The Most Famous

BUSINESSPEOPLE from India

This page contains a list of the greatest Indian Businesspeople. The pantheon dataset contains 847 Businesspeople, 20 of which were born in India. This makes India the birth place of the 8th most number of Businesspeople behind Russia, and China.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Indian Businesspeople of all time. This list of famous Indian Businesspeople is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Indian Businesspeople.

1. Lakshmi Mittal (b. 1950)

With an HPI of 61.03, Lakshmi Mittal is the most famous Indian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 52 different languages on wikipedia.

Lakshmi Niwas Mittal (Hindi: [ˈləkʃmi nɪˈʋaːs ˈmɪtːəl] ; born 15 June 1950 in Sadulpur, Rajasthan, India) is an Indian steel magnate, based in the United Kingdom. He is the executive chairman of ArcelorMittal, the world's second largest steelmaking company, as well as chairman of stainless steel manufacturer Aperam. Mittal owns 38% of ArcelorMittal and holds a 3% stake in EFL Championship side Queens Park Rangers. In 2005, Forbes ranked Mittal as the third-richest person in the world, making him the first Indian citizen to be ranked in the top ten in the publication's annual list of the world's richest people. He was ranked the sixth-richest person in the world by Forbes in 2011, but dropped to 82nd place in March 2015, and only to 130th by October 2024. He is also the "57th-most powerful person" of the 72 individuals named in Forbes' "Most Powerful People" list for 2015. His daughter Vanisha Mittal's wedding (in 2005) was the second-most expensive in recorded history. Mittal has been a member of the board of directors of Goldman Sachs since 2008. He sits on the World Steel Association's executive committee, and is a member of the Global CEO Council of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Foreign Investment Council in Kazakhstan, the World Economic Forum's International Business Council, and the European Round Table of Industrialists. He is also a member of the board of trustees of the Cleveland Clinic. In 2005, The Sunday Times named him "Business Person of 2006", the Financial Times named him "Person of the Year", and Time magazine named him "International Newsmaker of the Year 2006". In 2007, Time magazine included him in their "Time 100" list.

2. Jamsetji Tata (1839 - 1904)

With an HPI of 57.16, Jamsetji Tata is the 2nd most famous Indian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 52 different languages.

Sir Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata (also spelled Jamsetji; 3 March 1839 – 19 May 1904) was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Tata Group, India's biggest conglomerate company. He established the city of Jamshedpur. Born into a Zoroastrian Parsi family in Navsari, his family came from Persia (Iran), finding refuge in India. Despite coming from a family of priests, Tata broke tradition to become the first businessman in his family, establishing an export trading firm in Mumbai. He graduated from Elphinstone College in Mumbai as a "Green Scholar." After working in his father's export-trading firm and recognizing opportunities in the cotton industry during a business trip to China, Tata founded a trading company in 1868. He later ventured into the textile industry and established Empress Mill in Nagpur, afterwards purchasing a bankrupt oil mill in Mumbai and converting it into a cotton mill. Tata's innovative strategies and commitment to industrial development in India led him to establish key institutions and companies, including the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, which was India's first hotel with electricity, and made significant contributions towards the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science, Tata Steel, and Tata Power. He was so influential in the world of industry that Jawaharlal Nehru referred to Tata as a One-Man Planning Commission. Tata was a philanthropist, particularly in the fields of education and healthcare. His donations and foundations laid the groundwork for modern Indian industry and philanthropy. Tata's legacy includes the city of Jamshedpur, named in his honor, and a lasting impact on India's industrial and social landscape. He married Hirabai Daboo, and their sons, Dorabji Tata and Ratanji Tata, continued his legacy within the Tata Group. Tata's contributions were recognized posthumously, including being ranked first in the "Hurun Philanthropists of the Century" (2021) by total donations of $102.4 billion (in 2021 prices) with the start of his key endowments back in 1892.

3. Ratan Tata (1937 - 2024)

With an HPI of 56.54, Ratan Tata is the 3rd most famous Indian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 39 different languages.

