Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, has emerged as a top leader in the inaugural HSBC Hurun Global Indians 2024 list, demonstrating exceptional leadership in driving the company’s global success and technological advancement. Nadella took first place with Microsoft’s valuation reaching $3.146 billion. He is closely followed by Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet (Google), and Neil Mohan, CEO of YouTube, whose companies are valued at US$2.107 billion and US$455 billion, respectively. Collectively, the top 10 CEOs own a staggering 73% of the total value listed on the list, underscoring their significant influence.
The debut of the HSBC Hurun Global Indians 2024 list highlights the remarkable achievements of Indian-origin leaders who run the world’s most valuable companies. It highlights the crucial role of the Indian diaspora in influencing the global economic landscape. This list includes 226 people from 200 companies with a combined value of $10 trillion, and underscores their extraordinary impact across industries.
Top 10 most influential Indians in the world
- Satya Nadella (Microsoft) – US$3.146 billion
- Sundar Pichai (Alphabet) – US$2.107 billion
- Neil Mohan (YouTube) – $455 billion
- Thomas Kurian (Google Cloud) – $353 billion
- Shantanu Narain (Adobe) – $231 billion
- Sanjeev Lamba (Lindi) – US$222 trillion
- Vasant Narasimhan (Novartis) – US$216 billion
- Arvind Krishna (IBM) – $208 billion
- Vimal Kapoor (Honeywell International) – US$152 billion
- Kevin Lobo (Stryker) – US$149 billion
Notable individuals on the list include Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud; Shantanu Narain, Chairman and CEO, Adobe; and Vasant Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis. These leaders have been at the forefront of driving innovation in technology and healthcare within their companies. In an increasingly digital world, it is noteworthy that 93 AI companies are led by leaders of Indian origin.
Key points:
The list revealed a clear dominance of the software and services sector, with 87 individuals ranked first, followed by the financial services and healthcare industries. It is worth noting that 73% of the total value on the list is concentrated among the top 10 Indians in the world.
San Francisco stands out as the city with the most entries, with 37 people residing there. London and Dubai also leave their mark with 8 and 6 entries respectively.
On average, the individuals included in the 2024 Hurun World Indian List are 56 years old, underscoring the wealth of experience and expertise that supports their leadership roles.
In addition to the tech giants, Neha Narkhede of Confluent, Anjali Sood of Tubi, Yamini Ranjan of Hubspot, and Leena Nair of Chanel are among the female leaders who are making a significant impact. Collectively, they oversee companies with a combined value of US$436 billion, exceeding Malaysia’s GDP.
The diverse group of leaders of Indian origin highlights the dynamism of entrepreneurship, coming from regions such as Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Kerala and Maharashtra. These companies are based in global centers including the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.