International Women’s Day 2022: ANOKHI LIFE’s 15 Most Inspiring South Asian Women

In the spirit of International Women’s Day we take a look at 15 South Asian women who have been nothing short of inspirational. Spanning across spaces from sports to activism, philanthropy to politics and more. Check out our list and get ready to be inspired too! 

Amrita Ahuja

CFO Block

A graduate of Duke University and Harvard Business School Amrita Ahuja already had a mind for business. With various executive positions she held in numerous companies, it wasn’t until October 2019 when she became of the CFO of Block which made business news.  Block which owns Square, Cash App, TIDAL (the music streaming company founded by Jay-Z), TBD (a platform dedicated to crypto and blockchanin technologies). Amrita is also Chairperson of Block’s industrial bank Square Financial Services. She also recently has been appointed to the board of directors for AirBnB and Discord.

Anita Anand

Minister of National Defence 

In October 2021, we broke the news that Oakville, Ontario Member of Parliament who as part of Trudeau’s federal cabinet oversaw the procurement of vaccines for Canada became the 2nd female to hold the position of Minister of National Defense. Taking into account today’s current climate with the Russian incursion of Ukraine, Anand is very well suited to navigate the diplomatic waters when it comes to Canada’s role in NATO. For the past two decades, Anand has been a legal academic, employed most recently as a Professor of Law at the University of Toronto where she held the J.R. Kimber Chair in Investor Protection and Corporate Governance. She served as Associate Dean and was a member of the Governing Board of Massey College and the Director of Policy and Research at the Capital Markets Research Institute, Rotman School of Management. She has also taught law at Yale Law School, Queen’s University, and Western University.

Alia Bhatt

Actor, Entpreneur, Producer

Since she stole the hearts of millennials world over with her first leading role in the 2012 Bollywood film Student Of The Year, Alia Bhatt proved that she’s more than just an extension of an iconic Bollywood film family. Since then she has quickly developed a reputation for picking roles which are more substance than style. She breaks the stereotypical role of a screen goddess and instead gives her audience a dose of reality by bringing to the screen nuanced, multi-dimensional roles reflecting the reality and identity of today’s Indian woman. Her range is impressive, whether it’s a young woman hoping a therapist can help her with her commitment issues (Dear Zindagi), a Bihari migrant (Udta Punjab) to an undercover spy whose nationalism is resolute (Raazi). Having received four Filmfare awards and countless critical acclaim, her latest film Gungubai Kathiawadi, a biopic based on the life of a madame who went from running brothels to becoming a political powerhouse, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and is now moving towards breaking box office records. Alia also has her own production company Eternal Sunshine, and is the founder of the ecological initiative CoExist.

Kamala Harris

Vice President Of The United States

On January 20, 2021, the world watched as Kamala Devi Harris walked up to the podium to for her swearing in to be the next Vice Presiden of the United States. All sorts of history was made as she became the first female, the first black woman and the first South Asian woman to hold such a title. The idea of representation does indeed matter was indeed prevalent with social lighting up posts showing photos of young Indian and Black daughters all over the world watching her at the podium during the Inauguration Ceremony. Breaking barriers has become her calling card as back in 2016, she also became the first Indian-Amercian woman to be elected to the United States Senate and in 2010 she became the first African-American and the first woman to serve as Californa’s Attorney General. Will she be eyeing the top job at the White House anytime soon? Only time will tell.

Radhika Jones

Editor-In-Chief, Vanity Fair 

Since it’s complete overhaul in 1983, Vanity Fair had has only four Editor-In-Chiefs, a rarity in the magazine publishing world where new EICs are announced more often. It wasn’t until December 2017 when Radhika Jones took the top spot, receiving the torch which was passed on to her from former EIC Graydon Carter whose storied tenure became synonymous with the magazine. Radhika started her career at The Moscow Times, and held executive spots in various global publications including The New York Times where she was the Editorial Director: Books, TIME where she was the Deputy Editor and the illustrious The Paris Review. Her appointment to the helm of Vanity Fair made her the first South Asian woman to break that glass ceiling.

Mindy Kaling

Actor, Writer, Producer

Since The Office Mindy Kaling has definitely made a powerful impression in Hollywood. Mindy has always kept the pushing boundaries and laying down the foundation for future South Asian women in the creative field. The Mindy Show star also helms Kaling International a full-fledged production company responsible for Netlfix’s monster hit Never Have I Ever that she co-created. Most recently she has been active in optioning projects to be turned into films with her latest acquisition being Canadian author Uzma Jalaluddin’s book Hana Khan Carries On. Her passion for the literary word translated into her latest project, Mindy’s Book Studio where she will publish books while also having the first option to develop those books into feature films regardless of whether the writer is experienced or has an agent. Another barrier broken.

Manjusha P. Kulkarni 

Executive Director Of Asian Pacific Policy And Planning Council

With the stunning rise of violence against American-Asians one of the tragic biproducts of COVID-19, there was a need to create an awareness like never before. Manjusha P. Kulkarni was one of those at the forefront as Executive Director of Asian Pacific Policy And Planning Council. In March 2020, she co-founded Stop AAPI Hate, the nation’s leading aggregator of COVID-19-related hate incidents against AAPIs. This then snowballed into the viral #StopAsianHate movement which continued throughout 2021. Representing over  1.5 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Los Angeles County, Manjusha also received the White House Champions Of Change Award from President Obama for her work in ensuring that proper health care was accessible for Asian-American communities.

