Mukesh Ambani surpassed global corporate leaders, including Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai of Google, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Tesla’s Elon Musk.
Our Bureau
London
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman and Managing Director, Mukesh Ambani, is at the top slot among Indians and second globally in the Brand Guardianship Index 2024. This was unveiled by Brand Finance in its latest survey.
With a Brand Guardianship Index (BGI) score of 80.3, Mukesh Ambani surpassed global corporate leaders, including Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai of Google, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Tesla’s Elon Musk. The top spot was claimed by Huateng Ma of China-based Tencent, with a BGI score of 81.6.
In comparison to the 2023 rankings where Ambani secured the second position globally, this year witnessed his ascent to the pinnacle of the Brand Guardianship Index 2024, particularly in the ‘Diversified’ conglomerates category.
The Brand Guardianship Index, devised by Brand Finance, serves as a global recognition platform for CEOs who strategically sustainably build business value. This involves maintaining a delicate balance between the needs of all stakeholders, including employees, investors, and the broader society.
The 2024 survey highlighted Ambani’s leadership in the ‘Diversified’ conglomerates, surpassing not only global business leaders but also notable Indian counterparts like N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons (ranked at No 5), and Anish Shah of Mahindra Group (ranked at No 6).
Brand Finance’s approach involves constructing a balanced scorecard that measures various factors contributing to a CEO’s ability to steward their company’s brand and long-term value. The survey emphasized that Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations have become the primary driving force in determining CEO reputation.
Ambani, who’s also the Managing Director of RIL, is the longest-serving CEO in the ranking at 40 years. He is also the 9th richest person in the world, as per the Bloomberg Billionaire Index.
Chanel’s CEO Leena Nair was recognized as the world’s top female CEO, with respondents rating her as the best-performing strategist, in the same survey. Nair’s leadership has been rated as having the strongest reputation amongst the top 100 CEOs. Nair is unusual in that she was hired to Chanel from outside the company, and her experience at Unilever appears to be serving her well.
