Influential faces in business

1.         

No doubt Rajshree Pathy has broken many a glass ceiling, taking over as the first female managing director of a sugar mill in 1990, after the untimely death of her father G. Vardaraj, who had set up Rajshree Sugars and Chemicals, as well as becoming the first woman president of the Indian Sugar Mills Association in 2004/05. It has also ventured into a number of new areas in recent years, including food, energy and agri-business.

 2.

Prathap C. Reddy, the Chairman of Apollo Hospitals, refers to Suneeta, the second of his four daughters who keeps a tight grip on group finances, as Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, for the group. Her role, she says, "is to ensure continuous improvement in RoC and growth for the future. I think we are a great growth story for the next two decades and more considering our integrated health care delivery and the capacities we have created.

3.

Anita Dongre has taken high fashion to far-flung corners of the country. Her brands, AND and Global Desi, are present in more than 50 cities. Her company, House Of Anita Dongre, set up as many as 100 stores in 2016 to take the total to 283. Her most recent offering, Anita Dongre Grassroot, is a handcrafted western wear brand for which she has worked with craftspeople and weavers across the country.