Absolute Power: Chanda Kochhar

Known for her role in shaping the retail banking industry in India, the MD and CEO of ICICI Bank added quite a few feathers to her cap in the past 12 months. She topped the list of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in the Asia Pacific region, and also held the 35th spot on Forbes’ World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list. The daughter of a Jaipur college principal, Chanda Kochhar even took home the trophy for best boss earlier this year, when she implemented the one-year-long work-from-home plan for female employees in March.

Read about our next power woman, Nalini Malani.