By Editor Despite most of the world, and mainly India, being a patriarchal society, we are seeing some power shift right in front of us. Like, because of education and awareness, we’re seeing more and more females going out of their comfort zone and the limitations put on by society, and achieving big things in life as well as inspiring others to do the same. And since you’re here looking for the recent best female achievers in India, you’re already doing your awareness part well, and it’ll help out a lot of females in your life. So let’s just get on with this list of the Top 10 famous female achievers in India 2026.
1. Payal Kapadia
Leading our list is Payal Kapadia and with perfect justification and you’ll know why. Just last year, in 2025, she actually went on to win the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. And why’s that special? Well, she is the first Indian filmmaker to do that in almost thirty years of her career. And mainly, this win came because of her amazing work in her film All We Imagine as Light. So, if you have watched that, you may already be a fan of her but didn’t know it yet.
2. Leena Nair
And then comes Leena Nair on this list, and you must be already asking why, right? Well, she once was an average girl in India, who later went on to become pretty much the Global CEO of Chanel. In her career though, at the very early stage, she used to work at Hindustan Unilever, and from there, she just grew and grew and now she is among the most successful Indian origin female CEOs out there. Because Chanel is a super famous brand, and she’s in the executive position, that’s why we decided to rank her this high.
3. Dr. Sonali Ghosh
Dr. Sonali Ghosh is definitely one of India’s leading wildlife conservationists and those who are even slightly interested in this topic, will appreciate the work that Dr. Sonali Ghosh has put into this field, right here in India. At the helm of Kaziranga National Park as the Field Director, she has been instrumental in saving the habitat of highly endangered species like the rhino and the tiger. Her revolutionary conservation methods resulted in her being the first Indian to be honored with the IUCN Kenton Miller Award in 2025.
4. Namita Thapar
You may already recognize her from the hit show Shark Tank India, right? Well, if you don’t know her backstory yet, well, she’s actually at the Executive Director position at the Emcure Pharmaceuticals. And she’s the one who grew this company so much that now they sell their products to more than 70 countries around the globe. Besides her business achievements, she is very popular as one of the sharks on Shark Tank India. She has a particular inclination towards encouraging women entrepreneurs and is very vocal about it.
5. Jayshree Vencatesan
Jayshree Vencatesan has devoted her entire life to the cause of wetlands. It is a cause that has been perennially undervalued and overlooked by most people, in spite of its actual significance. She had, through her organization called Care Earth Trust, been instrumental in restoring 44 wetlands spread across Tamil Nadu, among which is the popular Pallikaranai Marsh. Her efforts led to her receiving the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award in 2025 and thereby becoming the first Indian recipient of this commendable honour.
6. Janvi Jindal
Now let’s have a look at some young talent like Janvi Jindal who is only 18 years old and has already done something that most athletes can only dream of. To be more specific about that, well, she has 11 Guinness World Records in skating under her belt, among which are multiple high-speed spin records that call for great control and stamina. And the super impressive thing about her is that she is pretty much a self-taught athlete.
7. Ritu Kochhar
Now, those who have a good knowledge of the fashion scene of the country, they already know Ritu Kochhar’s name, and that’s mainly because she’s the one who established the International Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD) in 1995, you know, which currently spans 100+ cities in India and several overseas countries.
8. Dr. Anjlee Agarwal
Dr. Anjlee Agarwal’s life story is super inspiring too, like she pretty much has dedicated her life to enabling accessibility for people with disabilities all over India. And for those who don’t know yet, actually, she has muscular dystrophy, but instead of just doing nothing about it, she has turned her struggles into a mission. How? To be more specific, by means of Samarthyam, her NGO, she has facilitated the physical world in becoming more inclusive like cobbled public places, vehicles, and even structures have become people with disabilities-friendly.
9. Garima Arora
Many of you may have already heard her name because she was the first Indian woman to win a Michelin Star. And now, after such a HUGE achievement, her place, Gaa in Bangkok, is famous for using Indian ingredients in modern global cooking styles.
10. Banu Mushtaq
Now, to finish off this list very well and on a positive note, we’d like to talk about Banu Mushtaq, who is the first Kannada author to have been awarded the International Booker Prize. That’s a BIG thing in itself. And to be more specific about why she deserves to be on this list, well, the novel Heart Lamp, which was translated by Daisy Rockwell, is the reason for her being recognized worldwide.
Conclusion
In recent times, there have been hundreds and hundreds of females in India who have achieved great things in their respective career, and that’s super inspiring for those who see them as role models. Ultimately, it is a good thing for a growing society like India.