Do you know many companies that rule the world are being ruled by Indian CEOs? Everybody knows about Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai, but how many of you know that there are dozens of Indian Origin CEO leading the global companies whose products we are using on day-to-day bases? In this blog, we made an effort to compile a list of twenty-five Indian Origin CEOs who are leading global companies, along with their educational qualification and how they reached the CEO position in their respective companies. This is going to be a pretty long read. But, bear with us, you will be gaining a lot of meaningful insights if you are also dreaming about leading a dream company.
25) Amanpal Bhutani
Amanpal Bhutani is well known for his 20+ years of experience in technical, leadership and management roles for various global companies. This Indian Origin CEO is leading one of the most popular web hosting service providers in the world, GoDaddy. From working in many key positions at global companies like JP Morgan to leading a company as a CEO, there is a lot for many students to learn from his inspirational journey.
Education:
- B.A. (Hons), Economics- Delhi University
- MBA- Lancaster University
Career:
He started his career as a senior Engineer at ConneXions Technologies, and then he worked at JP Morgan Chase, where he worked in various key positions. Later, he moved to Expedia Group and contributed to the company’s success for nearly a decade before he became CEO of GoDaddy in 2019.
24) Jay Chaudhry
Jay Chaudhry was born in the year 1958 to a family of small-scale farmers in Himachal Pradesh and is now the founder and CEO of ZScaler, which is one of the most popular cloud security companies in the world. He founded Zscaler along with his partner K. Kailash in 2007, and the company has been successfully operating with an incredible global reputation.
Education:
- B.tech in Electronics Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology(BHU).
- Master of Science (MS), Electrical & Computer Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
- Master of Science (MS), Industrial Engineering & Management University of Cincinnati.
- Executive Management Program, Marketing/Marketing Management, General from Harvard Business School.
- Master of Business Administration (MBA), Marketing from the University of Cincinnati.
Career:
Before taking up the CEO position at ZScaler, Jay Chaudhry worked in many key positions for Various Companies around the world. Some of the important ones among them are Secure IT, Inc, Verisign, CoreHarbor, In, CipherTrust, Secure Computing, and AirDefense. After contributing to the success of various companies for more than two decades, he finally laid the foundation for Zscaler, and now it’s one of the most successful cloud security service providers in the world.
23) Udit Batra
Our next CEO on the list, Mr Udit Batra, was a native of Delhi and made invaluable contributions to business in the pharma industry with his knowledge and expertise. In his entire career, there are many achievements, and the most significant among them is the one when he worked for Novartis in Australia and New Zealand, where he increased organic sales by 35% when the business was just declining.
Education:
Mr Udit completed his bachelor’s in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware and obtained his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University with a GPA of 4.0, where he was the winner of many competitive fellowships that were nationally recognised.
Career:
In his extensive career, Udit Batra contributed to the success of many organisations leading them towards their high potential. Let’s have a look at each of them.
- Sr. Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company
- Global Brand Director, Wound Care at Johnson & Johnson
- Head, Global Public Health & Market Access at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics.
22 Sridhar Vembu
Mr Sridhar Vembu was born in 1968 in a Tamil Nadu. He is the 55th richest person in India and was awarded the fourth highest civilian award in India, Padma Shri. If you are an Indian student, you should definitely know about a person like him to understand how he carved his path from being a normal employee to leading a global company in the world. Let’s have a look at his educational qualifications and how his career progressed towards the CEO position at Zoho.
Education:
- B.Tech(Electrical Engineering)- IIT Madras
- MS- Princeton University
Career:
He kick-started his career as a wireless engineer in a company called Qualcomm in San Diego, California. Along with his two brothers, Mr. Vembu founded a company called AdventNet which was now rebranded as Zoho, to provide SaaS support to customer relationship management services. His contributions as CEO at Zoho are invaluable towards the success of the company and truly inspirational for students to learn from.
21) Yamini Rangan
Yamini Rangan, with more than 25 years of experience in various tech industries, is now the CEO of HubSpot, a popular CRM company in the world. She is recognised as one of the most influential women in business by the San Francisco Business Times.
Education:
- BS, Computer Engineering- Bharathiar University
- MS, Computer Engineering- Clemson University
- MBA- the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business
Career:
Yamini Rangan has been serving as the CEO of HubSpot since 2019, where she is focused on driving innovation to make HubSpot a global leader. Before becoming CEO of HubSpot, She helped many companies thrive, like Dropbox, Work Day, Appirio, etc.
