Donald Trump’s biggest miscalculation while imposing the highest tariff to bully India was to underestimate the strength of the Indian diaspora, which is one of the most affluent, educated, and influential communities in the USA.
Here’s the second part of the list of prominent Indian origin individuals who matter in different walks of life in the USA as of today:
Also Read: 50 Indians who matter in different walks of life in USA #1
26. Sundar Pichai — Alphabet (Google)
Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google. Born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, in 1972, he studied Metallurgical Engineering at IIT Kharagpur before shifting to the USA. In 2004, Pichai joined Google, where he contributed to the development of Google Chrome, the world’s most popular web browser, as well as other key products like Gmail, Google Maps, and Android. In 2015, he was appointed CEO of Google. Four years later, he succeeded Larry Page and Sergey Brin as CEO of Alphabet, following their step back from daily operations.
27. Satya Nadella — Chairman and CEO, Microsoft
Born in Hyderabad, India, in 1967, Satya Nadella joined Microsoft in 1992, where he developed Microsoft’s money-spinning cloud computing platform, Azure. He was appointed CEO in 2014 and helped Microsoft regain its status as one of the world’s most valuable companies. In 2021, he also became Chairman of the Board and has been the guiding spirit behind Microsoft’s market leadership in AI, gaming, and enterprise solutions.
28. Ajay Banga — President of the World Bank
Born in Pune, India, in 1959, Ajay Banga did his graduation from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad before joining Nestlé. He later moved to Citigroup, where he headed international consumer operations. In 2010, he became CEO of Mastercard and transformed it from a payments processor to a technology-driven financial services company. In 2023 Banga was appointed President of the World Bank and now leads global efforts to address poverty, climate change, and sustainable development financing. His leadership is marked by a commitment to public-private partnerships and economic inclusion.
29. Arvind Krishna — Chairman and CEO of IBM
Born in West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, 63-year-old Arvind Krishna joined IBM in 1990, where he was one of the key strategists behind a $34 billion deal to acquire Red Hat, which strengthened IBM’s position in the hybrid cloud market. In April 2020, he was appointed CEO and eight months later named Chairman of the Board in January 2021. Known for his far-sighted leadership and technical knowledge, he aims to position IBM as a leader in next-generation enterprise solutions.
30. Shantanu Narayen — Chairman and CEO of Adobe Inc.
Born in Hyderabad, India, in 1963, Shantanu Narayen completed his bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Osmania University before migrating to the USA for further studies. In 1998, Shantanu joined Adobe as Senior Vice President and rose through the hierarchy to become CEO in 2007. Under his leadership, Adobe transformed from a traditional software company selling products like Photoshop and Acrobat into a market leader in creative software and digital experiences. Narayen has been featured on numerous “Most Influential Leaders” lists and is credited with steering Adobe to record revenues and market capitalization.
31. Neal Mohan — CEO of YouTube
Born in Lucknow, India, in 1975, Neal Mohan earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA before joining Google in 2008, where he was instrumental in the product management for YouTube, overseeing the development of new features, monetization models, and content moderation systems. In February 2023, he was appointed CEO of YouTube. His immediate priority now is to ensure YouTube remains the world’s largest video-sharing platform.
32. Laxman Narasimhan — CEO of Starbucks
Laxman Narasimhan is the Chief Executive Officer of Starbucks, the world’s largest coffeehouse chain. Born in Pune, India, in 1967, Laxman began his career at McKinsey & Company, where he worked for nearly two decades before joining PepsiCo as the Chief Commercial Officer and Reckitt Benckiser as CEO. In March 2023, Narasimhan succeeded Starbucks founder Howard Schultz as CEO after an extensive six-month training as a barista (sort of bartender, who prepares and serves coffee drinks) to understand the customer preferences and get first-hand experience of the Company’s operations.
33. Leena Nair — Global CEO of Chanel
Born in Kolhapur, India, in 1969, Leena Nair studied Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering before doing an MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur. Leena Nair started her career at Unilever, where she spent over 30 years rising through the ranks to become the company’s first female, first Asian, and youngest-ever Chief Human Resources Officer, overseeing 150,000 employees across more than 100 countries. In January 2022, she took over as CEO of Chanel, a French luxury fashion house, where she focuses on protecting the brand’s heritage while modernizing its operations and expanding its reach in a fast-changing luxury market.
34. Raj Subramaniam — President & CEO of FedEx
Born in Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), Kerala, in 1967, Raj Subramaniam, an alumnus of IIT Bombay, joined FedEx in 1991 and served as Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. He is now President and COO of FedEx, which is one of the world’s largest logistics and transportation companies. Known for his analytical mindset and global business acumen, he succeeded the founder, Fred Smith, as CEO in June 2022 and has been instrumental in shaping FedEx’s vision for the future of logistics and supply chain management.
