{"id":32880,"date":"2025-03-27T03:09:37","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T03:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/?post_type=press-release&#038;p=32880"},"modified":"2025-03-27T03:26:50","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T03:26:50","slug":"ten-indian-ceos-make-their-mark-in-the-brand-guardianship-index-2025-with-three-debuting-in-the-rankings","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/press-releases\/ten-indian-ceos-make-their-mark-in-the-brand-guardianship-index-2025-with-three-debuting-in-the-rankings","title":{"rendered":"Nine Indian CEOs make their mark in the Brand Guardianship Index 2025, with three debuting in the rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><strong>New research from Brand Finance highlights the increasing prominence of Indian CEOs in the realm of artificial intelligence<\/strong><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>HDFC CEO breaks into top ten list of 2025 global brand guardians, moves up 13-ranks&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tech CEOs showcase nation\u2019s pride and global influence in Brand Guardianship Index 2025<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tata Group CEO tops the conglomerate sector, ranking 11th globally<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Salil Parekh remains top-ranked brand guardian in IT services, holding 20th place globally<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>MUMBAI, 27 March 2025<\/strong> \u2013 Nine Indian brand guardians from the banking, conglomerate, IT services, and telecommunications sectors have exhibited exceptional leadership, with many focusing on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) according to the Brand Guardianship Index (BGI) 2025, a <a href=\"https:\/\/brandirectory.com\/reports\/brand-guardianship-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new report by Brand Finance<\/a>, the world\u2019s leading brand valuation consultancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The latest BGI score matrix puts more focus on public perceptions, evaluating CEOs based on their leadership, brand management, and long-term value creation, with an emphasis on ethical leadership and global responsibility. These leaders have been acknowledged for their skill in navigating a fast-evolving global market while maintaining strong ethical standards, thereby reinforcing India's influence in global corporate leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As per latest research, the most critical driver of CEO reputation is \u2018genuinely caring for employees\u2019, reflecting heightened expectations for empathy in leadership amid economic uncertainty, mental health challenges, and rapid technological changes. Other key drivers include \u2018positive change\u2019, \u2018trustworthy\u2019, \u2018understanding the needs of customers\u2019, and \u2018sustainability\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Helming India\u2019s list of top brand guardians is <strong>Sashi Jagdishan<\/strong>, CEO of <strong>HDFC Bank<\/strong>, who has advanced 13 places to secure the nineth position globally, boasting a BGI score of 85.5 out of 100. Leading the banking sector alongside other prominent CEOs, his performance among analysts and journalists, particularly in areas such as \u2018understanding the needs of customers\u2019, and 'positive change', alongside his achievements among informed audience especially in 'strategy &amp; vision', 'trustworthy' and \u2018AI-readiness\u2019 cements his leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Natarajan Chandrasekaran<\/strong>, CEO of <strong>Tata Group<\/strong>, secured the leading position among the conglomerate brand guardians, ranking 11th globally with a BGI score of 83.7 out of 100. His leadership excels in areas such as 'strategy and vision', \u2018understanding the needs of customers\u2019 genuinely caring for employees\u2019, and 'trustworthy' across both informed public and analyst &amp; <a>journalists<\/a> audiences. This remarkable achievement reflects his commitment to creating value for customers, employees, and stakeholders alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reliance Group <\/strong>CEO <strong>Mukesh Ambani <\/strong>follows at 14th placement globally with a BGI score of 82.5 out of 100. This score is a result of his strong performance in key metrics such as \u2018strategy and vision\u2019, \u2018long-term value focus\u2019, \u2018understanding the needs of customers\u2019 and \u2018positive change\u2019 across all researched audiences. Under his leadership, Reliance Group has experienced a 17% growth in brand value to USD9.8 billion, reinforcing its position as a leader in the oil &amp; gas industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Salil Parekh<\/strong>, CEO of <strong>Infosys <\/strong>holds the 20th place globally with a BGI score of 81.7 out of 100 and remains the top-ranked brand guardian in the IT services sector. This success is underpinned by his performance in areas such as \u2018understanding the importance of brand and reputation\u2019, \u2018trustworthy\u2019 and \u2018positive change\u2019 within the IT Services sector. His dedication to strengthening the brand\u2019s presence, coupled with a focus on building trust and driving positive change, has been key to the ongoing success and growth of Infosys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>C Vijayakumar<\/strong>, CEO of <strong>HCLTech<\/strong>, marks his debut in the BGI 2025 with a BGI score of 79.3 out of 100, ranking 36th globally and holds the third position among CEOs of the IT Services sector. This achievement is supported by strong scores in areas such as \u2018genuinely caring for employees\u2019, \u2018positive change\u2019, and \u2018sustainability\u2019 within the IT Services sector, as well as exceling in \u201cunderstanding the needs of customers\u201d. His effective leadership, emphasis on employee well-being, commitment to sustainability, and customer-centric approach have played a crucial role in driving HCLTech's success and enhancing its brand presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Anish Shah<\/strong>, CEO of <strong>Mahindra<\/strong> <strong>group<\/strong>, ranks 60th globally, with a BGI score of 77.1 out of 100. He excels in areas such as 'strategy and vision', 'trustworthy', and 'positive change' amongst both informed public and analyst &amp; journalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another new entrant to the list,<strong> S N Subrahmanyan<\/strong>, CEO of <strong>Larsen &amp; Toubro<\/strong>, ranks 83rd globally and 4th among conglomerate brand guardians, with a BGI score of 75.0 out of 100. His strong performance in \u2018strategy and vision\u2019, \u2018genuinely caring for employees\u2019, \u2018positive change\u2019, and \u2018sustainability\u2019 across informed public and analyst &amp; journalists underscores his impactful leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>&nbsp;Ajimon Francis, Managing Director India, Brand Finance, <\/strong>commented:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em>\u201cIndian CEOs are showcasing remarkable leadership, guiding their brands to international recognition and helping shape India\u2019s economic future. By prioritising trust, sustainability, and long-term growth, they\u2019ve not only taken their companies to global heights but also strengthened India\u2019s standing as an evolving economic powerhouse. Embracing digital transformation, AI, and empowering their teams, these leaders have driven innovation, harnessed technology, and played a key role in both global business and India\u2019s rise on the world stage.\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Other highlights of Indian brand guardians from the BGI research includes:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mohit Josh<\/strong>i, CEO of <strong>Tech Mahindra <\/strong>with a BGI score of 79.0 out of 100, ranks fourth among IT Services brand leaders, with a focus on digital transformation, AI, cloud technologies, and sustainability.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sunil Mittal<\/strong>, Brand Guardian of <strong>Airtel<\/strong> with a BGI score of 67.6 out of 100, leads Airtel\u2019s growth through empowerment, innovation, and strategic succession planning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>BGI 2025<\/strong> reveals that perceptions of sustainability remain integral to CEO reputation. There is a strong correlation between a company\u2019s sustainability efforts and the public perception of its CEO, with nearly half of the variation in CEO reputation attributed to how committed to sustainability the CEO is perceived to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Important note: Research conducted for the BGI is as of 1st January 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New research from Brand Finance highlights the increasing prominence of Indian CEOs in the realm of artificial intelligence MUMBAI, 27 March 2025 \u2013 Nine Indian brand guardians from the banking, conglomerate, IT services, and telecommunications sectors have exhibited exceptional leadership, with many focusing on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) according to the Brand Guardianship Index (BGI) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4452,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[341,12,49],"class_list":["post-32880","press-release","type-press-release","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bgi","tag-brand-valuation","tag-india"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/32880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32880"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/32880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32885,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/32880\/revisions\/32885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}