Asian Power Couples
Dear Reader
I
nspired by an article that likened ‘Power Couples’ to “be like two forces of nature colliding.
Both are elite and successful people, with high-powered careers and incredible drive; they
are passionate and motivated, and they favour their profession over almost anything”*,
I wondered who would be deemed an Asian Power Couple. A few jotted notes and searches
through the press, social media and the internet easily netted over a hundred and fifty names
and began the quest to compile this list.
Rules of Engagement
So what do we mean by an “Asian Power Couple”? Firstly, the term Asian for this list refers to anyone from the South
Asian continent although we haven’t been too prescriptive about genealogical lineage. Secondly same-sex couples
and couples of mixed ethnicity were included in our research. The real issue is that the “Power Couple” tag denotes
an equal balance between both partners and that each enjoys a significant level of success in their own field. The
key is the ability of Asian Power Couples to manage conflicting career demands, stay together and be supportive of
each other. We searched though companies house records and credit check agencies to remove any “silent” paper
partners and really focused on power couples with working relationships.
Finally, we restricted this list to those based largely in Britain. This eliminated Bollywood Power Couples like Abhishek
Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Ajay Devgan and Kajol, although we made exceptions for Shilpa Shetty
and Raj Kundra, who describes himself as a British Indian businessman, and Katrina Kaif & Ranbir Kapoor, tinsel
town’s hottest duo de jour. We haven’t been too prescriptive about marital status either; Dev Patel and Freida Pinto
make an appearance. After all, this isn’t meant to be an advertisement in favour of wedded bliss!
Several themes have emerged from the research. The food and creative industries have produced more “Asian Power
Couples” than any other. Perhaps the unsociable and long hours are one reason, but, so too is the creative need to
collaborate in business and on projects like films or the music industry. Couples at the wealthier end of the spectrum
collaborate on social reform, philanthropy and charity, applying knowledge gained from the business world to solve
some of Asia’s most pressing societal problems like education, hunger and health.
Another revelation was just how educated Asian Power Couples are. Their need to forge high-powered careers
is bolstered by multiple degrees from some of the world’s best Universities. Although many believe that the pursuit
of authority and power can have an adverse effect on a relationship, and even result in a continuous power struggle*,
in fact, many of the Asian Power Couples are able to channel their passion from the business world into their
personal lives.
“Why an Asian Power Couples Hot 100 List?
So why an ‘Asian Power Couples Hot 100 List’? The Asian father and son business story is well documented, as is
the brothers together “rags to riches” tale and so too is the family business saga. What is less known is the story of
the Asian “Power Couple”, where often times, each partner may be competing with the other for their share of the
limelight. By highlighting the success stories, we hope to inspire you in your own endeavours and encourage you to
be supportive of your partner’s dreams and ambitions.
So here it is the Asian Power Couples Hot 100 list for 2013. Enjoy!
Lopa Patel MBE
Editor – Redhotcurry.com
* Excerpt from the ‘Are you a Power Couple’ article by the Bowes-Lyon Partnership, one of the UK’s leading introduction companies
* There may omissions or inaccuracies in this list which we will try to rectify. You can email asianpowercouples[at]gmail.com with details.
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