35. Sanjay Mehrotra — President and CEO of Micron Technology
Born in Kanpur, India, in 1958, Sanjay Mehrotra co-founded SanDisk in 1988, where he served as President and CEO, pioneering flash memory technology that became foundational to smartphones, digital cameras, USB drives, and countless other devices. Under his leadership, SanDisk grew into a multibillion-dollar company before being acquired by Western Digital in 2016. He joined Micron in 2017, strengthening its position in the semiconductor industry. He holds over 70 patents in flash memory design and is recognized as a key figure in shaping the modern data storage landscape.
36. Vasant Narasimhan – CEO of Novartis
Vasant “Vas” Narasimhan joined Novartis, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, in 2005, and rose to become Chief Medical Officer and led the development of 30 new medicines, including breakthrough therapies for cancer and rare diseases. Known for his data-driven leadership and commitment to global health issues, Narasimhan was appointed CEO in 2018 and led Novartis’s transformation into a more agile, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company. His emphasis is on developing advanced gene and cell therapies, RNA-based medicines, and digital health tools.
37. Nikesh Arora — Palo Alto Networks
Born in Ghaziabad, India, in 1968, Nikesh Arora is the Chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, a leading global cybersecurity company. Arora played a central role in expanding Google’s revenue streams as the Chief Business Officer, before joining SoftBank Group as the President and COO. In 2018, Arora took over Palo Alto Networks, where he has driven aggressive innovation in cybersecurity, expanding the company’s offerings in AI-driven threat detection, cloud security, and zero-trust architecture. Under his leadership, Palo Alto Networks has grown into one of the most valuable cybersecurity companies in the world, with a strong focus on staying ahead of evolving digital threats.
38. Vikram Pandit — Chairman & CEO of Orogen Group/former CEO of Citigroup
Born in Nagpur, India, in 1957, Vikram Pandit moved to the United States at the age of 16 and started his career at Morgan Stanley in 1983. In 2005, he co-founded the hedge fund Old Lane Partners, which was acquired by Citigroup in 2007. Later that year, he was appointed CEO of Citibank during the height of the global financial crisis. Pandit led Citigroup through the 2008 financial crisis- one of the most turbulent periods in banking history. Today, he runs The Orogen Group and serves on several boards, including Virtusa and Bombardier.
39. Anu Aiyengar — Global Co-Head of Mergers & Acquisitions, JPMorgan Chase
Born in India, Anu Aiyengar moved to the U.S. as a teenager, where she joined JPMorgan Chase, one of the world’s leading financial institutions, in 1999 and spent over two decades advising on high-profile, cross-border mergers, acquisitions, and corporate restructuring deals that shaped the global business landscape. Aiyengar now leads a team responsible for strategic advisory to multinational corporations, private equity firms, and sovereign wealth funds. Known for her negotiation skills and client-first approach, Aiyengar is today one of the most influential women in Wall Street’s billion-dollar deal-making.
Also Read: 50 Indians who matter in different walks of life in USA #1
40. Dr. Aseem Shukla — Co-founder, Hindu American Foundation
Dr. Aseem R. Shukla, a prominent urologic surgeon and professor, is a co-founder and Board Member of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), a U.S.-based non-profit advocacy group that promotes understanding, tolerance, and pluralism regarding Hinduism and Hindu issues in the United States and globally. Dr Shukla is known for his active involvement in interfaith dialogue, media commentary, and academic writing to address misconceptions about Hinduism, advocate for human rights issues affecting Hindu communities, and represent Hindu perspectives in public policy debates. Dr Shukla’s role both as a surgeon and cultural advocate makes him a unique figure, balancing medical innovation with social and religious advocacy.
41. Dr. Arati Prabhakar — Director, Science & Technology Policy (2022-2025)
Dr. Arati Prabhakar served as the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and as the President’s Science Advisor under President Biden, from October 2022 to January 2025, becoming the first woman, person of colour, and immigrant to hold the post. She also co-chaired the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and played a key role in shaping policies around AI regulation, semiconductor strategy, and other scientific innovation. In 2024, TIME magazine named her among the 100 Most Influential People in AI.
Born in New Delhi in 1959, Arati was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Caltech University. Her federal journey began in 1993 when President Clinton appointed her as the 10th Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – making her the first woman to lead the institute. She later became the 20th Director of DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) under President Obama from 2012 to 2017.
42. Vinod Khosla — Founder, Khosla Ventures; Co-Founder, Sun Microsystems
Born January 28, 1955, in Pune, India, Vinod Khosla is a pioneering Indian‑American entrepreneur and venture capitalist based in the USA, where he migrated after completing his B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi. His father, an Indian Army officer, wanted him to join the army, but he had other things in mind and wanted to be an entrepreneur. In 1975, Khosla started a company to provide soya milk made from soya beans to Indian consumers who did not have refrigerators to preserve cow milk. Unfortunately, the idea failed to take off. Recognizing it as a learning experience, Khosla moved to the U.S. and founded Daisy Systems. Khosla also co‑founded Sun Microsystems in 1982 and served as its first chairman and CEO. The gamble paid off as, within just a few years, Sun became a billion‑dollar company.
