Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation, has been ranked No. 1 on the Fortune India Most Powerful Women (MPW) 2026 list, released at an event in Mumbai. Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCLTech, secured the second position in the list that recognises 100 women shaping India’s business and economic landscape. The 16th edition of the event, held at the Four Seasons Hotel, brought together women leaders from business, finance, technology, healthcare, public policy and entrepreneurship.
Fortune India’s Most Powerful Women List
The Fortune India Most Powerful Women (MPW) list is the Indian edition of Fortune magazine’s global MPW ranking, one of the most respected platforms for women in leadership worldwide. Published by the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, the India edition focuses on leaders defining the country’s growth story across corporate India, entrepreneurship, finance, technology, policy, culture and public life.
In 2025, Fortune India expanded the list from 50 to 100 achievers to reflect the growing influence of women across policymaking, business and beyond. The 2026 edition carries forward this expanded format, recognising women who are building institutions, transforming industries and inspiring the next generation. The top 15 of the 2026 list also featured Savitri Jindal, Dr Priti Adani, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Isha Ambani, Priya Nair, Bela Bajaria, Leena Nair, Kalli Purie, Sudha Murty, Zia J. Mody, Sangita Jindal and Shobhana Bhartia.
The 16th MPW Event
The 16th edition of the Fortune India MPW event was held on 10 July 2026 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mumbai. Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma was the chief guest, and Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel was the guest of honour. Shashwat Goenka, Vice Chairman of RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, delivered the keynote address.
Addressing the gathering, Goenka described the women leaders as builders who entered rooms where there was no place for them and “built new tables at a scale the old ones never imagined.” Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma said that India cannot achieve its goal of Viksit Bharat without empowering women, noting that women-led self-help groups have demonstrated exceptional credit discipline with NPAs below 1 per cent.
Accepting the top honour, Nita Ambani called for a broader definition of leadership rooted in compassion, inclusion and empowerment. “For me, true power is to empower,” she said, adding that India needs more “soft power” rooted in kindness, empathy and respect for all living beings. The event also featured panel discussions on financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, workplace diversity and the role of nutrition and healthcare in nation building.
Nita Ambani: A Legacy of Institution Building
Nita Ambani (born 1 November 1963) is the Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL). She holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai. She married Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of RIL, in 1985, and the couple has three children: Isha, Akash and Anant.
She founded Reliance Foundation in 2010 to drive philanthropic initiatives across education, healthcare, sports, rural development, disaster response and women empowerment. The foundation has grown to become one of India’s largest private philanthropic organisations. In FY26, the foundation spent ₹2,248 crore on CSR programmes, up from ₹2,156 crore the previous year.
Ambani has also founded the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai, co-owns the Mumbai Indians IPL franchise, and chairs Football Sports Development Limited, which launched the Indian Super League. In 2016, she became the first Indian woman to be elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). She also established the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai in 2023.
Accepting the honour, Ambani highlighted that Reliance Foundation has touched over 100 million lives, including 29 million children, and announced plans to expand the foundation’s social impact five-fold by 2035. This includes the establishment of a medical college integrated with a 2,000-bed medical city in Mumbai and the creation of the world’s first wildlife university at Vantara, the foundation’s wildlife conservation initiative in Jamnagar.
Roshni Nadar Malhotra: Leading India’s IT Giant
Roshni Nadar Malhotra (born 1981/1982) is the Chairperson of HCLTech (HCL Technologies), making her the first woman to lead a listed IT company in India. She is the only child of Shiv Nadar, the billionaire founder of HCL Group, and Kiran Nadar, a noted philanthropist and art collector.
She graduated from Northwestern University in the United States, majoring in Communication with a focus on Radio, TV and Film, and earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. She began her career as a news producer at Sky News UK and CNN America before joining HCL Corporation in 2009. Within a year, she was elevated as CEO and Executive Director of HCL Corporation, the holding company of all HCL Group entities. She became Chairperson of HCLTech in July 2020 when her father stepped down.
Beyond her corporate role, she serves as a Trustee of the Shiv Nadar Foundation, which runs institutions such as Shiv Nadar University and VidyaGyan, a leadership academy for meritorious students from rural, underprivileged backgrounds in Uttar Pradesh. She chairs VidyaGyan and has also established The Habitats Trust for wildlife conservation. She was ranked 54th on Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2019 and has been consistently featured in the list. In 2024, she received France’s Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur for her contributions to business and Franco-Indian economic ties.
Key Takeaways
- Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation, was ranked No. 1 on the Fortune India Most Powerful Women 2026 list.
- Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCLTech, secured the second position in the list.
- The 16th edition of the MPW event was held on 10 July 2026 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mumbai, with Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma as the chief guest.
- Fortune India expanded the MPW list from 50 to 100 achievers in 2025 to reflect the growing influence of women leaders.
- Reliance Foundation, established in 2010, has touched over 100 million lives including 29 million children, and spent ₹2,248 crore on CSR in FY26.
- Roshni Nadar Malhotra is the first woman to lead a listed IT company in India, having taken over as Chairperson of HCLTech in July 2020.
