The Power of India: Top Indian-Origin CEOs Who Rule The World

India has produced many talented and successful business leaders who have made their mark in various fields and industries across the world. Among them, some of the most prominent and influential are the Indian-origin CEOs who head some of the top global companies, especially in the technology sector. These CEOs have demonstrated their vision, innovation, leadership skills and contributed to the growth & development of their respective organizations and society.

In this article, we will look at the top Indian-origin CEOs in the world.

Sundar Pichai – CEO of Google and Alphabet

Sundar Pichai was born on June 10, 1972, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. He completed his schooling in Chennai and earned his degree in metallurgical engineering from IIT Kharagpur. He then moved to the United States and obtained his master’s degree in engineering and materials science from Stanford University and his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Pichai joined Google in 2004 as a product manager and led the development of several products such as Google Toolbar, Google Chrome, Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Maps. He also oversaw the launch of the Android operating system and the open-sourcing of the VP8 video codec. In 2015, he was appointed as the CEO of Google by its co-founder Larry Page, who became the CEO of Alphabet, the new holding company for Google and its subsidiaries. In 2019, Pichai also became the CEO of Alphabet after Page and his co-founder Sergey Brin stepped down from their roles.

Satya Nadella – CEO of Microsoft

Mr. Nadella was born on August 19, 1967 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. He completed his schooling in Hyderabad and earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Manipal Institute of Technology in Karnataka. Then moved to the United States and obtained his master’s degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Nadella joined Microsoft in 1992 as a software engineer and rose through the ranks to lead various divisions and projects. Satya Nadella was involved in the development of cloud computing, online services, enterprise software and mobile devices. He became the executive vice president of Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise group in 2013, where he oversaw the growth of Microsoft Azure, Office 365, and Dynamics 365. In 2014, he was appointed as the CEO of Microsoft by its co-founder Bill Gates, who remained as a technology advisor. In 2021, he also became the chairman of Microsoft’s board of directors.

Shantanu Narayen – CEO of Adobe

Shantanu Narayen was born on May 27, 1963 in Hyderabad, Telangana India. He completed his schooling in Hyderabad and earned his bachelor’s degree in electronics and communication engineering from Osmania University. Mr. Narayen then moved to the United States and obtained his master’s degree in computer science from Bowling Green State University and his MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.

Narayen joined Adobe in 1998 as senior vice president of worldwide product development, a position he held through 2001. From 2001 to 2005 he was executive vice president of worldwide products. In 2005 he was appointed president and chief operating officer. In November 2007, he became the CEO of Adobe and in 2017, he also became the chairman of Adobe’s board of directors.

Arvind Krishna – CEO of IBM

Arvind Krishna was born in 1962 in West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, India. He completed his schooling in Coonoor and Dehradun and earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from IIT Kanpur. Mr. Arvind then moved to the United States and obtained his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Krishna joined IBM in 1990 as a software engineer and rose through the ranks to lead various divisions and projects. He was involved in the research and development of cloud computing, online services, enterprise software, and data management. Mr. Arvind became the senior vice president of IBM Research in 2015, where he oversaw the innovation in core and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, blockchain, and nanotechnology. He also led the acquisition of Red Hat, the largest software acquisition in IBM’s history, in 2019. Mr. Arvind was appointed as the CEO of IBM in 2020 and as the chairman of IBM’s board of directors in 2021.

Ajay Banga – President of World Bank

Ajay Banga was born on November 10, 1959, in Pune, Maharashtra, India. He completed his schooling in Coonoor and Dehradun and earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from St. Stephen’s College under Delhi University. He then obtained his MBA from IIM Ahmedabad.

Banga began his career as a management trainee with Nestlé in 1981 and later joined PepsiCo in 1994. Then he moved to Citigroup in 1996, where he held various senior positions in consumer banking and payments. He joined Mastercard in 1998 as executive vice president and became president and COO in 2009. Mr. Ajay Banga was appointed CEO in 2010 and executive chairman in 2020. In May 2023, he was elected as the president of the World Bank, succeeding David Malpass, who resigned after a controversial tenure. He became the first Indian-origin and the first non-American to lead the global development institution.

