As the world’s largest democracy, India has an ever-expanding economy that has witnessed rapid growth in the past decade. The exponential growth of our country and its representation on a global scale can be attributed to certain leaders and entrepreneurs who have placed us on the world map and created a legacy with their work. Leaders such as Ratan Tata, Aditya Birla, Sanjiv Bajaj, and Mukesh Ambani are spearheading political and corporate empires that work as great inspiration for the youth. These individuals serve as the epitome of self-discipline in leadership and have paved the road for aspiring leaders not only in India but globally as well.
Contrary to popular belief, first-generation entrepreneurs and ambitious leaders have as good a chance of making it big as those belonging to established and renowned business families. We have several first-generation professionals who are ruling their respective professional fields and are placed at top positions globally. While it is challenging to name all of them here, we have tried to create a list of disciplined leaders in India.
Ratan Tata
Ratan Tata, the former Chairman of Tata Sons is an Indian industrialist, and philanthropist. From 1990 to 2012, he served as the Chairman of Tata Group. He continues to head the charitable trusts of the group even now. A scion of the Tata family, he joined the Tata Group in 1961 with Tata Steel and has a major role in turning the Tata group from a large India-centric group into a global business. He has played an instrumental role in leading Tata Steel to acquire Corus, Tata Tea to acquire Tetley, and Tata Motors to acquire Jaguar Land Rover. He is the recipient of two of the highest civilian awards in India, the Padma Vibhushan, 2008, and Padma Bhushan, 2000.
Sanjiv Bajaj
Sanjiv Bajaj, is the chairman and managing director of Bajaj Finserv. He is the son of Rahul Bajaj, a famous Indian industrialist, and the younger brother of the Managing Director for Bajaj Auto, Rajiv Bajaj. Sanjiv Bajaj began his career with Bajaj Auto and later took on the role of Managing Director for Bajaj Finserv. His additional roles involve Chairman of Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, Vice Chairman of Bajaj Finance, and the Managing Director of Bajaj Holdings and Investment Limited. He was also elected as the President-Designate of CII for 2021-2022 and is recognised as one of the top NBFC leaders in India. He has several awards to his name including the Transformational Leader Award, E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Business leader of the Year award by ET, and Banker of the Year award.
Rahul Agarwal
Rahul Agarwal, is an Indian investor, advisor, entrepreneur, and leader prominently known for his monumental role as the CEO and Managing Director of Lenovo India from 2015 to 2021. He comes with over 25 years of experience in leading global functions and large P&Ls. He joined the company in 2005 and since then has managed multiple roles such as CMO, Executive Director – Global Marketing Communication, and Executive Director – Commercial Business. Before Lenovo, he also worked with IBM for a while.
Rahul Bajaj
Rahul Bajaj, is an Indian billionaire businessman, philanthropist, and politician. He is the Chairman Emeritus of the Bajaj Group and a Member of Parliament (MP) of the Government of India. In 1965, he started leading the Bajaj Group and served as the leader till 2005. After he stepped down, his sons, Rajiv and Sanjiv Bajaj have been looking after the day-to-day functioning of the conglomerate. Rahul Bajaj was selected as the CII President twice in 1979-1980 and 1999-2000. He was also presented with the CII President’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2017.
Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey
Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey, is an Indian Administrative Officer from the Maharashtra cadre. The many notable positions held by him include Finance Secretary of India, Chief Executive Officer of the Unique Identification Authority of India, and Chairman Good and Services Tax Network, India. He is known for bringing fundamental tax reforms and implementing them through extensive use of technology across the country. He has served at various positions for both the Government of India as well as the Government of Maharashtra.
Pawan Munjal
Pawan Munjal, is the Chairman, Managing Director, and CEO of Hero Motocorp and belongs to the promoter family of the Hero Group. He joined Hero Honda Motors in the early 1980s and went on to become the Managing Director in 2001. He played a crucial role in Hero Honda’s transition to Hero Motocorp and has chaired various apex bodies in the automobile sector in India. Apart from these, he has served as a member of the World Economic Forum and been listed among India’s Top 50 Most Powerful People.
Kushal Pal Singh
Kushal Pal Singh, is the Chairman and CEO of real estate developer DLF Limited and a real estate tycoon in India. He joined the Indian Army by the British Officers Services Selection Board, UK, and in 1951, got commissioned in the Deccan Horse. He then went on to join the American Universal Electric Company, in 1960, which was merged with DLF Universal Limited. In 1979, he took over as the Managing Director of the company along with Chaudhary Raghuvender Singh. He was ranked amongst the richest people in the world by Forbes in 2008. He has won multiple awards including the Decoration of Officer of the Order of St. Charles in 2010, the Padma Bhushan in 2010, the Samman Patra Award in 2000, the Delhi Ratna Award, and the Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2011 at the Asian Awards.
Mukesh Ambani
Mukesh Ambani, is an Indian billionaire businessman and needs no introduction. He serves as the Chairman, Managing Director, and the largest shareholder of Reliance Industries Ltd. Born to Dhirubhai Ambani, Mukesh Ambani joined his father’s business in 1981. With his valuable contributions, Reliance is now a Fortune 500 company with services in petrochemicals, trading, telecommunications, retail, and refining. He has consistently held the position of the richest Indian for the past 10 years according to Forbes magazine. He was appointed as the Director of Bank of America, the first non-American to ever be on the board. He is the recipient of numerous awards for leadership, business, and entrepreneurship. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Baroda in 2010.