Topic > The Changing Role of Women in Indian Society so few successful female professionals?" women?”, but rather: “How have so many people survived the vicissitudes at every step of the career ladder” – Dorothy Zinberg. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In an increasingly global economy, making full use of all a country's human resources is essential for successful international competition and for world leadership in science and engineering and a better quality of life in every sphere. The participation of women in a vibrant economy is essential to introduce diversity of perspectives, talents and experiences in order to produce better ideas, goods and services to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse and demanding global market. Yet, unfortunately, women and minorities have historically been underrepresented in almost all economies, occupations and walks of life, including India. They take fewer high-level math and science programs in high school; they earn fewer bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and conventionally earn less than their male colleagues when they hold the same roles and job positions. For any progressive and pluralist economy it is important to understand why women abandon every fold of the “contractual economic system” pipeline” and miss out on the opportunity to be financially independent. Why do women have no financial literacy and in fact all their financial affairs are handled by their husbands or other male members of their family? Why can't women seek equal participation in the financial affairs of their personal lives and contribute to the country's gross domestic product? Fortunately, after liberalization, this trend is gradual and Indian women have started contributing more to nation-building activities and are now occupying key positions in all spheres of life - politics, business, education, science, technology and everywhere else . Here is a brief profile of some of the most notable and least celebrated names in Indian business, who have made their mark in a male-dominated society. The list of successful women covered here is obviously not exhaustive. Tanya Dubash, Executive Director & President (Marketing), Godrej Group Unlike her socialite mother, Tanya Dubash likes to keep a low profile. It is therefore not surprising that not many people, outside her immediate circle of friends and family would know that the eldest daughter of Adi and Parmeshwar Godrej, who is the executive director and president (marketing) of the $1.3 billion Godrej Group , was named among 25 Indians in this year's list of 250 Global Young Leaders by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum. He beat out 4,000 contenders to secure his place on the powerhouse list. Three years ago, Business Today picked her along with a dozen other business heiresses to watch out for in the coming years. The only problem with Dubash is that, being an extremely private person, he does not allow prying eyes to pierce his personal or professional profile. So what he does doesn't make the headlines. On the group's website, his profile is simply etched without hyperbole, even though he basically deals with all Godrej brands, including their advertising, market research and new product development. High on its agenda at the moment is a strategy to reformulate and revitalize some of its brands, for which it has already hireda global consultant, UK-based Interbrand. Joining the company as a director when she was 28, Dubash jumped straight into the country's most competitive markets: the FMCG sector. Two years ago, it made its intentions to expand into the overseas market clear when it acquired Middlesex-based Keyline Brands in a $15.75 million (Rs 130 crore) deal to complement Godrej's domestic dye business for hair, talc and shaving cream. Since the hair dye market in India is still nascent (Rs 5 billion), Dubash wants to strengthen its hold in the UK, where the market is at least five times larger. Hair color is incidentally a strong category for GCPL --- it contributes 35% to revenues and 65% to the group's overall profits. Hopefully the gamble will pay off and some of the huge brand equity that Godrej enjoys in India will trickle down to create attraction for the brand among Britain's Afro-Asian population. Sulajja Firodia Motwani, Vice President, Kinetic Engineering Limited and Founder & CEO, Kinetic Green Energy & Power Solutions Limited As joint managing director of Kinetic Engineering Ltd, part of the Rs 1,200-crore Firodia Group company, Motwani is responsible for the overall development activities corporate. It is under his skillful leadership that the Kinetic Group has grown from being a manufacturer of mopeds and scooters to a complete two-wheeler and motorcycle company (Zoom, Nova and Marvel, Boss, Velocity, GF 170 City, Laser and Aquila, just to name a few), aimed at a wide range of customers. Over the years the Kinetic group has proposed a model for every price range, ranging from economical to luxury, up to sports models. Her latest launch is the Laser sports bike. Motwani says she has applied to Kinetic Group what she has learned on the badminton courts since she joined the company in 1996. Born into a family of entrepreneurs: grandfather HK Firodia started Kinetic Engineering and father Arun Firodia founded the group Kinetic - Motwani is the second of Arun's four children. Armed with a management degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg, Motwani's first stint was with Barra International, a California-based investment advisory firm. Within the two-wheeler segment, Motwani expects motorcycles to dominate the market, while gearless scooters will see higher growth than geared ones. With moped sales declining, Kinetic Engineering nevertheless changed its production line to roll out the Boss from its Ahmednagar plant. When he's not launching new bikes, Motwani enjoys golfing, skiing, reading non-fiction and watching movies. 