Top 10 Indian CEOs in the World: Indian CEO List 2023
Last Updated :
13 Dec, 2023
The 21st Century is an Indian Century, we can see Indians leading the world in different sectors. Check out Top Indian CEO, governing Top Companies of the World
While brain drain is seen as one of the major issues in a developing country like India that struggles hard to retain the best of talents, it is indeed a matter of pride when Indian origin individuals achieve extraordinary success, especially outside the country cementing their position as most influential CEOs in the world.
Silicon Valley of the United States seems to be dominated by the Indians in terms of employment and in recent times, corporate leaderships as well. Most of the observations rule in favor of the fact that the Indian schooling system’s major focus stays on Mathematics and Science which becomes a plus for those who opt to go abroad for further studies to enhance their skills.
Anyway, when it comes to being in leadership positions, the Indian CEOs of world-famous companies have always presented an example of how to be a successful, sensible, and gentle leader at the same time. We will read about the Top Indian CEOs in the world:
Here is a list of the top 10 Indian-origin CEOs in the world, along with their companies:
- Sundar Pichai – CEO of Google and Alphabet
- Satya Nadella – CEO of Microsoft
- Leena Nair – CEO of Chanel
- Arvind Krishna – CEO of IBM
- Shantanu Narayen – CEO of Adobe Systems
- Nikesh Arora – CEO of Palo Alto Networks
- Pawan Munjal – CEO of Hero Motocorp
- Jayshree Ullal – CEO of Arista Networks
- George Kurian – CEO of NetApp
- Laxman Narasimhan – CEO of Starbucks
1. Sundar Pichai – CEO of Google and Alphabet
Sundar Pichai – CEO of Google and Alphabet
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$279.8 billion (Google) | 282.83 billion (Alphabet)(2022)
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2015
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Mountain View, California, United States
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Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University
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- Pichai Sundararajan who is known as Sundar Pichai was born in Madras (Chennai), Tamil Nadu.
- He began his career as a materials engineer. He is also an IITian who earned his degree in metallurgical engineering from IIT Kharagpur.
- Pichai started his innings at Google leading the product management and innovation efforts for a suite of Google’s client software products.
Pichai was made the CEO of Google in 2015 and later on, he was given the charge as CEO of Alphabet Inc, the holding company of Google in December 2019.
2. Satya Nadella – CEO of Microsoft
Satya Nadella – CEO of Microsoft
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$204.09 billion
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2014
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Redmond, Washington, United States
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Master of Business Administration, University of Chicago
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- He was Born on 19 August 1967 in Hyderabad which currently is in today’s Telangana.
- Nadella earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, Karnataka.
- He moved to the United States in 1990 for further studies. He joined as a member of the technical staff of Sun Microsystems prior to joining Microsoft in 1992.
Nadella was appointed as the CEO of Microsoft in February 2014.
- Nadella has also co-authored his memoir named ‘Hit Refresh‘ with Greg Shaw, and Jill Tracie Nichols.
3. Leena Nair – CEO of Chanel
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$17.2 billion
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2022
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London, United Kingdom
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Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications, Walchand College of Engineering
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- Nair was born on 11 June 1969 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra.
- Leena Nair holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications degree from Walchand College of Engineering in Sangli, Maharashtra.
- She joined Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) as a management trainee in 1992.
Nair became the first female, first Asian, and the youngest one to hold the post in the company on January 16, 2022.
4. Arvind Krishna – CEO of IBM
Arvind Krishna – CEO of IBM
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$60.53 billion
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2020
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Armonk, New York, United States
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Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras
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- He was born in 1962 in West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh.
- Arvind Krishna earned his B. Tech degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
- After joining Thomas J. Watson Research Center of IBM in 1990 followed by elevations to different levels of the company.
Krishna was appointed as the CEO in 2020.
5. Shantanu Narayen – CEO of Adobe Systems
Shantanu Narayen – CEO of Adobe Systems
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$17 billion
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2007
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San Jose, California, United States
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| Bachelor of Science in Engineering, The University of Hyderabad |
- He was born on 27 May 1963 in India’s Hyderabad, Telangana.
- Shantanu Narayen went to the United States for further studies after pursuing his bachelor’s degree in electronics and communication engineering from College of Engineering, Osmania University Hyderabad.
- He started working with a startup named Measurex Automation Systems in 1986 and then worked with Apple from 1989 to 1995.
Narayen joined Adobe in 1998 as senior vice-president of worldwide product development and was promoted to the post of COO (Chief Operating Officer) in 2005 and then as CEO in 2007.
6. Nikesh Arora – CEO of Palo Alto Networks
Nikesh Arora – CEO of Palo Alto Networks
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$5.81 billion
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2018
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Santa Clara, California, United States
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| Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering, IIT Varanasi. |
- Nikesh Arora was born on February 9, 1968, in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.
- Nikesh Arora is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, BHU, Varanasi, and went to the United States for further studies.
- Arora started his career working with Fidelity Investments in 1992 and held several senior positions at different companies including one as a senior executive at Google.
Nikesh Arora became CEO of Palo Alto Networks on June 6, 2018.
7. Pawan Munjal – CEO of Hero Motocorp
Pawan Munjal – CEO of Hero Motocorp
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125.27 billion
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2001
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New Delhi, India
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| Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering, Punjab Technical University. |
- Pawan Munjal was born on October 29, 1954, in Ludhiana, Punjab.
- Munjal holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra (Haryana). He belongs to the family that promotes the Hero Group.
- Currently serving as the Chairman, Managing Director, and CEO of Hero Motocorp, Pawan Munjal started his innings at the company as Director.
