Women-led listed firms earned Rs 2.11 lakh crore in FY26, BT's MPW list shows
By Priya NairLeadership & Growth Editor, Peepals Shakti
Representative image: Broesis / Pixabay
Business Today's 2026 Most Powerful Women list ranks 100 women-led enterprises with FY26 profits of Rs 2.11 lakh crore; Nitin Gadkari presented the awards on October 23.
What Happened
Business Today's 2026 Most Powerful Women in Business list, released with its 23rd awards ceremony at the National Stock Exchange in Mumbai on Friday, October 23, 2026, ranks India's top 100 women-led enterprises, which together reported profits of Rs 2.11 lakh crore in 2025-26, according to the magazine. The ranking draws on an evaluation of nearly 5,500 listed companies. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, the chief guest, presented the awards and said Indian women entrepreneurs are excelling "amidst strong challenges", leading in sectors from space technology to electronics.
Key Facts
- Event: the 23rd Business Today Most Powerful Women (MPW) in Business Awards, held at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in Mumbai on October 23, 2026.
- List: the top 100 women-led enterprises in India, chosen after evaluating nearly 5,500 listed companies, according to Business Today.
- Combined profit of the 100 women-led enterprises in FY26: Rs 2.11 lakh crore, according to the magazine.
- The issue also features women leading unlisted businesses, start-ups and global organisations.
- Chief guest: Nitin Gadkari, who presented the awards.
- Gadkari said women make "a huge contribution" in industries from textiles and hospitality to electronics, and that women founders now lead in fields such as space technology.
- Panels featured leaders from finance, capital markets, manufacturing and mobility, and Indian hockey players Salima Tete and Navneet Kaur spoke on backing women's sport.
Why It Matters
Lists like this put numbers on women's leadership in business. A combined profit of Rs 2.11 lakh crore for 100 women-led enterprises shows that women are not only present in boardrooms but running companies that make large profits. Measuring the list against thousands of listed companies also makes it harder to dismiss as a showcase of a few well-known names.
Gadkari's remarks connect women's leadership to India's economic goals. He said women entrepreneurs have a key role as India aims to become a $5 trillion economy, and that they are succeeding despite serious obstacles. He did not list the obstacles in the remarks reported, but the point that success has come despite them is a reminder that visible role models still matter.
The presence of sportswomen at a business event is also a signal. Hockey players such as Salima Tete and Navneet Kaur spoke about self-belief and the need to back women's sport, linking leadership on the field with leadership in business and the support that both need.
For young women planning careers, the list is a practical guide: it shows which sectors women are leading in, including finance, capital markets, manufacturing and mobility, and that leadership roles are open in fields once seen as male-dominated.
| | Detail | BT MPW 2026 | |
|---|---|
| | Event date and place | October 23, 2026, NSE, Mumbai | |
| | Companies evaluated | nearly 5,500 listed companies | |
| | Women-led enterprises ranked | 100 | |
| | Their combined FY26 profit | Rs 2.11 lakh crore | |
Impact
Short-term: The list and awards will draw attention to women-led companies and their leaders, which can help them attract investors, partners and talent.
Long-term: Regular, data-based rankings make it easier to track whether women's leadership in Indian business is growing year after year, and in which sectors.
Who is affected: Women business leaders and founders; young women considering careers in business; investors and boards looking at leadership diversity; and companies that want to recruit and promote more women.
Key Takeaway
Business Today's MPW 2026 list ranks 100 women-led enterprises with combined FY26 profits of Rs 2.11 lakh crore, and Nitin Gadkari said women entrepreneurs are excelling despite strong challenges.
Questions and Answers
What is Business Today's Most Powerful Women list?
It is an annual ranking by Business Today of women leaders in Indian business. The 2026 edition ranks the top 100 women-led enterprises after evaluating nearly 5,500 listed companies, and it was released with the 23rd awards on October 23, 2026.
How much profit did women-led enterprises in the MPW 2026 list make?
According to Business Today, the 100 women-led enterprises on the list reported combined profits of Rs 2.11 lakh crore in FY26.
What did Nitin Gadkari say at the MPW awards?
Gadkari said Indian women entrepreneurs are excelling amidst strong challenges, that women make a huge contribution in industries from textiles and hospitality to electronics, and that they have a key role in India's goal of a $5 trillion economy.
Where were the 2026 MPW awards held?
The 23rd Most Powerful Women in Business Awards were held at the National Stock Exchange in Mumbai on October 23, 2026.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Priya Nair, Leadership & Growth EditorCovers Leadership & Growth and more for Peepals Shakti. All stories by Priya Nair
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