Rani Puranik is a business leader and innovator who believes in the importance of collaboration and empowering others.

Rani is the co-owner, executive vice president, and global CFO of Houston-based Worldwide Oilfield Machine (WOM), a privately held, family-owned oil and gas equipment manufacturing firm with over 4,000 employees operating in 13 locations around the world. She is also chair of the Puranik Foundation, the organization’s corporate responsibility arm, a nonprofit that provides educational opportunities for under-resourced children in India, and the author of 7 Letters to My Daughters. A successful business leader, creative, and philanthropist, Rani thrives at driving innovation, empowering others, and inspiring collaboration.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Savitribai Phule Pune University in India, Rani launched Integral Search for Harmony through Art, which gave underserved, overlooked girls in India a platform and a voice. She served as the CEO for nearly two decades, acting as the business’s principal choreographer, program designer, and mentor. After returning to Houston at the age of 40, Rani earned her Master of Business Administration in finance from Rice University. This accomplishment enabled her to lead WOM to the next level of success.

Rani directs financial controllership, strategy, investments, and enterprise growth in her role at WOM. Over the course of 15 years, she has developed and implemented the company’s framework for communication, standardization, operations, and business development. As a result, along with her father, Rani has grown WOM to achieving over $350 million in annual revenue. 

Rani also invests a significant amount of time in India as chairman of the Puranik Foundation, which operates a private residential school in Pune called the Vision International Learning Center. Founded by her mother 20 years ago, and now managed by her daughter Bhakti, the nonprofit represents three generations of women committed to education, wellness, and sustainability.

Having overcome many challenges in her personal life and in her family’s business, Rani ultimately found the strength to reinvent herself and fully step into her identity as a leader, innovator, and creative. Her debut book, 7 Letters to My Daughters, is a memoir of her journey through transformative seven-year phases in her life and the lessons she learned along the way. Rani recounts how her womanhood and motherhood influenced each phase, sharing the wisdom she gained from this perspective to help others find their path, success, joy, and freedom. More than a rags-to-riches tale, 7 Letters to My Daughters, tells the true story of a young girl who grew up between two countries and faced many obstacles. Because she always persisted in solving the most complex issues and situations by thinking creatively and positively, she found ways, with respect and kindness, to move forward assertively.

A seasoned motivational speaker and certified master coach in leadership development, Rani is passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders, as is illustrated by the mentorship day she hosted at the Energy Institute High School. Seniors at the school were paired with WOM company executives to help them refine energy product innovations. Rani also serves as a Houston Independent School District ROSES mentor, supporting a program to empower female students, Rice University graduate students, and Energy Institute High School students interning at WOM. She also has launched “WOMEN at WOM,” a virtual event series, to provide strategies and resources for female employees to advance both personally and professionally. Additionally, she spent the last four years working with graduate students as a Cares Mentor with the University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business and serves on the Rice Business Council of Overseers.

Eager to further share her leadership wisdom, Rani has appeared on Bloomberg TV’s The American Dream and been featured in publications like Voyage Houston, Women Mean Business, Global Influence Magazine, Oilwoman Magazine, and more. In appreciation for her contributions to the community, Rani has been a recipient of the “Maura Women of Helping Woman” Award by the Texas Women’s Foundation, been named a CW39 Remarkable Woman Finalist, been named an Enterprising Woman of the Year, been a Women in the Fast Lane of STEAM honoree, been a Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce honoree, received the Daily Point of Light Award, been named one of the Top 30 Influential Women of Houston, been named a Top Leading Women in Energy by the Houston Business Journal, and been named Business Woman of the Year by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston. 

Outside of the business environment, Rani is a classically trained vocalist, musician, dancer, and certified yoga instructor. She wears many hats on any given day, but is most proud to be the mother of two grown daughters. In her free time, Rani enjoys scuba diving, traveling, and spending time with family.

It is for all the reasons mentioned above, and many more, that Rani Puranik has been named a Top 20 Inspiring Woman Impact Maker for 2023.