80 Billion dollar companies have Indian Origin CEOs. Check Them Out.

Silicon Valley has seen an exponential increase in the appointment of executives who are of Indian origin or Indian descent over the past decade. A high standard of education from renowned institutions, dedication, and passion are the few reasons why companies in Silicon Valley prefer Indians to topmost positions.

In addition to Silicon Valley, executives of Indian origin or descent hold prominent positions in various industries in large companies around the world. Not only are Indians represented in executive roles, but there is also a significant number of employees from India in these companies with high valuations.

The technology sector is not the only industry where Indians are making a mark, as they can be found in leadership positions in finance, healthcare, and other fields as well. The Indian diaspora has become a driving force in the global economy, contributing to the success of many top-performing companies across various industries.

According to recent reports, approximately 5% of all public companies valued at $1 billion or more have a CEO who is either of Indian origin or has Indian heritage. Indians hold the CEO position in over 80 public companies with high valuations. The majority of these companies are in the technology sector, accounting for 40% of Indian CEOs. Additionally, 20% of highly valued healthcare companies have India at the helm, while 12% are in financial companies with a valuation above $1 billion.

These statistics highlight the significant contribution of Indians in the global business landscape, with a total market cap of over $4 trillion across the companies where they hold the topmost executive positions. Their expertise and leadership have played a crucial role in the success of these companies, driving growth and innovation across various industries.

The article analyzes several multinational corporations that have individuals of Indian origin or descent in leadership positions.

Micron Technology – Sanjay Mehrotra 

Indian-American business executive Sanjay Mehrotra is the Chief Executive Officer of Micron Technology, an Idaho-based tech company. Micron Technology which specializes in the manufacturing of computer memory and data storage devices such as dynamic random-access memory, flash memory, and USB flash drives has a market cap of $64.39 Billion.

Sanjay Mehrotra who was born in Kanpur, India completed a master’s degree in engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He joined the tech company as CEO and president in April 2017. Under Sanjay’s leadership, the company witnessed an increase in its overall revenue and invented various breakthrough technologies in the semiconductor sector, graphics solutions memories, etc. Since April 2017, the stock price of the company has jumped by more than 110 percent.

IBM — Arvind Krishna

Arvind Krishna is the CEO and chairman of IBM. IBM also known as International Business Machines Corporation, is a multinational technology company based in Armonk, New York. The company provides hardware, software, and services for a wide range of industries. As of February 2023, IBM’s market value is approximately $129 billion. The company’s major businesses include cloud computing, AI and data analytics, blockchain, and quantum computing.

Arvind Krishna, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, India, graduated with a BTech degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 1985. He then pursued a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which he obtained in 1991. In 1990, Krishna started his career at IBM, where he eventually rose to become the CEO in April 2020.

Palo Alto Networks – Nikesh Arora

Palo Alto Networks based in Santa Clara, California is a multinational cybersecurity firm. As of February 2023, the company’s market value is approximately $41 billion. The primary business of Palo Alto Networks is to provide a range of cybersecurity solutions, including advanced firewalls and cloud-based offerings. Nikesh Arora serves as the CEO of the company since June 2018.

Born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, Nikesh Arora is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, BHU. He also holds a degree from Boston College and an MBA from Northeastern University. From October 2014 to June 2016, Arora served as the President of SoftBank Group.

Cadence Design Systems – Anirudh Devgan

Headquartered in San Jose, California, Cadence Design Systems, Inc. is a leading American multinational computational software firm. The company specializes in creating software, hardware, and silicon structures that aid in the design of integrated circuits, printed circuit boards, and systems on chips (SoCs).

Anirudh Devgan has been serving as the President and CEO of Cadence Design Systems since December 15, 2021. Devgan was born and raised in New Delhi and went on to receive his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He joined Cadence Design Systems in 2012 and held several high-level leadership positions before being appointed President in 2017.

ANSYS – Ajei Gopal

ANSYS is an IT company that specializes in developing engineering simulation software. The company’s headquarters is located in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA. As of February 2023, ANSYS has a market cap of approximately $33 billion. ANSYS’s major business involves providing simulation software solutions to a wide range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, and manufacturing. The company was founded in 1970 by John A. Swanson.

Ajei Gopal has been serving as the President and CEO of ANSYS since 2017. Before this, he held the position of President and COO in 2016. Dr. Gopal joined the ANSYS Board of Directors as an independent director in 2011, and he continued to serve in this role until he was appointed to his current position in 2016.

Enphase Energy – Bari Kothandaraman

Enphase Energy is a technology company based in California that focuses on energy solutions. The company specializes in designing and producing software-driven solutions for home energy, including solar generation, energy storage, and web-based monitoring and control. Badri Kothandaraman currently serves as President and CEO of Enphase Energy.

Before joining Enphase as its COO in April 2017, Kothandaraman built a wealth of technical, operational, strategic, and leadership experience during his 21-year tenure at Cypress Semiconductor. With an engineering background, Kothandaraman earned his B. Tech degree from IIT Madras and his M.S. degree in materials science from U.C. Berkeley.

