[Year in Review 2021] Here are 10 inspiring quotes by top Indian women leaders

Indian women have had quite a shining year - an Indian woman broke the gender barrier by becoming the first female CEO of a global luxury brand, and another Indian woman entrepreneur became a billionaire and is now one of the country’s richest persons. Whether it was sports, science, or entertainment, women stole the limelight and emerged triumphant. 

Here’s reeling back to inspiring things top Indian women leaders said at the world stage to encourage women around the world.

Gita Gopinath

“Income inequality was falling worldwide, owing to fast income growth in China and India, which together account for over one-third of the world population. But inequality was rising within economies, including within Asia’s dynamic economies, as labor’s share of income fell, and its decline was concentrated on low- and middle-skilled workers,” IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath said at the 3rd APEC Structural Reform Ministerial Meeting.

Falguni Nayar

“My mindset was that before I turn 50 I had to start my own business, otherwise I will never do it. I was 48 at that time. Instead of seeing age as a handicap, I saw it as all the experience that came with it. My professional experience came in very handy. But entrepreneurship is also about learning new things. So I would like to tell women to please educate yourselves and be very open minded,” said Falguni Nayar, Founder and CEO, Nykaa, at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry's (FICCI) annual convention and 94th AGM.

Gagandeep Kang

“Science is incomplete without women as leaders and subjects for investigation. But we have for too long ignored this. Whether it is not considering women’s physiology in medicine or excluding women from automobile engineering, I think we have many gaps to address today and well into the future,” Gagandeep Kang, Scientist, said in an interview recently.

Divya Gokulnath

“I was 21, wore a saree, and took a class for students just four years younger to me on easy hacks to get through campus recruitment. I took many classes in Mathematics, English, and Reasoning and realised my happiness was in teaching. By that time, my results were also published, and I cracked a few universities in the US, but I decided to change course, and stay back,” said Divya Gokulnath, Co-founder, BYJU'S, in an earlier interview.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan

“There must be a dialogue between policy and research, which is often missing. In a continuous dialogue, policy-makers can articulate what their pain-points and policy gaps are, which helps academics to design their research studies accordingly. Research, consequently, also has an applied and communicative side. To have impact, researchers also need to engage with policy-makers. This was my first big learning. We must work hand in hand, build trust and invest into the relationship,” WHO Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan said in an interview.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

“I faced huge credibility challenges in the early part of my entrepreneurial journey, which were largely gender-related biases. I overcame them by taking them head on. By demonstrating business success, I could allay the risks associated with my gender, age and the novelty of my business,” said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson of Biocon, India’s largest biopharmaceutical company.

Preetha Reddy

“A woman CEO is more likely to implement programmes to encourage women with potential through specific skilling and training to become ready to take up more responsibilities at a higher level in the organisation, including revenue-generating roles. A female CEO is more likely to be empathetic towards challenges faced by women and propose conducive policies such as menstrual [leave] policy, extended maternity leave, adoption policy, and crèche facilities in or near office premises and so on,” said Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited, in an interview with HerStory.

Leena Nair

“Being the first woman in every single job I have done means I get to see just what it means to be in a job that feels built for someone else. I always say, ‘We’re all in the same storm, we’re not in the same boat’,” Leena Nair, global CEO, Chanel, said in an interview.

Kamala Harris

“Even in dark times, we not only dream, we do. We not only see what has been, we see what can be. We shoot for the moon, and then we plant our flag on it. We are bold, fearless, and ambitious. We are undaunted in our belief that we shall overcome; that we will rise up. This is American aspiration,” Harris said during the Celebrating America TV special to mark the inauguration. 

“American Aspiration is what drove the women in this nation, throughout history, to demand equal rights. And the authors of the Bill of Rights, to claim freedoms that had rarely been written down before.”

Zia Mody

“I attribute my success to my hard work, my ability to see and remember hundred things at a time, my intensity to want to be perfect and in the quality of advice I have to give several times a day, in the role of my trusted advisor to my key clients,” lawyer Zia Modi says.