India@75: From Leena Nair To Parag Agrawal, Why Do Indian CEO’s Make It Big On Global Stage

They are a force to be reckoned with and have certainly made headlines by making it big on the global map. Wit, skill, sheer talent and the ability to stand out -- you name it and Indians have it. Indians have certainly come a long way in making their mark on the global map. Some of these have gone out to represent leading brands across the world. 

It was only recently in March 2022 when Raj Subramaniam joined the list of Indian-origin CEOs heading global giants. He took charge as the CEO of FedEx. Leena Nair is another Indian-origin CEO to have made her mark when she was appointed as the first woman and youngest CEO of Chanel in December 2021. 

For decades now, Indians have been playing an important role in the global landscape. From tech experts making their name heard across the silicon valley to tycoons running successful conglomerates, Indians are ruling the world -- and rightly so. 

Sundar Pichai, the top boss at Alphabet, Satya Nadella, chairman at Microsoft Parag Agrawal, CEO of Twitter, all of India-origin, prove that Indian talent has gone places. The list goes on and on with the likes of Jayshree Ullal, Arvind Krishna, Shantanu Narayen, Anjali Sud, Sanjay Mehrotra among others. 

The representatives of IBM, Adobe, Palo Alto Networks, VMWare, Vimeo, and Pepsico are all of Indian descent. In fact, Time Magazine has quoted that Indians are scaling corporate heights almost everywhere in the world. 

While this is a testament to how far India has come and what it can do, here’s why we need to be proud of the illustrious journey of these Indian-origin CEOs and leaders. Here is what sets them apart.

Diversity

India is considered a multicultural environment. It is believed that Indian CEOs are relatively comfortable with the diversity of all sorts. Indians grow up in an atmosphere where diversity with respect to the languages spoken, faiths believed and political opinion is a given. What most multinational corporations look for is someone who can adapt to multicultural settings. Indian managers turn out to be more adaptable to new settings. 

Ability to manoeuvre through hard times

Sundar Pichai’s father spent his year's salary on Pichai’s plane ticket to the US so that he could attend Stanford. It was Pichai’s first time on a plane. Pichai even grew up without much access to technology. This isn’t all. Lakshmi Mittal, an Indian steel magnate, based in the United Kingdom lived in a rented apartment in Kolkata’s Chitpur from where he reached London’s Kensington Palace Gardens. In fact, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, revived the company from some of its failed strategies. 

Change, uncertainty, and disruption are just some of the adversities Indians brave on a regular basis as compared to people from most other countries, and while lack of resources might have caused a constraint in their respective journeys, they have been able to emerge stronger and thrive. 

Competitiveness

Almost 140 Crore. India has a huge population. This means that Indians face a strong competition from people who come from all walks of life. This essentially prepares Indians and they end up having an edge over others in an array of streams. Whether it is getting into a good school or finding a first job, Indians have always taken these things extremely important. Being able to triumph through this intense competition prepares leaders to manage their companies in a way no one else can. 

A well-known example is a competition to gain entrance into the country's pre-eminent engineering schools, the Indian Institute of Technology, or IITs, whose alumni include Arvind Krishna of IBM and Sundar Pichai of Google. In 2018, more than 1 million students took a nationwide entrance exam to get one of 12,000 seats offered by 23 IITs in the country.

Communication

A leader shall be able to communicate their ideas to be able to achieve a set objective and set the strategy in line. India has always had a multi-linguistic culture and they have been able to inculcate the same. They have a unique relationship with language. Most Indians do not see a lack of fluency as a hindrance to good communication, which is a must if you have to lead a company.

This article is in line with our special series, ‘India @75’, a series that highlights 75 stories about India as it completes 75 years of independence. The series takes a special look at historical achievements, revolutionary ideas, and path-breaking innovations in Independent India. To watch our special videos