Three Indians on Forbes 50 Over 50 list, including this Bengaluru-based billionaire
Three Indian women have been honoured on the Forbes 50 Over 50 Global list, including a founder, an activist, and a Bengaluru-based billionaire
Three Indian women have been honoured on the Forbes 50 Over 50 Global list, including a founder, an activist, and a Bengaluru-based billionaire. The Forbes 50 Over 50 list honours those trailblazers who prove that age is just a number. It is a list of entrepreneurs, investors, inventors, artistes, activists and other high-achievers who make a lasting impact through their work.
The Forbes 50 Over 50 Global list, published for the first time ever, included the names of three Indian women. They are: Urmila Asher, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, and Sheela Patel.
Urmila Asher
At 80, Urmila Asher, affectionately known as Gujju Ben, is a shining example of resilience and reinvention. After raising her family and enduring unimaginable personal loss – including the deaths of her three children – she found new purpose in her later years. At 75, amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and her grandson’s recovery from a life-altering accident, Urmila launched Gujju Ben na Nasta, a food business rooted in her Gujarati culinary expertise.
Starting with pickles and snacks, she quickly expanded her offerings, building a thriving cloud kitchen and amassing a loyal following on social media. Now a TEDx speaker, YouTuber, and former MasterChef India contestant, she has inspired millions with her determination and creativity. With over 40 years of cooking experience, Urmila has turned her passion into a platform to motivate others, proving that it’s never too late to embrace new beginnings and make an impact.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, a Bengaluru-based billionaire with a net worth of $3.6 billion according to Forbes, is a trailblazer in the biopharmaceutical industry and one of India’s most successful self-made women. Her journey began with a passion for fermentation science, inspired by her brewmaster father, and led to the founding of Biocon India in 1978 from a small garage. Initially focused on industrial enzymes, she transformed the company into a global biopharmaceutical powerhouse, delivering affordable medicines worldwide.
With over four decades of experience, Mazumdar-Shaw, 71, is celebrated as an unconventional thinker and first-generation entrepreneur. Recently, Biocon-backed Bicara Therapeutics, led by her niece Claire Mazumdar, raised $362 million in a Nasdaq IPO, further cementing her legacy. Beyond business, she is a dedicated philanthropist, funding a Bengaluru-based cancer centre and city infrastructure projects, demonstrating her commitment to improving lives globally.
Sheela Patel
Sheela Patel, born in 1952, is a renowned activist and academic dedicated to advocating for the rights of slum dwellers and creating equitable urban spaces. In 1984, she co-founded the Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) in Mumbai, which has been instrumental in addressing the housing needs of low-income communities and advocating for pavement dwellers.
SPARC operates 11 low-income housing projects and collaborates with grassroots organisations like the National Slum Dwellers Federation and Mahila Milan to amplify the voices of the urban poor. Patel, 72, also co-founded Slum Dwellers International, a network spanning 33 countries, and has led initiatives like the Roof Over Our Heads campaign, launched at COP27, to address climate resilience for 2 billion people in informal settlements by 2050. With a Master’s in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Patel has spent decades shaping housing policy and empowering women through organisations like Swayam Shikshan Prayog.
