Seven Indians on Fortune's Most Powerful Women Asia 2026; Roshni Nadar Malhotra No. 8

Fortune released its Most Powerful Women Asia 2026 ranking on Tuesday, 6 October 2026. The list names 100 women business leaders from 14 markets, and seven of them are from India. DBS Group chief executive Tan Su Shan of Singapore kept the No. 1 spot. HCLTech chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra is the top-ranked Indian, at No. 8. Fortune said technology and finance were the leading sectors on this year's list. The honourees will be recognised at an awards event in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on 3 November.

Rankings like this one are a snapshot of who actually holds power in Asian business. They count CEOs, chairs and finance chiefs who run large organisations, not just founders who make headlines. The 2026 list shows that the strongest pipelines for women leaders are in technology and finance. Fortune's own coverage of the list singled out ten finance leaders, a sign of how many senior women sit in money and numbers roles.

For India, seven names out of 100 is a modest count given the size of its economy and companies. India sits well behind mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore, and behind Thailand, which has nine. Fortune's method weighs the scale and results of the organisation a woman leads. So the count reflects how few Indian women currently hold the very top job at the largest companies, rather than how many women work in Indian business.

Roshni Nadar Malhotra's top-ten place is the clearest Indian win on the list. She chairs one of India's largest IT services companies, which puts her in the same tech-and-finance pattern that Fortune highlights across Asia. Her rank shows that Indian women can compete for the region's top leadership spots when they hold the top role at a large company.

The list also shows how quickly rankings change. Zhou Qunfei's jump of 25 places to No. 3 and the arrival of 24 newcomers show that new leaders can rise fast as companies grow and boards change.

Short-term: The ranking gives the seven Indian honourees wider visibility with investors, partners and future employees. It also gives Indian companies a clear comparison with regional peers on how many women hold top roles.

Long-term: Lists like this put pressure on boards to build pipelines of women for CEO and chair roles. That matters most in the sectors where Asian women leaders are already strongest. If India wants more names on future lists, the focus has to be on promoting women into the top jobs at large companies, not only into middle management.

Who is affected: Women executives and aspiring leaders across Asia, boards and nomination committees choosing CEOs and chairs, and Indian companies being compared with regional peers on women in leadership.

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