'India Today' dubbed her the 'Face of the Millennium' and ranked her among the top twenty-five entrepreneurs of the country. In 2002 she was awarded the Society Young Achiever's Award for Business. The same year, the World Economic Forum named her "Tomorrow's Global Leader." She was chosen as a Young Super Achiever by Business Today in 2003.Dr. Villoo Morawala Patell, Avesthagen, founder and current president and CEO of Avesthagen. Until the arrival of Villoo Morawala Patell, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw was the emblem of the Indian biotechnology industry. Then someone discovered “The Black Swan”, Dr. Villoo Morawala Patell, founder and CEO of Avesthagen. Then, fittingly, she was conferred with the Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 award at the BioSpectrum awards ceremony in Bangalore. The award was given in recognition of having transformed Avesthagen into a world-class biotechnology company through an innovative business model that combines product development andservices. A first-generation scientist turned entrepreneur, Patell founded Avesthagen in 2001, eight years after completing her .D. Ph.D. from Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg, France, in 1993. Today, the Rs 31 million Avesthagen, with a workforce base of 500 people and a state-of-the-art facility in Bangalore, is focused on achieving food convergence , pharmaceuticals, and population genetics leading to personalized preventative healthcare. Its activities include a pipeline of agrobiotechnology products, the development of clinically validated botanical bioactives, derived from Indian medicinal plants, as well as the development of a pipeline of 11 biosimilar drugs. The company has divided itself into four strategic business units: biopharmaceuticals, bionutrition, bioagriculture and eInnovation science. Avesthagen was recently declared the Asia 2006 winner by Red Herring Magazine for practicing what the magazine calls "disruptive innovation." This is no small achievement considering his difficult early years. As an article about her in Forbes reveals, Patell faced her first hurdle from a Bangalore registry office employee who refused to register the name Gengraine Technologies (not understanding the combination of genes and grains). He immediately added Avestha, which means knowledge of Zoroastrianism, and his company was born! The 52-year-old molecular biologist's company, Avestha Gengraine Technologies (Avesthagen) has been profitable for three consecutive years. It expects to end the fiscal year in March with $14.2 million in revenue. With foreign investment at 31% and a patent portfolio of around 140 applications (in various stages of filing), Avesthagen has set something of a precedent among young companies. Nearly three decades after Kiran Mazumdar Shaw pioneered the industry in India with Biocon's industrial enzymes business, entrepreneurs like Patell are stepping up to the plate, driven not by the branded services mentality of Indian entrepreneurs but by innovation , observes the Forbes journalist. Patell is currently a member of the Biotechnology Advisory Committee at Mysore University. He is a key member of the Task Force and Vision Group for Biotechnology, established by the State Government of Karnataka and a founding member of the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE). She also received the Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur Award for the year 2005-2006 from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). The life and career of Mallika Srinivasan, president and managing director of Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited, proves that entrepreneurship has nothing to do with convention. The two can co-date. Born into a very conventional Southern business family, she knew she wanted to work in her father's tractor and farm equipment company, so what if, before her, TAFE, the country's second largest tractor manufacturer, Fiore flagship of the $630 million group, the Chennai-based Amalgamations Group was controlled only by the male heirs of the Srinivasan clan, mainly Mallika's uncles and father. Rarely, if ever, has dynastic control of a family business ever been left in the hands of a daughter. But Mallika Srinivasan's case is different. Armed with an MBA from Wharton and with her father and husband (she married into the TVS group) by her side, she joined TAFE as general manager in 1986 and within a few years TAFE's turnover increased from Rs 85 to Rs. 700 crores. In his two decades as director of TAFE, he transformed the company through innovative products and processes, multiplying revenue by a factor of 30. For starters, Srinivasan has.