Renu Sud Karnad, 

After 36 years with the housing finance biggie, Karnad was reappointed this May for another five. Individual loan approvals and disbursements grew by 16% and 21%, respectively, against 29% and 33% in FY13; profit grew at 32%, compared to 27% for the year before. Karnad’s most recent job was to push HDFC into doing business in smaller cities and the peripheries of metros. HDFC’s total assets stand at Rs 2.26 lakh crore—an increase of 15% over last year, with a loan book of Rs 1.97 lakh crore as against Rs 1.70 lakh crore on March 31, 2013. But Karnad’s a star for another reason: She’s one of the most sought-after women for independent board positions. She sits on the boards of ABB, East India Hotels, Bosch India, Lafarge, and WNS.