Munjal was ranked 49th in the 50 Most Powerful People of 2017 list of India Today Magazine.
8. Jayshree Ullal – CEO of Arista Networks
Jayshree Ullal – CEO of Arista Networks
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$4.387 billion
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2008
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Santa Clara, California, United States
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| Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, Santa Clara University. |
- Jayshree Ullal was born in London on 27 March 1967 and was raised in India.
- She completed her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from San Francisco State University in 1981.
She was appointed as the President and CEO of Arista Networks in October 2008.
- Prior to joining the company, she worked at AMD, Fairchild Semiconductor, Crescendo Communication, and Cisco as well.
- She was named ‘World’s Best CEOs‘ in 2018 by Barron and among ‘Top 20 Business Persons‘ in 2019 by Fortune.
9. George Kurian – CEO of NetApp
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$6.549 billion
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2015
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San Jose, California, United States
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| Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics, Princeton University. |
- He was born in Kerela, India.
- Kurian joined IIT- Madras to pursue engineering but left after 6 months and earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Princeton University and an MBA from June 6, 2018.
George Kurian joined NetApp in 2011 and was promoted to CEO in 2015. He is also a member of the Board of Directors.
- Previously he worked as Vice President and General Manager at the Application Networking and Switching Technology Group at Cisco Systems. Kurian also worked at Akamai Technologies, McKinsey & Company, and Oracle Corporation.
10. Laxman Narasimhan – CEO of Starbucks
Laxman Narasimhan – CEO of Starbucks
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$30.4
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2022
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Seattle, Washington, United States
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| Bachelor of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela |
- Laxman Narasimhan was born on May 15, 1967, in Pune, India.
- Laxman Narasimhan completed his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from National Institute of Technology Rourkela, India and then completed his MBA from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, United States.
He became the “interim CEO” of Starbucks in October 2022 and he officially gained position of CEO on April 2023.
- He was previously appointed as the CEO of Reckitt Benckiser, and he served the company for 3 years.
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Why do Indian CEOs dominate Silicon Valley?
The increasing prominence of Indian CEOs in the global business landscape can be attributed to several key factors:
- Strong Educational System: India’s educational system, especially in STEM fields, is robust. Many Indian CEOs are alumni of prestigious institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), which provide a solid academic foundation and leadership training.
- Cultural Emphasis on Education and Hard Work: Indian culture highly values education and hard work, considered essential for success. This cultural aspect contributes significantly to producing skilled and motivated professionals.
- Global Mobility and Networking: The global mobility of Indian professionals, coupled with their extensive network in the international business sphere, aids in securing leadership positions in multinational corporations.
- Risk-Taking Attitude: Indian CEOs often exhibit a readiness to take risks and adopt unconventional strategies, a crucial factor in their successful careers.
- Strong Work Ethic: Known for their commitment and strong work ethic, Indian CEOs dedicate themselves to their companies, contributing to their success in the competitive global market.
- Diverse Experiences: With work experience in both India and abroad, Indian CEOs gain diverse experiences that provide a global perspective and an understanding of various business challenges and opportunities.
Beyond these factors, the unique talents and skills of Indian CEOs are increasingly recognized. They are often viewed as:
- Global Citizens: With a deep understanding of different cultures and markets.
- Agile Leaders: Adaptable and capable of navigating complex and dynamic environments.
- Innovators: Constantly seeking new ways to advance their businesses.
- Effective Communicators: Skilled in building consensus and motivating teams.
Given these attributes and the prevailing trends, Indian CEOs are expected to maintain and even enhance their significant role in the global business arena in the coming years.
Top India Origin CEO’s in the World: FAQs
Q. Which Indian CEO has highest salary?
Highest paid CEO in India is reported to be Thierry Delaporte of Wipro. He earned around ₹82.4 crore for FY23.
Q. Who is the youngest CEO in India?
Youngest India CEO are Shravan and Sanjay Kumaran who founded their company “GoDimensions” at the age of 8 and 10 only.
Q. Which country has more CEO?
USA has most number if CEOs in top 100 organization, China comes at number 2 spot and India is number 3 on the list.
Q. Who is Google CEO?
Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Google and Alphabet. He became CEO in 2015 after successfully leading various product developments.
Q. Who is top 10 CEO of India?
- Sundar Pichai – CEO of Alphabet & Google
- Satya Nadella – CEO of Microsoft
- Leena Nair – CEO of Chanel
- Arvind Krishna – CEO of IBM
- Shantanu Narayen – CEO of Adobe Systems
- Nikesh Arora – CEO of Palo Alto Networks
- Pawan Munjal – CEO of Hero MotoCorp
- Jayshree Ullal – CEO of Arista Networks
- George Kurian – CEO of NetApp
- Laxman Narasimhan – CEO of Starbucks
Q. How many CEOs are Indian?
There are 35 Indian Origin CEO of Fortune 500 Companies.
Q. Who is the 13 year old CEO of India?
Tilak Mehta is founder and CEO of “Paper n Parcels“, he founded the company at young age of 13.
Q. Is any girl CEO in India?
Yes, there are several Girl CEOs in India, some of the big names include:
- Roshni Nadar Malhotra – CEO of HCL Technologies
- Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw – CEO of Biocon
- Falguni Nayar – CEO of Nykaa
- Shobana Kamineni – CEO of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited
- Priya Agarwal – CEO of Flexile
- Vineeta Gupta – CEO of MyGlamm
- Ghazal Alagh – CEO of Mamaearth
- Anjali Sud – CEO of Vimeo
- Amrapali Gan – CEO of FORTUNE Media Group
- Jayshree Ullal – CEO of Arista Networks
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