Khosla made much of his wealth from venture capital investments in networking, software, and alternative energy technologies. He is today considered one of the most successful venture capitalists. His visionary bets and bold optimism have earned him recognition as one of Silicon Valley’s most influential VCs. As of July 2025, Forbes estimates his net worth at US$10.1 billion
43. Dr. Kavita Patel — Physician, Health Policy Expert & Innovator
Dr. Kavita Patel is a physician and health policy specialist involved in clinical practice, academia, government, and venture capital. She practices medicine at Mary’s Centre in Washington, D.C. She’s also a Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and a non-resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Patel served as Director of Policy for the White House’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement under the Obama administration. Prior to that, she was Deputy Staff Director for Health on the Senate HELP Committee under Senator Edward Kennedy. She has also served as a Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), guiding healthcare investments to transform clinical practice and contributing regularly to media and policy discussions on health reform and delivery innovation.
44. Deven Parekh — Venture Capitalist and Civic Leader
As Managing Director of Insight Partners, a leading U.S.-based venture capital and private equity firm, Parekh has driven over 140 investments in enterprise software, data, and consumer internet businesses across global markets—including giants like Twitter, Alibaba, BharatPe, DocuSign, and JD.com. However, his connection to India is not limited to business as Parekh and his wife Monika sponsor the Parekh Policy Initiative on U.S.–India Relations at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, funding research and dialogue on India’s domestic progress, global role, and the contributions of the Indian diaspora. He’s been featured on the Forbes Midas List, named Top 100 VC (a CB Insights), and awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award in 2021
45. Sethuraman Panchanathan – former Director, U.S. National Science Foundation
Born in Chennai, India, Sethuraman Panchanathan, a distinguished computer scientist and academic administrator, served as the Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) from 2020 until April 2025. He stepped down from the post in April 2025. He was honoured with India’s Padma Shri in May 2025, in addition to numerous accolades such as IEEE‑USA’s Public Service Award and Distinguished Career Award in Computer Science.
46. Asha Jadeja Motwani — Venture Capitalist & Republican Mega donor
Asha Jadeja Motwani is an influential Indian-American venture capitalist and philanthropist who has funded over 200 technology Silicon Valley start-ups and also happens to be one of the biggest “Indian-American mega donors to the Republican Party”. Motwani co-founded Dot Edu Ventures with her late husband, Rajeev Motwani, a computer science professor at Stanford, and played a key role in early-stage investments in trailblazers like PayPal, Pinterest, AppDynamics, Meraki, and Mimosa. In 2012, she established the Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation to honour her husband’s legacy and support innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology education across the U.S. and India.
47. Dr. Nita Ahuja — Surgical Oncologist & Academic Leader
Dr. Nita Ahuja, a leading Indian-American surgical oncologist, has authored over 250 peer-reviewed papers, making significant contributions to both clinical and surgical science. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and holds leadership positions in several prestigious surgical and academic organizations—including the Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Faculty and Academic Societies. In February 2018, she was appointed as the first female Chair of the Department of Surgery at Yale School of Medicine. Most recently, she was named Dean of the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health in February 2025, becoming the first woman to hold that position in the school’s history.
48. Dr. Suman Datta — leader in Nanotechnology and Semiconductor Research
Dr. Suman Datta, an alumnus of IIT Kanpur, is a globally recognized expert in the field of semiconductors and nanotechnology. His academic output includes over 400 peer-reviewed papers, nearly 190 patents, and more than 28,000 citations in the semiconductor domain. He is a Fellow of IEEE (2013) and the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) (2016). He was awarded the prestigious University Research Award for Technology by the Semiconductor Research Corporation and Semiconductor Industry Association in 2024 —one of only 50 people to receive the honour, to date.
49. Manjul Bhargava— Fields Medalist & Frontier-Making Number Theorist
A prodigy in mathematics, Bhargava completed high school-level math and computer science by age 14 and went on to earn a B.A. from Harvard University in 1996, where he also won the prestigious Morgan Prize for his research. He became a full professor at Princeton at the age of 29, one of the youngest in the university’s history. In 2014, he was awarded the Fields Medal, the highest honour for pioneering new methods in the field of mathematics. In 2015, he was awarded Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award.
50. Mira Nair— Indian-American Filmmaker and Storyteller
Born on October 15, 1957, in Rourkela (then Orissa, now Odisha), Mira Nair’s father, Amrit Lal Nair, was a respected Indian Administrative Service officer, while her mother, Praveen Nair, was a social worker. She began her career as a documentary filmmaker, with notable works including India Cabaret (1985) and So Far From India (1982). Her first feature film, Salaam Bombay! Portrayed life in Mumbai’s slums. It won the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. She was awarded Padma Bhushan (2012)- India’s third-highest civilian award, for her contributions to the arts.
(Concluded)
