They came, they saw, they conquered. In an inspiring celebration of women breaking barriers, The Express Awards for Women Entrepreneurs 2025 (Express AWE 2025), held on Saturday at the President in Mumbai, shone a spotlight on what jury member and co-founder and managing partner of AZB, Zia Mody, rightfully described as ‘one half of the sky’. “You can’t hold them back,” she said in a panel discussion on entrepreneurship in the world of tariffs and AI.
She was joined by fellow jurors Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder and executive chairperson, Biocon; Meher Pudumjee, chairperson, Thermax, and jury chair Deepak Parekh, finance veteran and former chairman of HDFC. Preetha Reddy, executive vice-chairperson, Apollo Hospitals, and Sachin Bansal, founder, co-founder, Navi Technologies, were also part of the jury.
The event brought together 13 trailblazing women from diverse fields, each with their own story of courage, determination, and ambition. (Express Photo)
The event brought together 13 trailblazing women from diverse fields, each with their own story of courage, determination, and ambition. The sectors included social impact, media and entertainment, sustainability, finance and venture capital, education and skill development, among others. Some of the key winners of the evening included Mallika Srinivasan (Lifetime Achievement), Isha Ambani (Newsmaker of the Year) and Kiran Nadar (Icon of the Year).
Cheering the winners were the who’s who from corporate India.
The sectors included social impact, media and entertainment, sustainability, finance and venture capital, education and skill development, among others. (Express Photo)
These included Reliance Industries’ chairman Mukesh Ambani, chairman-emeritus of TVS Motor Company Venu Srinivasan, chairperson of HCL Technologies Roshni Nadar, vice-chairperson of Piramal Enterprises Swati Piramal and her son Anand Piramal, who is the executive director of the Piramal group.
Isha counted herself three times lucky — for having parents like Mukesh and Nita who treated her equal to her brothers, for having in-laws like the Piramals, and for having a support system of sisters like Shloka and Radhika, both sisters-in-law.
Express AWE is an event that celebrates the outstanding success of women achievers who are doing their bit to break stereotypes. (Express Photo)
Express AWE is an event that celebrates the outstanding success of women achievers who are doing their bit to break stereotypes.
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