Sanjay Mehrotra – CEO of Micron Technology

Sanjay Mehrotra was born on July 7, 1958, in Delhi, India. He completed his schooling in Delhi and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from BITS Pilani. Then he moved to the United States and obtained his master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

Mehrotra co-founded SanDisk, a flash memory storage company, in 1988 and served as its president and CEO from 2011 to 2016. He led the company’s growth and innovation in flash memory products and solutions for mobile devices, data centers, and consumer electronics. Mr. Mehrotra also oversaw the acquisition of SanDisk by Western Digital for $19 billion in 2016. In May 2017, he was appointed as the CEO of Micron Technology, a global leader in memory and storage solutions.

Anjali Sud – CEO of Vimeo

Anjali Sud was born on July 18, 1983 in Flint, Michigan, United States. She is the daughter of Indian immigrants who moved to the US from New Delhi in the late 1970s. She completed her schooling in Flint and earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Then she obtained her MBA from Harvard Business School.

Sud started her career as an investment banker at Sagent Advisors and later joined Time Warner as an associate director of corporate development. She then joined Amazon as a principal of business development for its video division. Anjali Sud joined Vimeo in 2014 as director of marketing and later became general manager of its creator business unit. In July 2017, she was appointed as the CEO of Vimeo, becoming one of the youngest CEOs in tech at age 34.

Sonia Syngal – CEO of Gap Inc.

Sonia Syngal was born on September 27, 1970 in New Delhi, India. She moved to Canada with her family when she was five years old and later became a Canadian citizen. She completed her schooling in Toronto and earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University in Michigan. Then she obtained her master’s degree in manufacturing systems engineering from Stanford University.

Syngal started her career as an engineer at Sun Microsystems and Ford Motor Company. After that, she joined Gap Inc. in 2004 as a supply chain executive and held various leadership roles across its brands such as Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta. She became the president and CEO of Old Navy in 2016, where she led the brand’s growth and expansion into new markets such as China and India. In March 2020, she was appointed as the CEO of Gap Inc., becoming the first woman and the first person of color to lead the company.

Parag Agrawal – Former CEO of Twitter

Parag Agrawal was born on January 31, 1984 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. He completed his schooling in Mumbai and earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from IIT Bombay. He then moved to the United States and obtained his PhD in computer science from Stanford University.

Agrawal joined Twitter in 2011 as a software engineer and led various projects related to machine learning, natural language processing, relevance algorithms, and search infrastructure. He became the chief technology officer (CTO) of Twitter in 2017, where he oversaw the development of new features such as Spaces (audio chat rooms), Topics (curated tweets based on interests), and Fleets (disappearing stories). In November 2021, he was appointed as the CEO of Twitter after its co-founder Jack Dorsey stepped down from his role.

Jayshree Ullal – CEO of Arista Networks

Jayshree Ullal was born on March 27, 1961, in London, United Kingdom. She is the daughter of Indian immigrants who moved to London from New Delhi in the late 1950s. Jayshree Ullal completed her schooling in London and New Delhi and earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from San Francisco State University. She then obtained her master’s degree in engineering management from Santa Clara University.

Ullal started her career as a software engineer at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and later joined Ungermann-Bass as a product manager. Jayshree Ullal then moved to Cisco Systems in 1993, where she held various senior positions in engineering, marketing, and sales. She became the senior vice president of Cisco’s data center switching business unit in 2002, where she led the development of several products such as Catalyst switches, Nexus switches, and MDS storage switches. She left Cisco in 2008 after a successful 15-year tenure. In October 2008, she was appointed the CEO of Arista Networks, a cloud networking company founded by former Cisco engineers.

Conclusion

Above mentioned top Indian-origin CEOs have proven to be among the most successful and influential leaders in the world, leading some of the biggest companies in various sectors. They have shown their talent, innovation, and vision in transforming their businesses and creating value for their customers, employees, and shareholders. Moreover, their achievements are a source of inspiration and pride for India and the global community. How can we foster more such leaders in the future? What are the challenges and opportunities that they face in the changing world? These are some of the questions that deserve further exploration and analysis.