India Inc is witnessing a surge in attrition rates, as corporates fail to resonate with the new generation’s beliefs and values, leading to frequent job changes. Gone are the days when an intern would remain loyal to one single company. Recently, incoming Nike CEO Elliot Hill made headlines for spending an impressive 32 years with the sports footwear and apparel brand. Hills started as an intern at Nike in 1988. Likewise, several CXOs in India have demonstrated similar dedication and perseverance, spending over three decades with a single organization.
Read more: Nike’s new CEO: Elliott Hill’s rise from intern to Chief Executive Officer
Rohit Jawa (Hindustan Unilever)
Rohit Jawa is Managing Director and CEO of Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and President of Unilever, South Asia. He joined the FMCG giant as a Management Trainee directly in June 1988. Java held the position of General manager, western region of HUL from 1988 to 2004. He was promoted to Vice president of Unilever Vietnam from May 2004 to 2006. Later, he became Chairman and CEO and EVP of Unilever Philippines from 2013 to 2017. Java was appointed Chairman of Unilever China & EVP North Asia region from 2017 to 2022. Furthermore, he succeeded Sanjiv Mehta as the CEO & MD and as the Head of the Management Committee of the HUL with effect from 27th June 2023.
Java has a bachelor’s degree from St Stephen’s College (1983-86) and an MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies (1986-88). He is also an alumnus of IMD Business School, Lausanne, Switzerland, where he completed the Breakthrough Program for Senior Executives in 2018. Java finished the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2022. Since July 2023 he has been an Executive Committee Member of Vikaasa, a coalition that collaborates to accelerate India’s progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He is also a Trustee of Breach Candy Hospital.
Java’s annual remuneration for FY2023-24 was Rs 22.39 crore.
Kailash Chandra Jhanwar (UltraTech Cement)
KC Jhanwar is a chartered accountant with 42 years of experience with the Aditya Birla Group. Currently, Jhanwar is the MD of UltraTech Cement. He has held various roles in finance, operations, and general management across the cement and chemicals business of the Group. Jhanwar was honoured as one of India’s best CEOs for 2024 in the BT-PwC India’s Best CEOs rankings. Jhanwar has also led the sustainability agenda for UltraTech. Under his stewardship, the cement firm became water-positive and plastic-negative in its operations. Jhanwar was paid Rs 5.26 crores towards performance-linked incentives for the achievement of targets for the year 2022-23. His annual remuneration in FY24 was Rs 13.42 crore.
Amit Syngle (Asian Paints)
The CEO of Asian Paints, Syngle joined the firm 31 years ago. In his three-decade-long career at the paint giant, Syngle joined as a Management Graduate and initially spent eight years in Sales and headed the North and Central regions of India. Syngle’s transformative role within Asian Paints became particularly evident in 2001 when he assumed the position of General Manager – Marketing. Later, he took over as the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for the Decorative Business and subsequently President in 2012. Later, he held the position of Chief Operating Officer for two years, heading the Indian Decorative business. Syngle holds a BE – Mechanical degree from Panjab Engineering College and has done an MBA from CBM Panjab University.
Syngle has been appointed as the Managing Director & CEO of the Company with effect from 1st April 2020. Syngle’s FY24 remuneration was Rs 18.82 crore.
Siddhartha Mohanty (LIC)
Siddhartha Mohanty is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) at Life Insurance Corporation (LIC). He joined India’s largest insurance company as a Direct Recruit Officer in 1985, during his tenure of almost four decades. Mohanty worked in different verticals of the company such as Marketing, HR, Legal, and Investments. he also led key positions in LIC such as Senior Divisional Manager in charge, Regional Manager of Marketing Vertical, Chief of Investment, Executive Director (Legal) and CEO of LIC Housing Finance Ltd. Mohanty took charge as Chairperson, LIC in April 2023. However, the government abolished the post of chairman from June 2024. He then took over the role of MD & CEO until June 7, 2025, that is until the age of 62 years. Mohanty is the first MD & CEO of LIC.
Mohanty also Chairs the Boards of domestic associates/subsidiaries of LIC of India. He is also a Director on the Board of Kenindia Assurance Ltd, which is a Life and Non life Insurance Company, based in Kenya. This year in May, Mohanty joined the Board of Larsen and Tubro.
Mohanty holds a Masters Degree in Arts in Political Science. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and a Post Graduate Certification in Business Management. Mohanty received an annual remuneration of Rs 92.39 lakh in fiscal year 2024.
Rajneesh Narang (HPCL)
Rajneesh Narang has been the Director – Finance of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), since 22nd March 2022. Prior to this, he was serving as Executive Director – Corporate Finance of HPCL. He is also the Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Narang is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and holds a Master’s Degree in Financial Management. During his three-decades-long career at HPCL, Narang held various challenging assignments in the field of Corporate Finance, Treasury, Risk Management, Margin Management, Marketing Finance, Budgeting, SBU Commercial, Major Projects, and in the C&MD’s Office. Narang’s gross salary in FY24 was Rs 76.37 lakh as per the company’s annual report.
