New York: People of Indian origin are heading the world’s leading information technology and other multi-billion dollar companies, viz The chief executive officers (CEOs) of Alphabet, Microsoft, YouTube, Adobe, and IBM are among the top 20 companies whose have Indian roots, foreign media reported.
Alphabet Inc, the parent company of search engine giant Google and one of the world’s largest corporations, has an Indian chief, Sundar Pichai, who became CEO in 2015 and still heads the technology firm. Pichai was born in India but now resides in the US.
Microsoft Corporation, like Google, is a multinational company with an Indian-born chief, Satya Nadella. He became CEO of the firm in 2014 and still heads the tech giant. Nadella was born in India but now lives in the United States.
YouTube, which is also owned by Google’s parent company, has an Indian-American CEO, Neil Mohan. He became the CEO of YouTube in February 2023 and still heads the entertainment platform. Mohan was the company’s chief product officer before becoming CEO.
Adobe Inc, a multinational software company, has an Indian CEO, Shantanu Narayan. He became the CEO in December 2007 and still heads the company. Prior to his CEO posting, Narayan was the firm’s Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Ajay Banga has been the CEO of the World Bank Group since June 2023. Banga was born in Pune and is one of the biggest corporate names in the world. He was CEO and later Executive Chairman with MasterCard before joining the World Bank Group. IBM has as its CEO Arvind Krishna, who was born in Andhra Pradesh but is now an American citizen. Krishna became the CEO of IBM in April 2020 and was later given the title of Group Chairman in 2021. Albertsons, one of the largest food and drug retail chains in the US, also has an Indian-American CEO, Vivek Sankaran. He became the CEO in April 2019 and continues to serve till date. Prior to joining Albertsons, Sankaran was the CEO of Frito Lease NA, a PepsiCo company. One of the world’s largest IT firms, Infosys Limited, is headed by Salil Parekh, an Indian. He became the CEO of the IT firm in January 2018.
NetApp is an American data infrastructure company with Indian-American CEO George Koren. He was born in Kerala but is now a US citizen. Prior to his appointment as CEO, he served as executive vice president of product operations at NetApp.
Palo Alto Networks is a leading cyber security company led by Nikesh Arora, who has been the CEO since 2018. Prior to Palo Alto Networks, Arora worked as a senior executive with Google, and was president of SoftBank Group.
Jayshree V Alal is the CEO of Arista Networks, an American computer networking company. Ullal is an Indian-born British-American billionaire, who became CEO in October 2008.
Novartis is a pharmaceutical company headed by Indian-origin 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 storage technology firm led by Sanjay Mehrotra. Mehrotra was born in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and has been the CEO since May 2017.
Honeywell International is a Fortune 500 company that manufactures advanced technology products. Vimal Kapoor, an Indian-American, has been its CEO since June 2023 and chairman of the group since June 2024. She was born in India and has been the CEO of the firm since February 2019. Wayfair is an American e-commerce company run by Neeraj Shah. Indian-American Shah co-founded the company in 2002 and has been its CEO ever since. The company sells furniture and home goods online.
Chanel is a luxury brand specializing 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 headed by Indian-American CEO Amrapali Gan. Gan was appointed as the platform’s CEO in December 2021. Prior to the appointment, she served as the company’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer.
Cognizant is an American IT services firm whose CEO is Ravi Kumar S. He is an Indian-American who joined as Chief in January 2023. Along with being the chief of Cognizant, he has been working as an independent director for companies like TransUnion.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company headed by Reshma Kevalramani, who was born in India. She became the CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in April 2020. Before moving to Vertex, he worked for Amgen as a vice president in 2014.
Meanwhile, Apple has appointed Indian-origin Kevin Parekh as its new chief financial officer (CFO) who will also join the executive team at the tech giant, foreign media reported. Current CFO Luca Maestri will step down on January 1, 2025, Apple said in a statement. “For more than a decade, Kevin has been an indispensable member of Apple’s finance leadership team, and he understands the company inside and out,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “His sharp intelligence, wise judgment, and financial acumen make him the perfect choice to be Apple’s next CFO,” they added.
Prior to joining Apple, Parekh held various senior leadership roles at Thomson Reuters and General Motors, where he also had extensive global experience.