Ajit Jain, Vice Chairman, Insurance Operations, Berkshire Hathaway Born in Sundargarh, OdishaAjit Jain has been part of Warren Buffett"s Berkshire Hathaway for nearly four decades. He began his career at IBM in 1972 as an engineer and salesman. A mechanical engineer from IIT-Kharagpur, Jain later earned an MBA from Harvard University and worked at McKinsey & Co from 1978 to 1986.In 1986, Jain joined Berkshire Hathaway"s National Indemnity Co., marking the start of his long journey with the conglomerate. He is the older cousin of Anshu Jain, the former Co-CEO of Deutsche Bank. In 2009, Jain was appointed CEO of Berkshire Hathaway"s reinsurance business."Under Ajit, our insurance operation has blossomed from an obscure Omaha-based company into a world leader, renowned for both its taste for risk and its Gibraltar-like financial strength," wrote Warren Buffett in his 2025 shareholder letter.Image by REUTERS/Carlos Barria (UNITED STATES BUSINESS)
Arvind Krishna, CEO, IBM Born in West Godavari, Andhra PradeshIn January 2020, Arvind Krishna began his tenure as CEO of IBM, succeeding longtime chief Virginia "Ginni" Rometty. With over three decades at IBM, Krishna played a key role in transforming it from a hardware-focused company into a leader in artificial intelligence, cloud, quantum computing, and blockchain technologies.One of the milestones of his career was leading IBM’s $34 billion acquisition of Red Hat, a pivotal move that strengthened the company"s hybrid cloud strategy. Born in West Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh, Krishna is an alumnus of IIT-Kanpur and earned a PhD in Philosophy of Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1991.He joined IBM in 1990 at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center and steadily climbed the ranks, holding several influential roles that shaped IBM"s future direction.Image by Andy Wenstrand/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images
Devika Bulchandani, Global CEO, Ogilvy Born in Amritsar, PunjabDevika Bulchandani was appointed Global Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy & Mather in September 2022, becoming the first woman of colour to lead the global agency network.Born in Amritsar, Punjab, Bulchandani began her career in advertising in 1995. Prior to joining Ogilvy, she spent 26 years at McCann, where she held several leadership roles, including President of McCann North America.She is widely recognized for spearheading the 2017 "Fearless Girl" campaign, which placed a bronze statue of a young girl facing Wall Street’s charging bull. The statue became a global symbol of women"s empowerment and one of the most awarded campaigns in the history of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.Image by Taylor Hill/WireImage
Laxman Narasimhan, Former CEO, Starbucks and Reckitt Born in Pune, MaharashtraNarasimhan joined global coffee giant Starbucks in October 2022 and became its CEO in March 2023. He also served on the company"s Board of Directors. Under his leadership, he helped improve the company"s partner experience and led supply chain innovations that enhanced store operations. He stepped down from the role in August 2024.Before Starbucks, Narasimhan held leadership positions at McKinsey & Co., PepsiCo, and Reckitt. He earned a Bachelor"s in Mechanical Engineering from the College of Engineering, Pune, and holds a Master"s in German and International Studies from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. He also pursued an MBA in Finance at the Wharton School.Image by JP Yim/Getty Images for The Asian American Foundation (TAAF)
Leena Nair, CEO, Chanel Kolhapur, MaharashtraLeena Nair, now the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, became Chanel"s first female and Indian-origin CEO in December 2021. Born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Nair holds a Bachelor"s degree in Electronics and Telecommunication. She earned her MBA from XLRI as a gold medalist.She began her career at Hindustan Unilever as a summer intern in 1992 and left in 2021 as the first female, first Asian, and youngest-ever chief human resources officer. Nair, who joined the French couture-and-beauty icon during a time of transition following Karl Lagerfeld"s death in 2019, is tasked with extending the luxury label"s long-running success while modernising its structures and storytelling.Image by Aaron Chown - WPA Pool / Getty Images
Neal Mohan, CEO, YouTube Born in the US, raised in Lucknow, UPNeal Mohan joined Google when the tech giant acquired DoubleClick in 2007. Before that, he served as a senior analyst at Accenture. At Google, Mohan rose through the ranks to become the senior VP of display and video ads. He became YouTube"s Chief Product Officer in 2015. And later, in 2023, he succeeded Susan Wojcicki as the CEO.Mohan was born in Lafayette, Indiana and spent most of his childhood growing up in the US before moving to India with his family in 1985. In 1992, he moved back to the US and attended Stanford University.Mohan has also worked with Microsoft and sits on the boards of Stitch Fix, genomics, and the now bankrupt biotechnology company 23andMe.Image by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for YouTube
Nikesh Arora, Chairman and CEO, Palo Alto Networks Born in Ghaziabad, Uttar PradeshNikesh Arora was born into an Indian Air Force family, which meant frequent relocations growing up. He earned an electrical engineering degree from IIT-BHU, followed by an MS in finance from Boston College and an MBA from Northeastern University.Arora’s career is marked by massive compensation milestones. He was Google’s highest-paid executive in 2012 with a $51 million package, and later accumulated around $200 million in stock awards. When he joined SoftBank in 2014, speculation swirled around him being Masayoshi Son’s successor. His first-year package there hit $135 million.As per a 2023 Wall Street Journal report, Arora received a $151.4 million compensation at Palo Alto Networks, ranking him as the second-highest-paid CEO in the U.S.Image by Chesnot/Getty Images
Piyush Gupta, Former CEO, DBS Group Born in Meerut, Uttar PradeshPiyush Gupta is credited with transforming DBS Group into one of the world"s best banks. Born in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, Gupta holds a degree in economics from St. Stephen"s College in Delhi and a postgraduate diploma in management from IIM-Ahmedabad.He began his banking career with Citibank India in 1982 and rose through the ranks to become the CEO of Citibank in Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. His tenure at DBS Group began in 2009, when he joined the bank as its CEO. He spent 15 years at the group, spearheading the lender"s journey through various financial markets, including setting up a wholly owned subsidiary in India.He stepped down from his role on March 28, 2025.Image by VCG/VCG via Getty Images
Punit Renjen, CEO (Emeritus), Deloitte Global Born in Rohtak, HaryanaPunit Renjen was born in Rohtak, Haryana, into a family of business owners. At age 14, financial hardship forced him to leave school and help at the family factory. However, he returned to education and earned a Rotary Foundation Scholarship, which enabled him to pursue studies in the US.Renjen received his Master of Management from Willamette University"s Atkinson Graduate School of Management in 1986 and joined Deloitte immediately afterward. Over the decades, he advised global clients on mergers, acquisitions, strategy, and integration efforts.He became the first person of Asian heritage to lead one of the Big Four international professional services firms. In December 2022, Renjen stepped down as CEO and now serves as Global CEO Emeritus.Image by Uwe Anspach/picture alliance via Getty Image
Ravi Kumar S, CEO, Cognizant Born in Berhampur, OdishaRavi Kumar S is one of the newest members of the coveted club of Indian-origin executives leading global tech companies. He was appointed CEO of Cognizant in January 2023, after joining the company in October 2022.Prior to Cognizant, Kumar spent two decades at Infosys, rising to the roles of President and COO. He holds an engineering degree from Shivaji University, Maharashtra, and an MBA from the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar.Early in his career, he worked as a nuclear scientist at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, later transitioning to tech via PricewaterhouseCoopers. His resume also includes stints at Oracle and Publicis Sapient.Image by Elsa/Getty Images
