The first female boss of a large Indian oil company, Vasudeva’s effort to turn around the state-owned, $36-billion-in-revenue firm is paying off: the one-time marketing director of the group pulled in a record profit of $245 million last year, up 37%, despite a global oil glut that has cut crude prices by more than half. The 37-year petroleum industry veteran used clever marketing strategies and effective treasury management to deliver an over 200% increase in stock market value since she took over last year. She is one of only 14 women to helm a
Global Fortune 500 company.
—Rupali Arora