20) Ajei Gopal
He is the president and CEO of ANSYS, which is aimed at solving the most complex design challenges. This genius has more than four decades of experience in helping many global companies thrive and give their best.
Education:
Ajei Gopal completed his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and obtained his PhD in Computer Science from Cornell University.
Career:
Before taking charge as CEO for Ansys, Mr. Ajei worked in several reputed companies like IBM, Symantec, Citrix, Silver Lake, Hewlett-Packard, etc.
19) Badrinarayanan Kothandaraman
He started his career as a process technology development engineer and climbed step after step with his unravelled commitment to creating an impact in whichever work he takes up.
Education:
- B Tech (Materials Science) from IIT Madras
- MBA- Stanford University Graduate School of Business
- Masters, Materials Science- University of California, Berkeley
Career:
Mr. Badri Narayan helped Cypress Semiconductor Corporation by working in various positions for 21 years, which is an incredibly long amount of time! Later on, he joined Enphase Energy and has been offering his services as a Chief Executive Officer.
18) Bhavesh V Patel
With 35 years of incredible experience in the chemical industry, Bavesh V Patel helped businesses grow in various designations. Before becoming the president of Standard Industries, Mr Bhavesh served his position as CEO of LyondellBasell for more than eleven years.
Education:
He completed his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Ohio State University and later on received his MBA in Finance and Business Strategy from Fox School of Business at Temple University.
Career:
There are some amazing things that we need to learn and get inspired by the career graph of Mr Bhavesh V Patel. Let’s have a look at some of the highlights of his career.
- Served in Various Positions at Chevron Phillips Chemical Company for more than 20 Years!
- More than eleven years of experience at LyondellBasell in various designations, along with a CEO position for seven years.
- Chief Executive Officer at W. R. Grace & Co.
- President at Standard Industries starting from April 2023
17) Francis de Souza
Francis de Souza is a serial entrepreneur who founded and sold two tech companies, Flash Communications and IMlogic. Along with being a successful entrepreneur, he successfully executed his responsibilities as chief executive officer at Illumina, which is aimed at enhancing human health with the power of the genome. Let’s have a look at his education and career graphs.
Education:
- BS, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science- MIT
- MS, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science- MIT
Career:
Francis de Souza worked for multiple global companies, including legendary brands like Microsoft. Apart from this, he worked in various companies like IBM, Gemini Consulting, IMlogic, Symantec, etc. He worked in Illumina for more than 10 years, in which he led the company as CEO for nearly seven years.
16) Shankh Mitral
The Journey from being an electrical engineer to the CEO of a Fortune 1000 company, Shankh Mitral’s journey, is really inspirational. Starting as an Analyst in an investment group, Mr Shankh travelled a really long way in his career, which is very inspirational for the upcoming generation of students.
Education:
- Bachelor of Engineering in Instrumentation and Electronics Engineering from Jadavpur University
- MBA in Applied Value investing from Columbia Business School
Career:
Shankh Mitral, in his association with Welltower for more than seven years, helped the company grow by serving in various designations. He has been leading the company since October 2020, and his success from being an employee to being the leader of the company is truly inspirational for those aspiring to reach such heights in life.
15) Sumit Roy
Sumit Roy, who is a specialist in corporate finance, shaped his career to become the CEO of one of the finest real estate investment trusts in the US. With his decades of experience in this industry, Sumit established a unique place for himself in the Realty Income Corporation.
Let’s have a look at his educational qualifications and the journey towards becoming CEO of Realty Income Corporation.
Education:
- MBA- University of Chicago
Career:
Before taking up the CEO position at Realty Income Corporation, Sumit Roy worked for various other companies like Merrill Lynch, MeadWestvaco, and UBS Investment Bank. In September 2011, he took charge as Chief Executive Officer at Realty Income Corporation where he has been contributing towards the growth of the company till date.
14) Jayshree Ullal
Jayshree Ullal has a reputation for being named in Barron’s World’s Best CEOs list in 2018 & 2019. She also has numerous instances of getting global recognition and prestigious awards. According to Economic Times, she is one of the seven prominent Indian Origin women in the IT industry. Jauashree Ullal is definitely will definitely be considered the pride of India for reaching such great heights.
Education:
- Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from San Francisco State University.
- Master of Science (MS), Engineering Management from Santa Clara University
Career:
Jayshree Ullal has been leading Arista Network as CEO from the year 2008, and because of her diligent efforts, she has been able to scale the company to a whole new level ever since she took up the position of CEO.
