NI Bureau
From a mere handful a decade ago, the landscape of Indian-origin minds leading top American companies has undergone a remarkable transformation. While names like Indra Nooyi of Pepsi Co, Sundar Pichai of Google, and Satya Nadella of Microsoft once dominated the scene, today, the spotlight shines on a growing roster of Indian-origin talent steering the affairs of major corporations.
- Sanjay Mehrotra
In the realm of highest-paid CEOs in the US, the Indian-origin trailblazers are making their mark. Take Sanjay Mehrotra, the President and CEO of Micron Technology Inc, securing the 51st spot on the list with a staggering $25.3 million salary in 2021. With a distinguished career at SanDisk Corp, where he led the company from its inception in 1988 until its sale in 2016, Sanjay brings over four decades of experience in the semiconductor memory industry to the table. His numerous patents, including those that enable high-capacity flash memory, have left an indelible impact on modern computing.
- Shantanu Narayen
Next in the lineup is Shantanu Narayen, the Indian-American visionary at the helm of software giant Adobe. Ranked 18th among the top CEOs in the US, Shantanu earned a remarkable $36.1 million in 2021. Under his leadership, Adobe has become an industry innovator, revolutionizing creative software with a cloud-based subscription model and setting the global standard for digital documents. His trailblazing efforts have also led to the explosive growth of the digital experience category.
- Arvind Krishna
Arvind Krishna, another prominent Indian-American figure, holds the prestigious position of Chairman and CEO of IBM. With an annual salary of $14.9 million in 2021, Arvind’s 30-year career at IBM has been marked by bold transformations and undeniable business success. His crowning achievement was the groundbreaking $34 billion acquisition of Red Hat, which solidified IBM’s position in the hybrid cloud market.
- Anirudh Devgan
Anirudh Devgan, of Indian origin, commands the role of President and CEO at the software company Cadence. With an impressive $32 million in annual compensation, Anirudh’s journey has seen him hold significant roles at leading organizations like IBM and Magma Design Automation.
- Jay Chaudhry
Rounding off the list is the ingenious Jay Chaudhry, founder and CEO of cloud security powerhouse Zscaler. Garnering a remarkable $41 million in annual compensation, Jay boasts over 25 years of security industry expertise, leaving a lasting impact on engineering, sales, marketing, and management domains.
These remarkable Indian-origin CEOs stand as beacons of success and inspiration, reshaping the corporate landscape and propelling innovation to new heights. As more companies turn to their exceptional talents, the future promises even greater strides in the world of business leadership.
