Indian American Women On Forbes List For Redefining Leadership After 50
India-West News Desk
NEW YORK, NY -Seven Indian American women have earned a place on Forbes’ 2026 “50 Over 50” list, with four recognized in Innovation and one each in Impact, Investment and Lifestyle.
The annual list, produced by Forbes in partnership with Know Your Value and its founder Mika Brzezinski, features 200 women across the four categories, highlighting achievements in business, technology, philanthropy, finance, the arts and other fields. The Indian American women in the various categories:
Lifestyle:
Komal Shah, 56, was recognized for her work as a philanthropist and art collector. Shah immigrated to the US from India to study computer science at Stanford University before leaving a career as a Silicon Valley technology executive to focus on philanthropy and art. Along with her husband, tech investor Gaurav Garg, she built the Shah Garg Collection, which focuses on contemporary art by women. Earlier this year, Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection opened at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.
Investment:
The lone Indian American honoree in the Investment category is Savita Subramanian, 54, managing director and head of U.S. Equity and Quantitative Strategy at Bank of America. She joined the bank in 2001 as a strategist with Merrill Lynch, which later merged with Bank of America. In June, Subramanian drew attention after publishing an investment note warning of “too many red flags” and advising investors to take profits. Her role at Bank of America includes overseeing the bank’s forecasts for major US stock indexes.
Innovation:
Ritu Narayan, 53, co-founder and CEO of Zum, a student transportation company valued at $1.7 billion. Narayan, who was raised in India near the Himalayas, co-founded the company with her brothers in 2015 after facing difficulties finding reliable transportation for her children. Zum uses artificial intelligence, GPS and an app to allow parents and teachers to track school buses. The company’s revenue reached $333 million in 2025.
Yamini Rangan, 53, CEO of HubSpot, has led the marketing software company since 2021. During her tenure, HubSpot doubled its revenue to $3.1 billion and reported its first annual profit in 2025. Born in India, Rangan moved to the US for higher studies and earned a master’s degree in computer engineering and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.
Maya Ajmera, 59, president and CEO of the Society for Science and executive publisher of Science News, has led the nonprofit since 2014. She secured a $100 million, 10-year sponsorship for the Science Talent Search and launched an $11 million STEM outreach initiative aimed at expanding opportunities for underserved students. Science News now reaches more than 23 million readers.
Also in Innovation is Shubhi Rao, 59, founder and CEO of Uplevyl. After holding leadership positions at Ford Motor, Tesco, Alphabet/Google and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Rao founded Uplevyl in 2021. The company uses artificial intelligence to help organizations make decisions around women in the workplace and issues including caregiving and menopause.
Impact:
Asha Jadeja Motwani, 63, founder of the Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation, was recognized for her work supporting technology entrepreneurs and strengthening the US-India innovation ecosystem. The Silicon Valley venture capitalist has invested in more than 200 technology startups, including early investments in Google, PayPal, Pinterest and AppDynamics. In 2025, she established the Motwani Jadeja Institute for American Studies at O.P. Jindal Global University with a $5 million endowment.
The 2026 Forbes list also includes entertainment icon Whoopi Goldberg, actor and entrepreneur Jennifer Garner, actor Tracee Ellis Ross and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath said the women on this year’s list show how experience can fuel new ideas, leadership and impact well into the second half of a career.