13) Ganesh Moorthy
Ganesh Moorthy has been an integral part of the success of Microchip technology, where the purpose of the company is to empower and improve the human experience by delivering smart technological solutions. Ganesh Moorthy has been associated with Microchip for more than two decades and has been leading the company as the Chief Executive Officer since March 2021.
Education:
Mr Ganesh obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Mumbai in the year 1979, and later he moved to University of Washington to pursue his BS in Electrical Engineering.
Career:
Ganesh Moorthy worked for nineteen years in the Intel Corporation and collaborated with Microchip Technology in the year 2001 as a vice president and finally climbed up the ladder to become CEO of the company in 2021.
12) Surendralal Karsanbhai
In his twenty-five long years of experience at Emerson Electric Co., Mr Lal Karsanbhai held various key positions, including the Executive president of Automation Solutions and group president of Emerson’s Rosemount Measurement & Analytical business. His journey from the International Planner position to the president and CEO of Emerson is truly inspirational to many students aspiring to reach great heights in their careers.
Education:
- B.A. Economics- University of Michigan
- MBA- Washington University in St. Louis
Career:
Starting his journey as a summer intern at the World Bank in 1994, Mr. Lal Karsanbhai held various positions at Emerson and finally became the CEO of the company in the year 2021.
11) Rangarajan Raghuram
Another important Indian Origin CEO in our list is Mr Rangarajan who is the chief executive officer at VMware. Mr Raangarajan held various positions within the company VMware before he climbed up the ladder to become the CEO of the company.
Education:
- M.S (Electrical Engineering) from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
- MBA from The Wharton School
Career:
He worked as a director of Product Management in companies like Netscape and Bang Networks before he joined VMware as Director of Product Management in 2003. After eighteen years of service in various positions, Mr. Rangarajan finally became the CEO of VMware in 2021.
10) Nikesh Arora
Nikesh Arora is from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, born to an Indian Airforce officer in 1968. In his entire career of nearly two decades, he worked in some of the most renowned companies like Google. Till his graduation, he continued his studies in India, but for his master’s, he chose to study abroad. Let’s have a look at his journey towards becoming the CEO of Palo Alto Network.
Education:
- Bachelor’s Degree, Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi.
- MBA in Marketing from North Eastern University.
- Master of Science (MS), Finance, General from Boston College.
Career:
Mr Nikesh started his career as Chief Marketing Officer at T-Mobile before he moved to Google in 2004. After nine years of service at Google, he finally became the CEO of Palo Alto Network.
9) Anirudh Devgan
Dr Anirudh Devgan is one of the most renowned computer scientists in the world. Born and raised in New Delhi, India, Dr Devgan completed all his education till graduation in India, Later on, he moved to the US for a master’s, and after a decade of experience in Cadence Design System, he finally became the CEO of Cadence Design System.
Education:
- B.Tech(Electrical Engineering)- IIT Delhi
- M.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering- Carnegie Mellon University
- Ph.D. Electrical and Computer Engineering- Carnegie Mellon University
Career:
He held various management and research positions at IBM for more than eleven years. Later he became a member of the Executive Team and Corporate Vice President at Magma, where he worked for nearly seven years. Finally, he joined Cadence Design Systems as Executive Vice President in 2012 to lead the company as CEO from the year 2021.
8) Sanjay Mehrotra
Sanjay Mehrotra says that his father and siblings encouraged him a lot to pursue an education in STEM. In 2022, an honorary doctorate was awarded to Mr Mehrotra from Boise State University, and he was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2022. Sanjay Mehrotra is yet again one of the most important faces on the list of Indian Origin CEOs because of his invaluable achievements in various companies, including Micron Technology.
Education:
- BS(EECS)- University of California, Berkeley
- MS(EECS)- University of California, Berkeley
Career:
Mr. Sanjay is one of the co-founders of SanDisk, and before starting to lead Micron Technology as CEO, he worked for several other companies like CDW, Cavium Inc, Western Digital, etc.
7) Reshma Kewalramani
Reshma Kewalramani is the first female CEO of a large US Biotech company. This Indian Origin CEO migrated to the United States when she was eleven years old, along with her family. So, she pursued all her education at the American Universities. Let’s have a look at the details of her education and her journey towards the CEO position at Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
Education:
- Doctor of Medicine(M.D.) at Boston University School of Medicine
- Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Seven Year Liberal Arts/Medical Education Program at Boston University.
