CEO Portrait 2024 – Gender Diversity

This article delves into gender diversity among Indian CEOs, noting that only 2% are women. It explores the presence of female CEOs in both promoter-led and professional-led companies and highlights future prospects for increased female representation in leadership roles

Infographic for CEO Gender diversity 2024 blog

Just 2% of the Indian CEOs are women. This is low. But how low? Women CEOs are 10.4% of the Fortune 500 companies (Fortune). So, in comparison to Fortune 500, it is low but not that bad.

 The good news is that the women CEOs are to be found in both sides of the promoter-professional divide. We classify companies as Promoter-led, if the CEO (or MD, the top honcho) is a promoter or a member of the promoter family. And, classified as Professional-led, if the CEO is a professional hired by the company.

Though there are only two women CEOs, they can be found on both Promoter-led and Professional-led firms.

Still better, there is hope for the future. If we look at the layer below the CEO, specifically at the BU Heads, women represent 4% of this cohort and thus in a few short years, we should start seeing more women in the corner office. Gradually.

Note: The “CEO Landscape 2024” series is based on analysis of 100 Indian companies across 20 sectors covering both manufacturing and services. Analysis is based on very detailed analysis of CEO, CFO and the entire CXO team, covering nearly 1100 leaders.

Next up: “Tenure of the Indian CEOs”

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Anu graduated from DU and subsequently completed her full-time MBA from IMI. Post her MBA, she worked in sales in the BFSI space, with ICICI Lombard, Principal Asset Management, DSP Blackrock and Edelweiss, across bancassurance, and institutional sales. Later, she worked in the start-up space, while pursuing and completing the Master's in Business Law from National Law School. At Resource Bridge, Anu is a Sr Associate in the CEO Practice and has worked closely with Ram on key mandates.


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Ram is currently the Leader for the CEO Practice and also the Managing Partner of the firm. Ram is an Engineer-turned (BE Mechanical, MS Industrial) MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, and brings with him 7 years in corporate, 14 years in top-tier consulting and 10 years in executive search. He was last the leader for Life-sciences at Monitor Group and prior to that, headed IMS Consulting and AT Kearney, starting his career with Ashok Leyland. Brings extensive experience in automotive and healthcare/life-sciences space.


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Dhanlaxmi is a CA and ICWA from Mumbai, and brings with her extensive experience as a practicing chartered accountant, serving clients across industries. Alongside, she also served as a visiting faculty in several institutions. At Resource Bridge, Dhana is an Consultant in the CFO Practice, where she has worked with Saroja on several of the key CFO mandates.


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Saroja is a merit-ranking ICWA and is the Lead for the CFO Practice. Coming from an industrial family, she initally worked in the family business focused on automotive forgings. Later, she set up Resource Bridge along with Ram and grew it from infancy. Just over the last few years, she has led 40+ CFO engagements for a variety of clients, and has one of the best networks within the CFO Community, not only in India but outside too. She brings extensive experience in Retail, FMCG and Manufacturing sector.


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Sanjaya holds a BE in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and brings over 20 years of leadership experience in the industrial and energy sectors. His career spans key roles, including General Manager at Siemens and Director Services at GE Energy Power Conversion. Currently, as Director at SEAS India Pvt Ltd, he focuses on delivering innovative and sustainable solutions for industrial and energy products. At Resource Bridge, Sanjay works with the CFO Practice team, leveraging his expertise in technical support, automation, and client management to deliver strategic mandates.


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Mona leads the BD & New Client Engagement function at Resource Bridge and is responsible for all client development activities for the firm. She comes from a marketing and brand promotions background, having worked in the marketing function at Matsushita. Mona has done her full-time MBA.


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