India’s Most Prominent Business Leaders 2024
Having an inspiring leader at the helm is something that all stakeholders, including investors, customers, and employees, want. If you are an aspiring entrepreneur and want to thrive in the future, you must take inspiration from the prominent business leaders who are leading their business ventures successfully while creating a distinctive stance in their domain.
This article is crafted to focus on the list of business leaders in India, driving revolutionary growth with an unwavering dedication to flourish. These pioneers, through their unwavering commitment, have not only taken their businesses to a higher level but have also become beacons of inspiration for aspiring future leaders.
1. Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Group
Renowned for dynamic leadership and the richest business leader in India, Ratan Tata is also the most-followed Indian industrialist. Further, he is widely considered the best brand ambassador in India. He successfully led Tata Sons, the Tata Group’s parent business, for 20 years before retiring in 2012. The company saw an immense rise in revenue under his leadership.
When it comes to making investments, he is bold, intelligent, and small, and he never steers away from taking calculated risks. The success of Tata Group can be attributed in large part to his willingness to take risks. An estimate of Ratan Tata’s net worth is $1 billion. He has received multiple honors for his business and charitable endeavors, including the nation’s second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008.
2. Azim Premji, Founder and Chairman of Wipro
Azim Premji, known as India’s IT emperor and one of the most generous people in the nation, is among the best business leaders in India. He led the IT major for more than 55 years, turning it from a company that produced vegetable oil into the country’s third-largest IT corporation, after TCS and Infosys, with operations spanning 50 nations.
In 2019, after more than 50 years as the company’s head, Azim retired and gave his son Rishad Premji control of the business. Now seventy-eight, he serves as founder chairman and a non-executive member of the board. In addition to his extraordinary success, Azim is well-known in the philanthropic community and has contributed a sizable portion of his fortune—worth an astounding US$21 billion—to the Azim Premji Foundation.
3. Gautam Adani, Founder and Chairman, Adani Group
First-generation entrepreneur Gautam Adani has been in the business world for a long time and holds a distinctive mark in the business leadership league. He founded and serves as chairman of the Adani Group, one of the top three industrial conglomerates in India.
Adani has expanded over the course of 35 years since the group’s foundation in 1988 to become a US$243 billion multinational with operations in the energy, ports, logistics, mining, gas, defense, and airport sectors. In the last 60 years, the inspiring business leader has made huge investments in renewable energy, putting his money where his mouth is. His latest goal is to position India as one of the major leaders in sustainable energy. Adani’s total net worth is US$5.3 billion. Apart from being a successful businessman, he is generous too; his Foundation supports projects throughout India in the areas of community development, sustainable livelihoods, healthcare, and education.
4. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman Aditya Birla Group
The US$60 billion Aditya Birla Group is managed by Kumar Mangalam Birla, a man with great business lea dership ethics. Kumar Mangalam Birla, the fourth-generation leader of the Indian multinational with operations spanning 36 countries and six continents, is the Chairman of Aditya Birla Group.
Over his nearly thirty years in leadership, Kumar has increased the group’s turnover by more than thirty times to US$60 billion, accelerated growth, improved stakeholder value, diversified into new industries, and broadened the company’s global reach. Additionally, he was the brains behind the group’s more than 40 profitable acquisitions abroad and in India. In addition to holding prominent roles on numerous professional and regulatory boards, such as the Prime Minister of India’s Advisory Council on Trade and Industry, Kumar has written extensively about corporate governance in the nation.
5. R. Narayana Murthy, Infosys’ co-founder
Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy is a legendary co-founder and former chairman of Infosys, whose name has been associated with the worldwide success of Indian software experts. He has been honored with numerous business leadership awards, such as the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Shri. He is well regarded throughout India for his morality, personal conduct, and modest way of life. His vision and leadership have revolutionized the corporate world in terms of entrepreneurship and creativity. In addition to being a trustee of the Infosys Science Foundation, he is a trustee of the Murty Foundation and Murty Trust. In addition to his keen economic sense, he also cares deeply about the nation’s social upliftment problems.
6. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and MD of Reliance Industries
The most popular name on the business leader list, Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani, is the richest business leader in India because he possesses the ideal combination of perseverance, hard work, and a burning desire to explore new opportunities. But contrary to popular belief, he did not have an easy life because his father, Dhirubhai Ambani, was still building the groundwork for Reliance Industries.
Mukesh Ambani, one of the most renowned business magnates in India, is the face of Indian business, embodying the new-age personas that are adopting inventive concepts and redefining the notion of company. Its efforts to support grassroots sports earned it the esteemed Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Award in 2017.
7. Dilip Shanghvi, Founder of Sun Pharma
Dilip Shanghvi, a self-made billionaire in Asia and one of the richest people in the nation, is a major player in the Indian healthcare sector. Sun Pharma has expanded significantly under his direction in terms of global takeovers and acquisitions of other businesses. It has been quite an adventure to watch out for him on his rapid ascent! His working style is described by insiders as “democratic” and “consultative,” which has actually assisted him in coming up with novel ideas that have been the talking point of his career.
In 2016, he received the Padma Shri, a civilian accolade. Dilip Shanghvi, together with his spouse Vibha D. Shanghvi, actively supports a number of charitable organizations, and they donate millions to such organizations.
8. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar, Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
Renowned scientist Dr. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar earned the title “The Warrior of Haldighati” for spearheading the legal challenge against US patents on turmeric, neem, and basmati rice. Having amassed a network of thirty-eight laboratories employing over 20,000 people, Dr. Mashelkar has made countless contributions that have motivated millions of Indians. One of his greatest contributions to Indian science and technology is the drive he took to turn CSIR into a user-focused, performance-driven, and responsible organization.
In addition to becoming the first scientist to get the JRD Tata Corporate Fellowship, he is only the third Indian engineer to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), UK, and numerous other business leader awards in 2024.
9. Shiv Nadar, Founder of HCL Technologies
Shiv Nadar, founder of HCL Technologies and the well-known Shiv Nadar Foundation, is an Indian billionaire industrialist and one of the top business leaders of the 21st century. When he founded HCL in the 1970s, he totally turned it into an IT corporation. For his services to the IT industry, he was even awarded the Padma Bhushan Award. In just thirty years, he entirely changed his company. As per the Forbes article, Shiv holds the third position on the Indian wealth list and ranks 50th globally. In addition to revolutionizing the IT sector, this business magnate focused on education, founding an engineering college in South India and naming it in his late father’s honor.
10. Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group
One of the most prominent corporate figures in India who adheres to the principles of effective leadership is the Chairman of the Mahindra Group. He believes that the capacity to empathize with others and put oneself in their position makes someone a genuine and effective leader. A young novice who is about to embark on his first business venture may find inspiration in Anand Gopal Mahindra’s path and achievements. In addition to being a successful businessman, he founded the non-governmental organization “Nanhi Kali” in 1996 and campaigned to promote the value of girls’ education.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a business leader?
A business leader is referred to as a guide for an organization’s workforce toward success as a whole. Three primary duties are associated with leadership in the business world: 1) goal-setting, 2) decision-making, and 3) personnel management.
Who is a good business leader?
An individual is considered a good leader with the following attributes: empathy, bravery, delegation, and learning agility, or the capacity to take things up fast and use them in moments of need.
What are business leadership skills?
The term “business leadership” describes how people decide, create objectives, and give guidance in a formal setting. Though it can take many different forms, business leadership often consists of a CEO or other high-ranking staff member directing and motivating the team as a whole.
How many businessmen are there in India?
India comes on the third position, with about 167 people around the globe having the renowned status of billionaires.