- General Management Program from Harvard Business School.
Career:
Reshma Kewalramani has worked in several roles in Amgen for more than twelve years, including the vice president position. Later she moved to Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where she has been leading the company as CEO since 2020.
6) Laxman Narasimhan
Mr Laxman was born in Pune, India, where he completed his graduation. After finishing his graduation, he continued his higher education in the United States, and later, this Indian Origin CEO worked for various global companies before taking up the CEO position at Starbucks.
Education:
- B.E.(Mechanical Engineering)- COEP Technological University
- MBA- The Wharton School
Career:
Laxman Narasimhan is one of the prominent names in our Indian CEOs list, as he worked for many reputed brands like PepsiCo, Verizon, etc. In the year 2022, he is named as the Chief Executive Officer of Starbucks.
5) Arvind Krishna
This famous Indian Origin CEO of one of the top global companies, IBM, says innovation starts with insane curiosity, passion for lifelong learning, and relentless focus on what’s next. The story of Arvind Krishna is highly motivational to all Indian tech enthusiasts who aspire to lead global companies.
Education:
- B.tech(EE)- IIT Kanpur
- PhD, Electrical & Computer Engineering- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Career:
Mr. Arvind Krishna has been associated with IBM for more than 32 years! In his insanely amazing long tenure at IBM, he worked in various positions before he took charge as Chief Executive Officer in the year 2020.
4) Shantanu Narayan
Shantanu Narayan was born in Hyderabad, India, to a Telugu-speaking family. This Indian Origin CEO completed all his studies in India until he moved to the US to pursue his higher studies. From working in a Silicon Valley start-up to leading one of the top companies in the world, Shantanu Narayan’s incredible journey is very inspirational for many Indian students dreaming of leading companies like Adobe.
Education:
- B.Tech(ECE)- Osmania University
- MS- Bowling Green State University
Career:
Shantanu Narayan started his career at a start-up called Measurex Automation Systems. From there, he moved to Apple, where he held many senior management positions. In 1998 he joined Adobe as a senior vice president of worldwide product development and became the CEO of Adobe in the year 2007.
3) Vasant Narasimhan
Vasant Narasimhan was born in Tamil Nadu in 1976. His mother was a nuclear engineer, and his father was an executive at Hoeganaes Corporation. He received both his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from foreign universities, and there is a lot to learn from his journey towards the CEO position at Novartis.
Education:
- BA, Biology- University of Chicago
- MPP- Harvard Kennedy School
- MD- Harvard Medical School
Career:
After graduating from Harvard Medical School, Narasimhan joined McKinsey & Co. In 2012, he served as global head of development at Novartis Vaccines in the United States, and finally, in the year 2017, he was named the CEO of Novartis.
2) Sundar Pichai
This Indian Origin CEO name needs no introduction. Sundar Pichai is not just a normal CEO but an inspiration to many generations in India. Every step of his journey towards becoming the leader of one of the biggest tech giants in the world can act as a road map for the students of India and across the world.
Education:
- B.Tech(Metallurgical Engineering)- IIT Kharagpur.
- M.S(Materials Science and Engineering)- Stanford University.
Career:
Sundar Pichai joined Google in 2004, where he led the product management for Google client software products. He is responsible for the success of many of Google’s key products like Chrome OS, Google Drive, Google Maps, etc. In 2015, Sundar Pichai was named CEO of Google from thereon, and the rest is history!
1) Satya Nadella
We need not mention how influential Microsoft is in this world, and sitting in a leadership position for a world-class company like this is not a simple thing at all! This Indian Origin CEO from Hyderabad is considered to be one of the most intellectual minds from India who has been leading a global company like Microsoft and has contributed to its success to a great extent.
Education:
- B.Tech(electrical engineering)- Manipal Institute of Technology
- MS(Computer Science) University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Career:
Satya Nadella is the third CEO in the History of Microsoft, following the legendary Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Before joining Microsoft in 1992, Nadella worked as a member of the technology staff at Sun Micro Systems. He is one of those few Indian Origin CEOs who literally created waves in the International technological realm.
We hope you enjoyed scrolling through this lengthy blog. We tried our best to compile the list of the Prominent Indian CEOs leading global companies, and unlike others who just cover the top ten, we took an extra step to research some other prominent CEOs about whom the internet didn’t talk much so that you get to know about their educational qualifications, where did they study and how did they reach that CEO position. If you are also aspiring to be one among them, the only way to achieve it is with hard work and persistence!
