They came, they saw, they conquered. In an inspiring celebration of women breaking barriers, Express Awards for Women Entrepreneurs 2025 (Express AWE 2025), held on Saturday at the President in Mumbai, shone a spotlight on what jury member and co-founder and managing partner of AZB, Zia Mody, rightfully described as ‘one half of the sky’. “You can’t hold them back,” she said in a panel discussion on entrepreneurship in the world of tariffs and AI.
She was joined by fellow jurors Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder and executive chairperson, Biocon; Meher Pudumjee, chairperson, Thermax, and jury chair Deepak Parekh, finance veteran and former chairman of HDFC. Preetha Reddy, executive vice-chairperson, Apollo Hospitals, and Sachin Bansal, founder, Navi Technologies, were also part of the jury.
The event brought together 13 trailblazing women from diverse fields, each with their own story of courage, determination, and ambition. The sectors included social impact, media and entertainment, sustainability, finance and venture capital, education and skill development, among others. Some of the key winners of the evening included Mallika Srinivasan (Lifetime Achievement), Isha Ambani (Newsmaker of the Year) and Kiran Nadar (Icon of the Year).
Cheering the winners were the who’s who from corporate India. These included Reliance Industries’ chairman Mukesh Ambani, chairman-emeritus of TVS Motor Company Venu Srinivasan, chairperson of HCL Technologies Roshni Nadar, vice-chairperson of Piramal Enterprises Swati Piramal and her son Anand Piramal, who is the executive director of the Piramal group.
Isha counted herself three times lucky—for having parents like Mukesh and Nita who treated her equal to her brothers, for having in-laws like the Piramals, and for having a support system of sisters like Shloka and Radhika, both sisters-in-law.
Venu Srinivasan was equally candid about wife Mallika. “She did multi-tasking in a way I have seen very few people did. She made sure the kids finished their homework, studied well and topped the class, and she ran her business too,” Srinivasan said.
While receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, Mallika Srinivasan said, “There’s so much said about women. I would like to add two more things. Education is surely a path to progress, but so is economic empowerment. And, according to me, the true differentiators for success are positivity and people—they will add up to your success.”
The other award winners were Falguni Nayar (Woman Entrepreneur of the Year), Kiran Rao (Sustainability), Alina Alam (Social Impact), Safeena Husain (Education & Skill Development), Mahima Datla (Health and Wellness), Ektaa Kapoor (Media & Entertainment), Masaba Gupta (Fashion and Lifestyle) and Preetha Reddy, Suneeta Reddy, Shobana Kamineni, Sangita Reddy (Legacy Entrepreneurs).
Express AWE is an event that celebrates the outstanding success of women achievers who are doing their bit to break stereotypes. Instituted by the Financial Express, the awards is more than just a recognition; it is dedication to supporting women who are leading transformative change by breaking barriers, leading innovation and impacting communities. This is the fourth edition of the awards.