolios, and driving sustainable growth across HUL’s diverse product categories.
Her expertise in understanding the Indian consumer psyche, combined with data-driven insights, has resulted in successful product launches and marketing campaigns that resonate with millions. As she continues to shape the future of beauty and home care in India, Nair ensures HUL maintains its position as a household name across the country.
Anisha Iyer
Anisha Iyer leads OMD India with a focus on delivering innovative media solutions and transformative campaigns for top brands. As CEO, she oversees strategic planning, media investments, and client partnerships, ensuring OMD remains at the cutting edge of the rapidly evolving media landscape.
Throughout 2025, Iyer has championed new approaches to media planning that leverage data analytics, programmatic advertising, and emerging digital platforms. Her leadership has helped brands navigate the complex media ecosystem while delivering measurable results and creative excellence, setting new benchmarks for the industry.
Shilpaa Dhawan
Shilpa Dhawan has made significant strides in entertainment as producer of Mahavatar Narsimha, bringing mythological storytelling to contemporary audiences with production excellence. Her work demonstrates a commitment to creating content that combines cultural heritage with modern production values.
In 2025, Dhawan’s work on Mahavatar Narsimha has garnered attention for its ambitious scope and storytelling approach. As she continues to develop compelling narratives, Dhawan is establishing herself as a producer who balances commercial viability with artistic integrity, contributing to the evolution of Indian content creation.
Ghazal Alagh
Ghazal Alagh has transformed the Indian beauty landscape through Mamaearth, building a brand that prioritizes toxin-free, sustainable products for modern Indian families. As Co-Founder of Honasa Consumer, she has pioneered the clean beauty movement in India, creating products that are safe, effective, and environmentally conscious.
Throughout 2025, Alagh has continued to drive Mamaearth’s expansion, launching innovative product lines and strengthening retail presence across India. Her focus on sustainability, transparency, and consumer education has set new standards in the beauty industry, while her advocacy for women in entrepreneurship has made her a role model for aspiring business leaders.
Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif has successfully transitioned from Bollywood superstar to beauty entrepreneur, building Kay Beauty into one of India’s most recognized makeup brands. As co-founder, she has created a brand that celebrates diversity and inclusivity, offering products specifically designed for Indian skin tones.
In 2025, Kaif has continued to expand Kay Beauty’s product portfolio and retail presence, while maintaining the brand’s commitment to cruelty-free, high-quality cosmetics. Her hands-on involvement in product development and customer engagement has resonated with consumers, making Kay Beauty not just a cosmetics brand but a movement toward more inclusive beauty standards in India.
Schauna Chauhan
Schauna Chauhan leads Parle Agro as CEO, driving the Rs 1,600 crore beverage giant toward its ambitious goal of becoming India’s number one beverage company by 2030 with a target of Rs 20,000 crore. In 2025, she announced double-digit growth driven by summer season and festive demand, with the company having invested Rs 650-700 crore in Madhya Pradesh over its 25-year presence.
Under her leadership, Parle Agro employs 2,818 people and owns iconic brands like Frooti, Appy Fizz, and Bailley packaged water. Her commitment to sustainability is evident in initiatives supporting MSMEs to establish new PLA straw plants and partnering with mango pulp processors to strengthen the agricultural supply chain, ensuring the company’s growth benefits entire communities.
Nadia Chauhan
Nadia Chauhan has been the strategic force behind Parle Agro’s transformation from a Rs 300 crore single-brand company to a Rs 8,000 crore diversified beverage powerhouse. As Joint MD and CMO, she joined at 17 in 2003 and reduced Frooti’s revenue contribution from 95% to 48% while building Bailley into a Rs 1,000 crore business.
Her marketing genius created breakthrough launches like Appy Fizz in 2005, establishing an entirely new sparkling fruit drinks category in India. In 2025, the 40-year-old leader continues to push boundaries with her design-first approach and global perspective, driving the company toward its Rs 20,000 crore goal by 2030 and cementing her position as one of India’s most influential marketing minds.
Alisha Chauhan
Alisha Chauhan serves as Director at Parle Agro, leading Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives with focus on rural development and community empowerment. Her work has been particularly impactful in mango-growing regions of South India where Parle Agro sources raw materials, with transformative projects like the Aanganwadi Development initiative modernizing child care centers in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
In 2025, she continues to expand the company’s social impact as a board member and director of the Prakash Jayantilal Chauhan Foundation, which focuses on environment sustainability, skillset development, and healthcare. Her commitment to creating shared value ensures that Parle Agro’s success translates into meaningful social impact across India.
Sushma R Rao
Sushma R Rao joined Blissclub as Head of Marketing in September 2025, bringing over two decades of experience across fashion, lifestyle, and FMCG sectors. Moving from her position as Executive VP at MullenLowe Lintas Group where she led brand strategy for portfolios including Tata Tea and GRT Jewellers, she arrived with a vision to scale India’s leading women’s activewear brand.
In November 2025, she spearheaded the bold “Bliss Police” campaign, which challenged the fashion industry’s normalization of women suffering for style, repositioning fashion from image-obsessed to experience-obsessed. With Blissclub valued at Rs 601 crore and annual revenue of Rs 92.2 crore, Rao’s marketing expertise is crucial to the brand’s evolution into a movement wear brand that prioritizes comfort without compromising style.
Shraddha Kapoor
Shraddha Kapoor co-founded Palmonas, India’s leading demi-fine jewellery brand, joining founders in March 2024 after falling in love with the brand as a customer. In August 2025, Palmonas raised Rs 55 crore in Series A funding led by Vertex Ventures with plans to open 100 new stores over 12 months, while in February 2025, the brand appeared on Shark Tank India Season 4, securing Rs 1.26 crore at a Rs 126 crore valuation.
Beyond celebrity endorsement, Kapoor co-designs collections blending clean lines and minimal glam for contemporary Indian women, with the brand having fulfilled over 6.5 lakh orders since its 2022 launch. Her mission to offer stylish, long-lasting, and affordable jewellery made with 18k gold plating on sterling silver has made Palmonas a go-to destination for everyday luxury, establishing her as a serious player in India’s booming D2C space.
Taken together, these women did more than mark their presence in 2025; they recalibrated what leadership looks like across industries. Their influence was not symbolic, nor momentary — it was structural, commercial and cultural. As boardrooms, newsrooms and markets continue to evolve, their work signals a clear shift: women are no longer breaking barriers for entry. They are setting the agenda for what comes next.
NOTE: The list is presented in no particular order and does not reflect any hierarchy.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
