By Arun Kumar
Washington, March 8 (IANS) Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Pepsico’s India-born CEO Indra Nooyi and ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar figure in CNN’s list of eight of Asia’s top power women.

Taking a “look at the key women who are shaping Asia’s political and economic landscape” on the occasion of 100th International Women’s Day, the CNN’s list is headed by China’s “Paper Queen” Zhang Yin.

Indra Nooyi, in the second place, “lords over some 185,000 corporate minions in close to 200 countries”, notes CNN. “Nooyi’s hard-as-nails leadership and her sense of fun (one-time lead guitarist in an all-girls rock band still performs regularly at corporate functions) has earned her spots on many ‘best leader’ lists in the US,” it adds.

“Converted Indian Sonia Gandhi’s story reads like a soap opera,” says CNN of the third-placed Italy born president of the Indian National Congress and chairperson of ruling United Progressive Alliance.

“Born Edvige Antonia Albina Maino in Italy, she met future husband and Indian political aristocrat Rajiv Gandhi at Cambridge and tied the knot four years later. Rajiv became India’s prime minister but was assassinated in 1991.

“Years later (Sonia) Gandhi entered politics as a primary member of the Congress before rising through the ranks to become party leader in 1998.

“Under her leadership, the Congress become the Lok Sabha’s single largest political party.”

Fifth placed “Chandra Kochhar is no stranger to ‘key women’ lists,” notes CNN. The head of ICICI Bank — India’s second largest bank — has frequently been named in Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women in Business” list. Last year she figured among Forbes’ “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women”.

“Little wonder, considering how the mother of two is responsible for some 15 million customers in India, which makes up a third of India’s retail lending,” it says.

Others on the list are Ho Ching (4), wife of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and CEO of Singapore’s government-owned investment company Temasek, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (6), Hyun Jeong-eun (7), chairwoman of massive South Korean conglomerate Hyundai, and Indonesia’s Finance Minister Sri Indrawati (8).

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