NEW YORK: Indian-origin persons are heading world’s leading information technology and other multi-billion dollar companies, as chief executive officers (CEOs) of Alphabet, Microsoft, YouTube, Adobe, and IBM are among 20 prominent company leaders with Indian roots, foreign media reported.
Alphabet Inc, the parent company of search engine giant Google and one of the largest corporates in the world, has an Indian chief, Sundar Pichai, who became the CEO in 2015 and is still heading the technology firm. Pichai was born in India but is now settled in the United States.
Microsoft Corp, a multinational company similar to Google, also has an India-born chief, Satya Nadella. He became the firm’s CEO in 2014 and is still heading the tech giant. Nadella was born in India but now lives in the US.
YouTube, also owned by Google’s parent company, has an Indian-American CEO, Neal Mohan. He became the CEO of YouTube in February 2023 and is still heading the entertainment platform. Mohan was the company’s chief product officer before he became the CEO.
Adobe Inc, a multinational software company, has an Indian CEO, Shantanu Narayen. He became the CEO in December 2007 and is still the head of the company. Before his CEO posting, Narayen was the chief operating officer (COO) of the firm.
Ajay Banga has been the CEO of the World Bank Group since June 2023. Banga was born in Pune and is also one of the biggest corporate names in the world. He was with Mastercard as their CEO and later executive chairman before joining World Bank Group. IBM has Arvind Krishna as their CEO, who was born in Andhra Pradesh but is now a US citizen. Krishna became the CEO of IBM in April 2020, and later in 2021 was also given the title of the chairman of the Group. Albertsons, one of the largest food and drug retail chains in America, also has an Indian-American chief, Vivek Sankaran. He became the CEO in April 2019 and is still serving to date. Before joining Albertsons, Sankaran was the CEO of Frito Lays N A, a Pepsico company. One of the biggest IT firms in the world, Infosys Ltd, has an Indian chief, Salil Parekh. He became the CEO of the IT firm in January 2018.
NetApp is an American data infrastructure company with an Indian-American CEO, George Kurian. He was born in Kerala but now is an American citizen. Prior to his CEO appointment, he was working as the executive vice president of product operations at NetApp.
Palo Alto Networks is a leading cybersecurity company run by Nikesh Arora, who has been the CEO since 2018. Before coming to Palo Alto Networks, Arora worked with Google as a senior executive, and he was also the president of the SoftBank Group.
Jayshree V Ullal is the CEO of Arista Networks, an American computer networking company. Ullal is a British-American billionaire with Indian origins, she became the CEO in October 2008.
Novartis is a pharmaceutical company which has an Indian-origin chief, Vasant Narasimhan. He is an American physician, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US and became the CEO of Novartis in September 2017. Micron Technology is a memory and story technology firm led by Sanjay Mehrotra. Mehrotra was born in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and has been CEO since May 2017.
Honeywell International is a Fortune 500 company that manufactures advanced technology products. Vimal Kapur, an Indian-American, has been its CEO since June 2023 and chairman of the Group since June 2024. Flex (formerly known as Flextronics) is an electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider with Revathi Advaithi as its chief executive. She was born in India and has been the firm’s CEO since February 2019. Wayfair is an American e-commerce company run by Niraj Shah. Shah, an American of Indian origin, co-founded the company in 2002 and has been its CEO since then. The company sells furniture and home goods online.
Chanel is a luxury brand specialising in women’s ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories. Leena Nair has been the CEO of the luxury brand since January 2022.
OnlyFans is a British subscription-based video-on-demand service and social media network with an Indian-American CEO, Amrapali Gan, in charge. Gan was appointed as the CEO of the platform in December 2021. Before the appointment, she worked as the company’s chief marketing and communications officer.
Cognizant is an American IT service firm with Ravi Kumar S as its CEO. He is an Indian-American who joined as the chief in January 2023. Along with being Cognizant’s chief, he is working as an independent director for companies like TransUnion.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company headed by Reshma Kewalramani, who was born in India. She became the CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in April 2020. Before shifting to Vertex, she worked for Amgen as a vice president in 2014.
Meanwhile, Apple has appointed Indian-origin Kevan Parekh as its new chief financial officer (CFO) who would also join the executive team at the tech giant, foreign media reported. Current CFO Luca Maestri will transition from his role on January 1, 2025, Apple said in a statement. “For more than a decade, Kevan has been an indispensable member of Apple’s finance leadership team, and he understands the company inside and out,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “His sharp intellect, wise judgment, and financial brilliance make him the perfect choice to be Apple’s next CFO,” he added.
Before joining Apple, Parekh held various senior leadership roles at Thomson Reuters and General Motors, where he also had extensive global experience.
