Thaindian News

By Arun Kumar
Washington, June 22 (IANS) Two Indian women - Roshni Nadar and Nisa Godrej - have been listed among Forbes magazine’s list of “a breed of heiresses who choose to live a lower-key life… and working to make a difference behind the scenes.”

In its latest annual list of notable heiresses, the US business magazine said it “focused on these impressive women, placing more emphasis than in the past on their passion to make a difference, in their industries and elsewhere, rather than their fame or fabulousness quotient.”

“Are these women simply trying to set good examples or will some eventually rise to the top of their family’s billion-dollar businesses?” Forbes asks and notes “At least one, Roshni Nadar, daughter of Indian billionaire Shiv Nadar, is already on her way.”

The 28-year-old graduate of Kellogg School of Management was appointed CEO of the HCL Group, a $5 billion technology company, in April last year, while her father remains chairman.

Alongside her CEO duties Roshni oversees the education initiatives of the Shiv Nadar Foundation. She has been involved in the VidyaGyan Schools initiative since inception and helped launch their first school in July 2009.

“These women to a degree illustrate that being the relative of a billionaire is not just about the money or the lifestyle so commonly associated with it. It’s about the high standards, set by their family that they aspire to reach,” says Forbes.

“Being the daughter of a billionaire is unimportant; being the daughter of parents who are superlative in their achievements is truly the best part. To live with, learn from and have access to parents who are role models to many is a blessing,” Roshni is quoted as saying.

The other Indian woman on the list is Nisa Godrej, 31, daughter of Adi Godrej with a family net worth of $5.2 billion.

Nisa Godrej, who received her undergraduate degree from Wharton and has an MBA from Harvard, started at the Godrej group a decade ago as a management trainee at Godrej Sara Lee.

She was recently appointed president of Human Capital and Innovation at the Godrej group. In this role, she will be in charge of managing more than 20,000 employees.

Forbes said she is very involved in the cause of educating girls and has collaborated with the Dasra organization. She is also a member of the Indian Philanthropy Forum, an exclusive club of India’s leading philanthropists.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)