Sania Mirza 

Tennis Player

When she announced her retirement after the Australian Open earlier this year, there was a collective sigh across the global sports world. Sania Mirza, a six-time Grand Slam champion has become an inspiration for South Asian women and children all over the world. She most recently was noted as one of the top 50 World Women’s Doubles rankings. Her name was familiar among the hardcore tennis community in India but it wasn’t until she won the Girls’ Doubles Title in Wimbledon when the world found out what India knew all along: that she is to be India’s brightest tennis stars. Entertainment is calling her name now, as her along with her husband, former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik will be launching their own variety show “The Mirza-Malik Show” which is set to air later this year.

Leena Nair 

CEO of Chanel

Pearls were clutched (in a good way) when word spread that Chanel named their first South Asian and the first female to be the global CEO. Leena Nair who comes from a long storied career at Unilever was also the first consumer goods executive to transition to the iconic fashion house. This immediately gave all South Asian women the excuse to purchase Chanel because we want to support South Asian women naturally.

Amna Nawaz

Chief Correspondent, PBS News Hour

Having honed her on-the-ground reporting skills as a foreign correspondent bringing back news from various locales including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Turkey, at NBC News, Amna Nawaz is also the founder and former managing editor of NBC’s Asian America platform. In 2018 she took the helm of PBS News Hour as their Chief Correspondent. With this position she has reported on various elements of society including foreign affairs, education, culture, climate change and interviewing international politicos including  including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and Brazilian leader Eduardo Bolsonaro. Nawaz also focused on the effects of Trump Administration’s immigration policies along the U.S.border, as well as issues around detention, refugees, and migrant children in U.S. custody.

Neha Parikh 

CEO Waze

Formerly the President of Hotwire (Expedia Group), Neha Parikh was a natural fit for Waze when she became the company’s CEO last summer. Waze also made history by naming her as their youngest and first female CEO in the Google-owned navigation system. Neha also is a board member for Carvana one of the most popular online car buying platforms.

Harnaaz Sandhu

Miss Universe 2021

When the title of Miss Universe 2021 was up for grabs last December there was no idea how much it would matter to us as South Asians. The reason being it has been over 20 years since the last time a South Asian woman was crowned as such. That dry spell was busted thanks to Harnaaz Sandhu who became the 3rd South Asian to be crowned since the pageant’s inception in 1955. Sandhu who is studying IT has now moved from India to New York City to start her year-long work as the new Miss Universe, focusing her energies on women’s constitutional right to education, healthcare and freedom of choice. This has been honed by spending her youth working alongside her mother a gynacologist at various health centres in India, providing health care and menstrual aids to women.

Lilly Singh

Actor, Producer, Comedian, Author, YouTube Star

Ever since 2010 she’s been lighting up social with her viral videos, Lilly Singh (formerly known as IISuperwomanII), she also has been focused on making sure that diversity is at the forefront — especially when it comes to the entertainment space. From YouTube where she became one of the richest YouTubers with an estimated worth of $20 million USD and boasting over 14 million subscribers and over 3 billion views on her main channel, she transitioned to selling out stadiums with her female-empowered shows and speaking engagements which launched her Unicorn Island Productions in 2018. A popular late night guest she managed to switch spots when NBC made her the first LGBTQIA+ and South Asian late night talk show host with A Little Late With Lilly Singh. Currently, Lilly is also working on her third book set to come out this year Be a Triangle: How I Went from Being Lost to Getting My Life Into Shape, finalized her first look deal with NBC Universal and getting ready to work on her latest Netflix series created by Kenya Barris (Blackish).

Anjali Sud

CEO Vimeo 

In 2017 Anjali Sud after having spent seven years with the company entered the C-Suite as their latest CEO. Understanding that Vimeo which boasts over 200 million users, knew that it couldn’t compete with the streaming giants such as Amazon and Netflix. Instead they pivoted to focus on enterpeneurs and corporations as content creators. Last spring Sud became the first South Asian woman to take her company public. Prior to Vimeo, Sud worked at Amazon and Time Warner.

Malala Yousafzai

Activist, Author And Producer

No inspirational ist is complete without this incredible woman. Malala Yousafzai not only has dedicated her life to raising awarness to the importance of girl’s education she also has graduated from Oxford, became a best-selling author of her first and most notable book I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, and is a Nobel Laureate in 2014. Since her name was splashed across the global front pages for her attempted assassination by the Taliban in 2012, she has made sure to use her name recognition and put it towards huminatarion causes by lauching Malala Fund which she co-founded with her father. She continues to play a large part in raising awareness for the rights of girls, by delving into streaming, with her production company Extracurricular joining forces with Apple+ for a multi-year arrangment where various documentaries and educational content will be created.

Main Image Photo Credit: www.yahoo.com