Ratan Naval Tata (28 December 1937 – 9 October 2024) was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist. He served as the chairman of Tata Group and Tata Sons from 1991 to 2012 and he held the position of interim chairman from October 2016 to February 2017. In 2000, he received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour in India, followed by the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second highest civilian honour, in 2008. Ratan Tata was the son of Naval Tata, who was adopted by Ratanji Tata, son of Jamshedji Tata, the founder of the Tata Group. He graduated from Cornell University College of Architecture with a bachelor's degree in architecture. He had also attended the Harvard Business School (HBS) Advanced Management program in 1975. He joined the Tata Group in 1962, starting on the shop floor of Tata Steel. He later succeeded J. R. D. Tata as chairman of Tata Sons upon the latter's retirement in 1991. During his tenure, the Tata Group acquired Tetley, Jaguar Land Rover, and Corus, in an attempt to turn Tata from a largely India-centric group into a global business. Throughout his life, Tata invested in over 40 start-ups, primarily in a personal capacity, with additional investments through his firm, RNT Capital Advisors.

4. Dhirubhai Ambani (1932 - 2002)

With an HPI of 55.62, Dhirubhai Ambani is the 4th most famous Indian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 45 different languages.

Dhirajlal Hirachand "Dhirubhai" Ambani (28 December 1932 – 6 July 2002) was an Indian billionaire businessman who founded Reliance Industries in 1958. Ambani took Reliance public in 1977. In 2016, he was honoured posthumously with the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour for his contributions to trade and industry. Ambani faced numerous accusations of market manipulation, tax evasion, and cronyism.

5. Sundar Pichai (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 52.79, Sundar Pichai is the 5th most famous Indian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 57 different languages.

Pichai Sundararajan (born June 10, 1972), better known as Sundar Pichai, is an Indian-born American business executive. He is the chief executive officer of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google. Pichai began his career as a materials engineer. Following a short stint at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Co., Pichai joined Google in 2004, where he led the product management and innovation efforts for a suite of Google's client software products, including Google Chrome and ChromeOS, as well as being largely responsible for Google Drive. In addition, he went on to oversee the development of other applications such as Gmail and Google Maps. In 2010, Pichai also announced the open-sourcing of the new video codec VP8 by Google and introduced the new video format, WebM. The Chromebook was released in 2012. In 2013, Pichai added Android to the list of Google products that he oversaw. Pichai was selected to become the next CEO of Google on August 10, 2015, after previously being appointed chief product officer by then CEO Larry Page. On October 24, 2015, he stepped into the new position at the completion of the formation of Alphabet Inc., the new holding company for the Google company family. He was appointed to the Alphabet Board of Directors in 2017.

6. Akshata Murty (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 52.58, Akshata Murty is the 6th most famous Indian Businessperson. Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Akshata Narayana Murty (born 25 April 1980) is an Indian heiress, businesswoman, fashion designer, and venture capitalist. She is the wife of former prime minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak and the daughter of N. R. Narayana Murthy, a founder of the Indian multinational IT company Infosys, and Sudha Murty. She holds a 0.93 percent stake in Infosys, along with shares in several other British businesses. Since 2009, she has been married to Rishi Sunak, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Conservative Party from 2022 to 2024. He also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022 in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's cabinet, as well as Leader of the Opposition from July to November 2024. According to the Sunday Times Rich List, Murty and Sunak hold the 245th rank for the richest people in Britain as of 2024, with a combined wealth of £651 million (US$827 million). In 2022, her personal wealth became the topic of British media discussion in the context of her claim of non-domiciled status, an arrangement seen as benefiting the "super rich." Murty later voluntarily renounced the fiscal benefits from her non-domiciled status.

7. Satya Nadella (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 52.01, Satya Nadella is the 7th most famous Indian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 49 different languages.

