Breaking the glass ceiling: Female CEOs and managing directors in India Inc

Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) appointed Priya Nair, president of parent Unilever’s Beauty and Wellbeing division, as its new managing director and CEO, effective August 2025. With this move, Nair becomes one of the few women to head a major publicly listed Indian company.

Her appointment comes at a time when gender representation in top corporate roles remains skewed. A McKinsey report published earlier this year noted that women hold less than 20% of C-suite positions in India, despite relatively higher representation at entry levels. The report pointed to low recruitment, high attrition, and limited career advancement as major hurdles for women in corporate India.

Nair joins a small but notable list of women leading top listed firms. This includes;

Prabha Narasimhan
Company: Colgate-Palmolive India
Title: CEO and Managing Director
Start of Tenure: September 2022

Vibha Padalkar
Company: HDFC Life Insurance
Title: CEO and Managing Director
Start of Tenure: September 2018

Falguni Nayar
Company: Nykaa
Title: Founder and CEO
Start of Tenure: April 2012

Dipali Goenka
Company: Welspun Living
Title: CEO and Managing Director
Start of Tenure: April 2023

Sminu Jindal
Company: Jindal Saw
Title: Managing Director
Start of Tenure: February 2001

Suneeta Reddy
Company: Apollo Hospitals
Title: Managing Director
Start of Tenure: July 2014

Sangita Reddy
Company: Apollo Hospitals
Title: Joint Managing Director
Start of Tenure: July 2014

Pavitra Shankar
Company: Brigade Enterprises
Title: Managing Director
Start of Tenure: October 2022

Arathi Krishna
Company: Sundram Fasteners
Title: Managing Director
Start of Tenure: April 2018

Arundathi Krishna
Company: Sundram Fasteners
Title: Joint Managing Director
Start of Tenure: April 2018


This list focuses on women leading Indian companies that are publicly listed, and excludes subsidiaries of multinational corporations operating in India.