India’s boardrooms ran lean on empathy for years, and surprisingly, it showed. The leaders who finally changed that were women, not because it was handed to them, but because they stayed, pushed, and built careers on a style of leadership that holds people and results in the same hand. TradeFlock’s latest edition, “Women Leaders in India 2026,” celebrates ten of them — Founders, CEOs, CHROs, Directors, and Managing Directors whose vision and grit have shaped some of the country’s most consequential business stories.
We sat down with top women leaders in India spanning healthcare, travel, finance, technology, and social development. No two paths to the top looked the same, but one thread ran through almost every conversation: the leaders who lasted were the ones who made hard calls early and owned every outcome that followed.
Inside this edition are unfiltered conversations, lessons learned the hard way, and a closer look at the women rewriting the rules of leadership across India. Also read our story of the month on why employees across markets are consciously scaling back discretionary effort after years of layoffs.
Leading quality and regulatory excellence in the medical devices industry, Sudeepthi Apsingekar brings 19 years of cross-industry experience spanning healthcare, aerospace, automotive, banking, and technology. She drives quality systems, regulatory compliance, operational excellence, and high-performing engineering teams at Medtronic. She has also managed the Cloud & Infrastructure Services Portfolio as an Accounts Quality Manager and has a track record in operations management and cost reduction.
Chief Revenue Officer
MantraCare
Known for driving revenue growth across employee wellness and enterprise solutions, Anu Bedi Salwan leads MantraCare’s commercial strategy. Bringing over a decade of experience, she brings expertise in Employee Assistance Programme, e-recruitment, travel, and media, with a strong focus on B2B sales, customer relationships, market expansion, and building high-performing business teams.
Assistant Vice President - HR
Aavas Financiers Ltd.
Specialising in HR business partnering and workforce strategy, Archana Tarun Dave has spent 14 years strengthening talent functions across the BFSI and housing finance sectors. She has successfully scaled regional operations, developed high-performing teams, and earned recognition as a “Women of Excellence” and “Impactful Mentor.”
CHRO
Marrow/DailyRounds
Building people-first cultures has been central to Asha Subramanian’s leadership journey. Backed by nearly two decades of experience, she leads HR strategy at Marrow/DailyRounds, driving talent development, employer branding, leadership capability, and organisational growth across fast-scaling technology businesses.
CEO & Co-Founder
Sambhav Consultants
Blending strategic consulting with entrepreneurial leadership, Dr Bharati Banerjee is shaping sustainable business models through Sambhav Consultants. Her expertise spans business strategy, ESG-driven growth, and organisational transformation, with a growing focus on India’s evolving lab-grown diamond industry.
MD – Strategy & Operations
Recoup Health
From education to healthcare leadership, Chetna Sharan has built a career centred on operational excellence and strategic growth. She currently leads strategy and operations at Recoup Health while bringing more than two decades of experience in organisational leadership and business transformation.
Senior Vice President - Corporate Affairs
FIL Industries Pvt. Ltd.
Corporate governance, regulatory strategy, and organisational development define Mallika Arora’s leadership at FIL Industries. Bringing over 25 years of experience, she works closely with boards and senior leadership to strengthen governance frameworks, support business expansion, and build sustainable corporate structures across diversified businesses.
Director
A Leading Global Capability Center (GCC) in India
Global capability transformation and operational excellence have shaped Manu Bansal’s career for over two decades. Her leadership spans business strategy, governance, process improvement, and team development, helping organisations build scalable operations and deliver measurable business outcomes.
Co-Founder
Goonj
Transforming grassroots development through community-led action, Meenakshi Gupta has helped build Goonj into one of India’s most impactful social enterprises. Her leadership focuses on sustainable rural development, disaster relief, livelihood generation, and mobilising communities to create scalable, dignity-driven solutions for long-term social change. She has over two decades of experience.
Travel Director
Baleno India Travels Pvt. Ltd.
Drawing on experience across every stage of the travel value chain, Shweta Singh specialises in corporate travel, MICE, cruise, marine travel, and travel technology. She brings over 18 years of experience. Her expertise enables organisations to optimise procurement strategies, strengthen partnerships, and accelerate business growth in evolving travel markets.
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