Satya Narayana Nadella (; born 19 August 1967) is an Indian-born American business executive who is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Microsoft, succeeding Steve Ballmer in 2014 as CEO and John W. Thompson in 2021 as chairman. Before becoming CEO, he was the executive vice president of Microsoft's cloud and enterprise group, responsible for building and running the company's computing platforms.

8. Azim Premji (b. 1945)

With an HPI of 50.05, Azim Premji is the 8th most famous Indian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Azim Hashim Premji (born 24 July 1945) is an Indian businessman and philanthropist, who was the chairman of Wipro Limited. Premji remains a non-executive member of the board and founder chairman. He is informally known as the Czar of the Indian IT Industry. He was responsible for guiding Wipro through four decades of diversification and growth, to finally emerge as one of the global leaders in the software industry. In 2010, he was voted among the 20 most powerful men in the world by Asiaweek. He has twice been listed among the 100 most influential people by Time magazine, once in 2004 and more recently in 2011. For years, he has been regularly listed one among The 500 Most Influential Muslims. He also serves as the Chancellor of Azim Premji University, Bangalore. Premji was awarded Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, by the Government of India. According to the Forbes and Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Premji's net worth is estimated at $14.3 billion and $35.9 billion, respectively, as of December 2024. In 2013, he agreed to give away at least half of his wealth by signing the Giving Pledge. Premji started with a $2.2 billion donation to the Azim Premji Foundation, focused on education in India. He topped the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List for 2020. In 2019, he dropped from the 2nd position in the Forbes India Rich list to 17th position after giving away a huge amount to charity. In December 2024, Premji was ranked 19th on the Forbes list of India’s 100 richest tycoons, with a net worth of $32.2 billion.

9. N. R. Narayana Murthy (b. 1946)

With an HPI of 50.00, N. R. Narayana Murthy is the 9th most famous Indian Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy (born 20 August 1946) is an Indian billionaire businessman. He is one of the seven co-founders of Infosys, and has previously served as the chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), president, and chief mentor of the company before retiring and taking the title chairman emeritus. As of August 2024, his net worth was estimated to be $5.1 billion, making him the 606th richest person in the world according to Forbes. Murthy is the father-in-law of Rishi Sunak, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2022 to 2024. As per Forbes list of India’s 100 richest tycoons, dated 9 October 2024, N.R. Narayana Murthy is ranked 62nd with a net worth of $5.3 Billion. Murthy was born and raised in Shidlaghatta, Karnataka. Murthy first worked at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, as chief systems programmer, and Patni Computer Systems in Pune, Maharashtra. He founded Infosys in 1981 and was the CEO from 1981 to 2002, as well as the chairman from 2002 to 2011. In 2011, he stepped down from the board and became the chairman emeritus. In June 2013, Murthy was appointed as the executive chairman for a period of five years. Murthy has been listed among the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time by Fortune magazine. He has been described as the "father of the Indian IT sector" by Time magazine and CNBC for his contribution to outsourcing in India. In 2005, he co-chaired the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Murthy has been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan and Padma Shri awards.

10. Indra Nooyi (b. 1955)

With an HPI of 47.73, Indra Nooyi is the 10th most famous Indian Businessperson. Her biography has been translated into 39 different languages.

Indra Nooyi (née Krishnamurthy; born October 28, 1955) is an Indian-born American business executive who was the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of PepsiCo from 2006 to 2018. Nooyi has consistently ranked among the world's 100 most powerful women. In 2014, she was ranked at number 13 on the Forbes list, and the second most powerful woman on the Fortune list in 2015 and 2017. She sits on the boards of Amazon and the International Cricket Council, among other organizations.

People

Pantheon has 31 people classified as Indian businesspeople born between 1794 and 1984. Of these 31, 22 (70.97%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Indian businesspeople include Lakshmi Mittal, Sundar Pichai, and Akshata Murty. The most famous deceased Indian businesspeople include Jamsetji Tata, Ratan Tata, and Dhirubhai Ambani. As of April 2024, 10 new Indian businesspeople have been added to Pantheon including Akshata Murty, Dwarkanath Tagore, and Ajay Banga.