Kirthiga Reddy tops the list of IMPACT's 50 Most Influential Women 2015

Kirthiga Reddy, Managing Director, Facebook India topped the list of IMPACT’s 50 Most Influential Women list in media, marketing and advertising in 2015. Reddy, who debuted on the list last year at number 16, took the top spot on account of leading efforts to localize the Facebook user experience and the platform’s efficiency for advertisers. The fourth edition of IMPACT magazine’s most influential women’s list was unveiled in Mumbai today amongst leading members of the fraternity. The evening was being presented by Colors and powered by News X.

The leader of the list last year, renowned strategy consultant and acclaimed business author, Rama Bijapurkar, ranks second this time round. Tanya Dubash, Executive Director & Chief Brand Officer, Godrej Group;  Geetu Verma, Executive Director, Foods & Refreshment, Hindustan Unilever and Barkha Dutt, Consulting Editor, NDTV Group round off the top five.

The high powered ladies who complete the top 10 are Ekta Kapoor, Joint Managing Director & Creative Director, Balaji Telefilms; Sonali Dhawan, Marketing Director, P&G India; Priya Nair, Executive Director & Vice President – Home Care, Hindustan Unilever; Ritu Dhawan, Managing Director & CEO, India TV and Anuradha Aggarwal, Marketing Director – Biscuits, Mondelez Asia Pacific.

The women were selected by a jury of most esteemed industry leaders, led by Sam Balsara, Chairman and MD, Madison World. Other eminent names on the seven-member jury this year were Vinita Bali, former MD, Britannia Industries Limited, S Raghunandan, CEO, Jyothy Laboratories, Farokh Balsara, Partner, EY, Sandeep Chaudhary, CEO Aon Hewitt India, Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Mediabrands, India and Nakul Chopra, CEO- S Asia, Publicis.

This list is an effort to recognise the efforts of women in the media domain whose work on an individual level, not only impacted their organisation, but in combination achieved exceptional results over the last twelve months. In addition, many of the women also played key roles in the larger industry matters. 13 new entrants made their way on to the list this year and the jury highlighted the fact that many were young professionals who not just provided much-needed fresh blood but their work needed to be encouraged and acknowledged. Another highlight is that this year the list saw representation from across categories, including new age industries which reflected the changing dynamics in the media space. Many seniors from last year exited the list, particularly in the Top 10, as they have moved on to new jobs and assignments.