Sabih Khan Joins the Club: Meet Indian-origin executives powering the world's bi...

From Microsoft and Google to Chanel and DBS, Indian-origin leaders born in small towns and cities now sit at the helm of multinationals

Jul 11, 2025, 10:17 IST11 min

<p>Sabih Khan is the latest name to join the ever-growing club of Indian-origin executives leading global companies. On July 8, 2025, the tech giant announced that Khan will replace Jeff Williams as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) as part of a long-planned succession.</p>
<p>"Sabih is a brilliant strategist who has been one of the central architects of Apple"s supply chain," said Tim Cook, Apple"s CEO, in a press release. "While overseeing Apple"s supply chain, he has helped pioneer new technologies in advanced manufacturing, overseen the expansion of Apple"s manufacturing footprint in the United States, and helped ensure that Apple can be nimble in response to global challenges. He has advanced our ambitious efforts in environmental sustainability, helping to reduce Apple"s carbon footprint by more than 60 percent. Above all, Sabih leads with his heart and his values, and I know he will make an exceptional chief operating officer."</p>
<p>According to The Indian Express, Khan holds a dual bachelor"s degree in economics and mechanical engineering from Tufts University in the US, as well as a master"s degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He joined the Cupertino-headquartered company in 1995 after working at GE Plastics. He has been at Apple for 30 years and joined the executive team as Senior Vice President of Operations in 2019. His work for Apple"s global supply chain, especially during the challenging years of the COVID-19 pandemic, is highly regarded. He is credited with transforming the process and is responsible for overseeing planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and product fulfilment functions, as well as partnering with suppliers to propel green manufacturing.</p>
<p>Khan was born in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, but his family moved to Singapore when he was in school. The 58-year-old executive is also part of the exclusive club of Indian-origin executives who come from small towns in India and are now conquering the tallest peaks of the corporate sector. Here"s a look at some other Indian-origin executives who come from small towns in India but are leading global companies.</p>

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Sabih Khan is the latest name to join the ever-growing club of Indian-origin executives leading global companies. On July 8, 2025, the tech giant announced that Khan will replace Jeff Willi...

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Ajay Banga, President, World Bank Group Born in Khadki, Pune, Maharashtra made history in May 2023 when he was elected president of the World Bank, following his nomination by US President...

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Ajit Jain, Vice Chairman, Insurance Operations, Berkshire Hathaway Born in Sundargarh, Odisha Ajit Jain has been part of Warren Buffett"s Berkshire Hathaway for nearly four decades. He beg...

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Arvind Krishna, CEO, IBM Born in West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh In January 2020, Arvind Krishna began his tenure as CEO of IBM, succeeding longtime chief Virginia "Ginni" Rometty. With over...

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Devika Bulchandani, Global CEO, Ogilvy Born in Amritsar, Punjab Devika Bulchandani was appointed Global Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy & Mather in September 2022, becoming the first wom...

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Laxman Narasimhan, Former CEO, Starbucks and Reckitt Born in Pune, Maharashtra Narasimhan joined global coffee giant Starbucks in October 2022 and became its CEO in March 2023. He also ser...

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Leena Nair, CEO, Chanel Kolhapur, Maharashtra Leena Nair, now the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, became Chanel"s first female and Indian-origin CEO in Decembe...

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Neal Mohan, CEO, YouTube Born in the US, raised in Lucknow, UP Neal Mohan joined Google when the tech giant acquired DoubleClick in 2007. Before that, he served as a senior analyst at Acce...

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Nikesh Arora, Chairman and CEO, Palo Alto Networks Born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh Nikesh Arora was born into an Indian Air Force family, which meant frequent relocations growing up. He e...

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Piyush Gupta, Former CEO, DBS Group Born in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh Piyush Gupta is credited with transforming DBS Group into one of the world"s best banks. Born in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, Gu...

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Punit Renjen, CEO (Emeritus), Deloitte Global Born in Rohtak, Haryana Punit Renjen was born in Rohtak, Haryana, into a family of business owners. At age 14, financial hardship forced him t...

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Ravi Kumar S, CEO, Cognizant Born in Berhampur, Odisha Ravi Kumar S is one of the newest members of the coveted club of Indian-origin executives leading global tech companies. He was appoi...

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Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO, Micron Technology Born in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh The youngest of four siblings, Mehrotra always dreamed of studying in the US to fulfill his father"s vision. He began ...

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Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft Born in Hyderabad, Telangana Satya Nadella is the Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, having joined the company in 1992. Over the years, he held key positions incl...

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Shantanu Narayen, CEO, Adobe Born in Hyderabad, Telangana Shantanu Narayen joined Adobe in 1998 as VP and GM of its engineering technology group, eventually becoming President and COO in 2...

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Sundar Pichai, CEO, Alphabet Born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu Sundar Pichai began his career at McKinsey & Co. before joining Google in 2004, where he led key software initiatives like Google C...

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Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud Born in Pampady, Kerala Thomas Kurian was born in the Pampady village of Kottayam district, Kerala. He has an identical twin, George Kurian, who has been C...

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