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TIME names 2 Indian Americans Women of the Year
TIME said this year’s list reflects a growing sense of urgency around protecting rights and sustaining progress for women and girls.
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Malvika Choudhary - Thu, 26, Feb 2026
- 10:13 EST
- 29
Reshma Saujani and Reshma Kewalramani / TIME
Two Indian American women have been named to TIME Women of the Year 2026, an annual list that recognizes women shaping policy, science, and social change at a global level.
Among the 16 leaders recognized for creating a more equitable world are Reshma Saujani, a lawyer and activist as well as biotech executive Reshma Kewalramani.
Also read: Indian Americans make a mark on Forbes 250 Innovators list
Childcare Policy Focus
Saujani was recognized for her role in elevating childcare affordability as a national policy issue in the United States. At a public event in September 2024, she questioned President Donald Trump on his plans to address childcare costs, an exchange that went viral and drew renewed attention to the financial strain faced by families.
According to the publication, the moment helped accelerate policy momentum, including New York State’s January announcement of a $1.7 billion investment aimed at delivering universal childcare for children under five. Saujani appeared alongside Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the announcement.
She is the founder of Moms First, a nonprofit advocating paid leave and affordable childcare, and Girls Who Code, which has worked with more than 760,000 students since its founding in 2012 to address gender gaps in technology education and employment.
TIME cited findings showing that childcare consumes more than 20 percent of income for many American households and costs the U.S. economy more than $122 billion annually through lost earnings and productivity.
Saujani, who became the first Indian American woman to run for the U.S. Congress in 2010, told TIME that recent rollbacks of equity initiatives underscore the need to defend existing gains for women.
Breakthroughs in Biotech
Kewalramani was honored for her leadership in biomedical innovation as CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest biotechnology companies globally.
She became the first woman to lead a large publicly traded U.S. biotech firm when she took over as CEO in 2020. Under her tenure, Vertex in late 2023 launched the first CRISPR-based gene-editing therapy for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia.
In January 2025, the company introduced a new class of FDA-approved nonopioid pain medication, the first such approval in more than two decades.
Vertex has also continued to expand treatments for cystic fibrosis, with models suggesting that patients who begin therapy early could now live beyond the age of 70.
TIME also highlighted Vertex’s pilot donation program, which has provided cystic fibrosis medicines free of charge to hundreds of patients in 14 countries, including India and El Salvador.
Kewalramani told TIME that balancing the cost of drug development with access remains a central challenge for the industry.
From India, the list recognizes Safeena Husain, founder of Educate Girls, who was recognized for expanding education access for girls in rural areas.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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