Microchip Technology – Ganesh Moorthy

Zscaler – Jay Chaudhry

San Jose, California-based Zscaler Inc. is a leading global cloud-based cybersecurity company that specializes in providing a wide range of information security services, including web security, Internet security, firewalls, SSL inspection, and sandboxing. The company, which is listed on the NASDAQ exchange, has reported revenues of $1.09 billion.

Jay Chaudhary who was born in a small village in Himachal Pradesh is the Founder and CEO of Zscaler. He, along with K. Kailash, co-founded the cloud-based information security company in 2007. Chaudhary holds a master’s degree in Computer Engineering and Industrial Engineering and an MBA from the University of Cincinnati.

HubSpot – Yamini Rangan

HubSpot based in Cambridge, Massachusetts is a leading inbound marketing, sales, and customer service software platform. The company was founded in 2006 by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah, with aim of helping businesses transform their sales and marketing strategies. HubSpot went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014 and has since become a top-performing stock. As of February 2023, the company has a market capitalization of over $42 billion.

Yamini Rangan is Chief Executive Officer at HubSpot. She previously held the position of Chief Customer Officer and was responsible for managing the marketing, sales, and services teams. With a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering, a Master’s in Computer Engineering, and an MBA from Berkeley, Yamini is highly educated and experienced in the field of computers.

Morningstar – Kunal Kapoor

Morningstar Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is a financial analytics and information provider offering data on around 500,000 securities, investment funds, and stocks. The company’s market capitalization stands at $10.10 billion, with current revenue of $1.85 billion over the last twelve months. Kunal Kapoor assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer in January 2017.

VMware, Inc. is a technology company specializing in cloud computing and virtualization, headquartered in Palo Alto, California. The company was established in 1998 by a group of founders including Diane Greene, Mendel Rosenblum, Scott Devine, Edward Wang, and Edouard Bugnion. With a market capitalization of $49.08 billion and revenue of $13.16 billion, VMware has established itself as a significant player in the tech industry.

Rangarajan Raghuram took over as the CEO of VMware in June 2021, having previously held the position of Chief Operating Officer for Products and Cloud Services at the company.

Alphabet – Sundar Pichai

Alphabet LLC based in Googleplex, Mountain View, California is the parent company of multinational tech giant Google LLC. Alphabet currently holds a market capitalization of $1.178 trillion as of February 2023, positioning it as the world’s fourth most valuable company in terms of market capitalization. In 2022, Alphabet LLC reported revenue of $282.8 billion.

Sundar Pichai who currently serves as the CEO of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary, Google LLC was born in Chennai, India in 1972 and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, and later, a Master’s degree in Material Sciences and Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Pichai joined Google in 2004, where he worked on a number of the company’s products, including the Chrome browser and the Android mobile operating system. He became the CEO of Google in 2015 and later assumed the additional role of CEO of Alphabet Inc. in 2019.

Realty Income – Sumit Roy

Real estate investment trust, Realty Income Corporation, based in San Diego, California is currently headed by Sumit Roy.  The company which was founded in 1969 by William E. Clark and Evelyn J. Clark owns 11,288 properties totaling approximately 213.9 million leasable square feet across the United States, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Since 2018, Mr. Sumit Roy has held the position of Chief Executive Officer at Realty Income Corp. Before this, he worked as a Principal at Capgemini America, Inc., and an Analyst at JWM Partners LLC. Mr. Roy completed his undergraduate degree at Georgia College & State University and obtained a graduate degree from the University of Georgia. He also holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Emerson Electric – Surendralal Karsanbhai

Emerson Electric Co. is a multinational technology and engineering company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The company primarily operates in the industrial automation and commercial & residential solutions markets. As of February 2023, Emerson Electric’s market value stands at approximately $65.6 billion. Lal Karsanbhai is the current CEO of Emerson Electric.

Starting in 1995 as an international planner, Lal Karsanbhai has had a long career with Emerson Electric, spanning 25 years. Throughout his tenure, Karsanbhai has held various positions across different regions, including Europe, Africa, and North America.

Adobe – Shantanu Narayen

Adobe Inc. based in San Jose, California is a multinational computer software company founded by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. As of February 2023, Adobe boasts a market capitalization of $158.77 billion, making it the world’s 67th most valuable company by market capitalization. Based on its latest financial reports, Adobe’s current revenue stands at $17.60 billion.

Shantanu Narayen currently serves as the Chairman, President, and CEO of Adobe Inc. He was born in Hyderabad, India in 1963 and completed his undergraduate degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Osmania University in Hyderabad. Narayen later earned a Master’s in Computer Science from Bowling Green State University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

Narayen joined Adobe in 1998 and has since held various leadership positions, including EVP of Worldwide Products, President and COO, and ultimately, CEO and Chairman. Under his leadership, Adobe has expanded its offerings beyond traditional software to become a leader in cloud-based digital experience solutions.