By Miloš Stevanović and Božana Simić

Indian Managers at the Helm of Global Giants

It used to be said that it was impossible to become the CEO of a major American company if you were from India. This anecdote was humorously reversed last year by Eric Garcetti, former U.S. Ambassador to New Delhi, who stated: “Now it’s a joke that you can’t become a CEO in America if you’re not Indian.”

Indeed, over the past few decades, we have witnessed the impressive rise of business elites of Indian origin on the global stage. Satya Nadella now leads Microsoft, Sundar Pichai heads Google, Leena Nair manages the fashion giant Chanel, Raj Subramaniam pilots FedEx, and until last year, Laxman Narasimhan led Starbucks.

According to Fortune magazine, 11 companies from the latest Fortune 500 list are led by CEOs of Indian origin, collectively managing a market value of over $6.5 trillion. And this is just the tip of the iceberg – across various sectors, there are dozens of global companies where Indians hold executive positions.

Some of the most notable companies led by Indians include Microsoft (Nadella), Alphabet/Google (Pichai), YouTube (Mohan), Adobe (Narayen), World Bank Group (Banga), IBM (Krishna), Albertsons (Sankaran), Infosys (Parekh), NetApp (Kurian), Palo Alto Networks (Arora), Arista Networks (Ullal), Novartis (Narasimhan), Micron Technology (Mehrotra), Honeywell (Kapur), Flex (Advaithi), Wayfair (Shah), Chanel (Nair), OnlyFans (Gan), Motorola Mobility (Jha), and Cognizant (Kumar).

This clearly demonstrates how influential the Indian diaspora is today in global business.

From Pioneers to a Global Trend

The rise of Indians to the top of global companies occurred gradually, then almost exponentially. The first CEO of Indian origin in a Fortune 500 company was Ramani Ayer in 1997, taking the helm of insurance giant The Hartford.

A few years later, Indra Nooyi made history as the first Indian woman to lead a Fortune 100 company – appointed CEO of PepsiCo in 2006.

Ajay Banga then assumed the role of CEO of Mastercard in 2010, solidifying a pattern that would repeat increasingly in the following years.

Today, veterans like Nooyi and Banga act as mentors to a new generation – both continued their careers in expanded roles (Banga became World Bank President in 2023), while simultaneously providing support and guidance to emerging leaders.

In the early stages of this trend, many tried to explain the success of Indian CEOs through cultural traits. For example, at a 2022 panel, banker Piyush Gupta offered the H.A.T. formula – hunger, adaptability, tenacity. Investor Prem Watsa emphasized family values and a democratic spirit, while entrepreneur Shobana Kamineni highlighted the entrepreneurial drive developed through facing challenges.

However, Newsweek decided to give a scientific basis to these claims. In collaboration with consulting firm ghSMART, they analyzed the career paths and traits of hundreds of leaders of Indian origin. The results showed that these leaders are five times more likely to take calculated risks, nearly six times more willing to accept major challenges, and three times more likely to exhibit exceptional resilience and systematic thinking compared to the average.

In other words, what modern business needs most – the ability to navigate complexity – Indians have in abundance. The study also confirmed a pronounced ability to proactively adapt to new circumstances, which is crucial for success at the top.

Key to Success: Adaptability Built in Chaos

What lies behind these impressive abilities? One of the most frequently cited factors is the unique experience of growing up and being educated in India. Multimillion cities with congested traffic, a huge population (over 1.4 billion people), hundreds of languages and dialects, complex bureaucracy, and unpredictable political turns – all make everyday life in India extremely complex.

This innate environmental complexity forged generations accustomed to uncertainty and constant change. Ravi Kumar, CEO of Cognizant, explains that growing up in India meant learning to navigate chaos daily: “I grew up surrounded by constant chaos and uncertainty. If you learn to drive in India, you can drive anywhere in the world!”

In other words, what is an obstacle for others is a school of life for Indians. Many Indian leaders spent their formative years navigating continuous change. Their success, as Newsweek noted, was not achieved despite the Indian “chaos” – but precisely because they learned to thrive within it.

The education system and culture also play a significant role. India prides itself on some of the toughest university entrance exams in the world and top technical institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). Competition for admission to IIT involves hundreds of thousands of candidates, of which only a small percentage succeed. Such “survival of the fittest” in academics shapes experts with exceptional work ethic and passion for learning.

The Art of Multicultural Leadership

Beyond personal skills, Indian CEOs excel in leading organizations in culturally diverse environments. Companies under their leadership span dozens of countries and markets – from the U.S. and Europe to Asia and Africa – which means a leader must balance multiple cultures, consumer habits, and expectations of employees and shareholders.

Indian managers develop this ability at home. Growing up in a society of significant differences – various languages, religions, traditions – they learned to “manage different types of people simultaneously,” as banker Piyush Gupta describes.

This cross-cultural intelligence proved invaluable when they took over global brands. For instance, leading Starbucks in over 80 countries or the iconic fashion house Chanel from Paris – both were successfully managed by Laxman Narasimhan and Leena Nair as CEOs.

The common denominator among these leaders is the ability to build coalitions and balance the interests of different stakeholders. Unlike the charismatic founders of the past who could impose their will, a modern CEO must reconcile the demands of shareholders, employees, customers, and communities.

Indian executives excel here. Research shows they are 1.4 times more successful than average in customer orientation and systematically analyzing market needs (intuition). Their leadership style is often inclusive and long-term. Ravi Kumar of Cognizant advises: “I truly believe that progress lies in diversity. Surround yourself with people who are not like you and learn to work with those you disagree with.”

In other words, growth and innovation are born from heterogeneity – from the collision of different ideas and the collaboration of talented people from diverse backgrounds. This patient, cooperative approach may lack the theatricality of some Western “superstar” management styles but has proven highly effective in navigating complex global systems.

Impact on Global Business and Looking Ahead

The phenomenon of Indian leaders at the top of global business is not just a series of isolated success stories – it has changed corporate leadership standards themselves. It once seemed unimaginable for an Indian to lead an American mega-corporation; today, it is a new reality.

“People came and made a huge difference,” says Garcetti, alluding to the significant contribution of Indian professionals. Collectively, they have proven that operational excellence and vision have no boundaries or nationality. They have shown that building consensus and long-term trust delivers more sustainable progress than relying on mere charisma or short-term goals.

Of course, the question remains how this trend will evolve in the future. China now educates more engineers annually than India, and automation threatens to reduce the need for some traditional technical roles. Yet Indian leaders are already adapting to the new reality – they excel in moving from technical to strategic positions, combining deep technological understanding with people management skills.

Such a profile will become increasingly sought after as companies need visionaries who understand both digital transformation and complex social relations. Garcetti’s joke that soon “every CEO will be Indian” may be exaggerated, but its point remains: Indians have left an indelible mark on global business through talent, knowledge, and hard work.

Their success is inspiring, and their leadership style – based on flexibility, innovation, and inclusivity – is increasingly the gold standard that companies worldwide aspire to.

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