Sanjeev Krishan (PwC India)
PwC India Chairperson Sanjeev Krishan has been associated with the company for 30 years. Krishnan joined the accounting firm in 1991 as an articled trainee. Before helming into the Chairperson position, Krishnan served as the Deals Leader for PwC India. Krishnan is a part of FICCI’s National Committee on Stressed Assets and is also a member of select CII sub-groups. He is also a member of the SEBI Primary Market Advisory Committee. Krishnan is a certified Chartered Accountant, and an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). Krishnan graduated with First Class in Economics from the University of Delhi (1988-91) and did schooling from DPS RK Puram, Delhi. A nature lover, Krishnan cherishes morning walks and exercise. He is also an avid reader and enjoys listening to podcasts covering a host of topics. He is also a cricket enthusiast and enjoys playing squash.
K Krithivasan (TCS)
K Krithivasan, CEO and MD at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) joined the IT behemoth in 1989. In his prior role, Krithivasan was the Global Head of Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) Business Group. Krithivasan, the fifth CEO of TCS, has been with company for over 35 years. According to the software major, Krithivasan has played a significant role in building deep customer relationships and mindshare as well as market positioning across geographies. Krithivasan took home a salary of Rs 25.4 crore from India’s largest information technology services firm in the financial year 2023-24 (FY24). Krithivasan holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Madras and a master’s degree in Industrial and Management Engineering from IIT Kanpur.
Krishnakumar Gopalan (BPCL)
K Gopalan is the Chairman and MD at the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). During the 36 years of his professional career at BPCL, Gopalan held key positions across the Marketing and Human Resources functions. The industry veteran, Gopalan has developed and nurtured brands like Petro Card, SmartFleet, Speed, and In & Out.
Gopalan was elevated as the head of BPCL’s Lubricant business in 2021. Before this, he spearheaded brand MAK’s aggressive growth in the domestic and international markets. He also championed the expansion of the service dimension of the MAK brand-MAK Quik, for quick oil changes for 2-wheelers. Gopalan is also a Director on the Boards of Bharat PetroResources Limited and Petronet LNG Ltd (PLL). He is also serving as a member of the Governing Council of FIPI, PPAC, etc.
Gopalan is an electrical engineer from NIT, Tiruchirapalli, and has done his master’s in financial management from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai. He is an avid quizzer and a voracious reader. Goaplan calls himself an ardent fan of cricket and he loves playing golf too. Gopalan’s annual remuneration was Rs 85.57 lakh of which performance-related pay comprised Rs 15.96 lakh.
Harikrishna Agarwal (Grasim Industries)
Aditya Birla Group flagship firm Grasim Industries Ltd appointed Hari Krishna Agarwal as its Managing Director on December 1, 2021. Agarwal has worked for the Group for nearly 40 years. During this period, he held different roles in cement, chemicals, and pulp and fibre businesses before taking on his current role as Business Head, Pulp & Fibre. He is also the Business Director of the Group’s global Cellulosic Fibre business ‘Birla Cellulose’ and additionally, the Director of Aditya Birla Management Corporation Private Limited, the apex corporate body that provides strategic direction and vision to the Group company.
Agarwal, a chartered accountant with an all-India rank, has participated in national and international management and leadership development programmes, such as Executive MBA from Sasin, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, and an Advance Management Programme at Harvard. He received the Chairman’s ‘Outstanding Leader Award’ in 2012 and the ‘Certificate of Excellence’ in 2021 for his outstanding contribution to the company’s growth. Agarwal is a runner and a firm believer in the Power of Teams. His annual package was Rs 584.55 lakh plus a performance-linked incentive of Rs 156 lakh in FY2024.
PD Narang (Dabur India)
P D Narang is the Group Director, Corporate Affairs, Dabur India Limited. Born in 1954, Narang specialized in Finance and started his professional career in 1979 with his own practice. He joined the Dabur family in 1983 as a Management consultant with a mandate to streamline the finance, accounts, and audit functions of the company. Under his leadership, Dabur became a public limited company through a reverse merger with Vidogum Limited and was re-christened Dabur India Limited in 1985. Later, Dabur India launched its IPO in 1994, offering Rs 10 per share at a premium of Rs 85, which was oversubscribed 21 times. Under Narang’s leadership, Dabur also formed a joint venture with Nestle/Agrolimen SA for biscuits, Debon International for Cheese, and CGU for Life Insurance. With a successful journey in the FMCG major, Narang rose rapidly in the management hierarchy and was appointed GM (Finance) & Company Secretary in 1990, and Director – Corporate Affairs in 1998. He was given the responsibility of heading the Corporate and Commercial affairs of the group in 2002. He was appointed Group Director, Corporate Affairs in 2003.
Narang has taken up yoga and swimming, activities that bring him relaxation and rejuvenation amidst his busy schedule. He also enjoys listening to music, playing golf, or travelling to new places with his wife and two children. Narang’s annual remuneration in FY24 was Rs 16.25 crore.