The Top 20 Business Leaders to Follow for Invaluable Industry Insights
Leadership hinges on a simple yet powerful principle: strong individuals lead by example. When leaders take charge, they earn respect, wield influence, and gain credibility. Additionally, leadership in its true sense is inspirational: It requires business leaders to have a large vision and the ability to impact others through their thoughts and opinions. Hence, inspirational leaders not only serve as role models but also set high standards for others to follow. Therefore, to inspire others, you need to first broaden your horizons and seek inspiration from successful business leaders.
This blog provides a list of 20 inspiring business leaders to follow on LinkedIn:
- Rajan Singh: Founder of HabitStrong
- Kunal Bahl: Co-founder of SnapDeal and Titan Capital
- Shantanu Deshpande: Founder and CEO of Bombay Shaving Company
- Mahesh Murthy: Founder and Director of Exseed Space
- Vineeta Singh: Founder and CEO of Sugar Cosmetics
- Deepinder Goyal: Founder and CEO of Zomato
- Ritesh Agarwal: Founder and Group CEO of OYO
- Kunal Shah: Founder of CRED
- Nitin Kamath: Founder and CEO of Zerodha
- Harjeet Khanduja: Senior VP, Human Resources at Reliance Jio
- Anupam Mittal: Founder and CEO of Shaadi.com and People Group
- Bhanu Harish Gurram: Co-founder of Ditto Insurance and Finshots
- Vani Kola: MD of Kalaari Capital
- Radhika Gupta: MD and CEO of Edelweiss Asset Management Limited
- Sanjiv Mehta: Former CEO and MD at Hindustan Unilever Limited
- Kiran Mazumdar Shaw: Executive Chairperson at Biocon and Biocon Biologics
- Dipali Goenka: CEO and MD of Welspun India Ltd.
- Ankur Warikoo: Founder of WebVeda and Co-founder of nearbuy.com
- Abhijit Bhaduri: Former Chief Learning Officer at Wipro
- Ritu Anand: Former Chief Leadership and Diversity Officer at Tata Consultancy Services
20 Famous Business Leaders to Follow on LinkedIn
Here is a list of popular business leaders in India from whom you can seek inspiration and learn about leadership, business strategy, people management, team building, capital raising, and more.
Rajan Singh
Rajan Singh is the founder of HabitStrong, a startup that helps people overcome social media addictions, do a digital detox, and build healthy habits.
An IPS officer turned entrepreneur, Singh openly talks about the challenges of entrepreneurship on LinkedIn. Moreover, he inspires people through his art of storytelling and builds a captivating narrative. In addition to this, Singh often shares anecdotes about his journey as an IPS officer, his life as a consultant at McKinsey, and now as that of an entrepreneur.
On his LinkedIn page, one will find simple yet powerful posts that inspire you to take action. Here’s a line from one of his viral posts on LinkedIn.
“Knowing the path is one thing. Having the conviction to walk the path is totally another. If you want to succeed, build your conviction.”
Number of Followers: 2,56,386
Why You Should Follow: To learn how to overcome social media addictions, tackle distractions, and focus on life goals.
Read our favorite post here.
Kunal Bahl
Kunal Bahl, co-founder of SnapDeal and Titan Capital, is a prominent entrepreneur and investor. He is also on the list of LinkedIn’s top voices for 2023.
Bahl offers crisp advice on entrepreneurship and how founders can overcome adversities and move on the path to success.
Thus, if you are in the early stages of building a startup, his LinkedIn posts can keep you motivated.
Number of Followers: 6,50,555
Why You Should Follow: Learn about the latest developments and trends in the startup ecosystem and seek inspiration on how to overcome business challenges.
Read our favorite post here.
ALSO READ: 8 Types of Leadership Styles and How to Choose Yours
Shantanu Deshpande
Shantanu Deshpande is the founder and CEO of Bombay Shaving Company. His posts focus on startups, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
Deshpande often shares his experiences as an entrepreneur and how he is building his company. He thus offers valuable lessons on business challenges and efficient leadership to readers, especially business owners and C-level executives.
Number of Followers: 1,15,647
Why You Should Follow: For tips and strategies to boost your sales and seek investments if you are building a consumer brand and want tips.
Read our favorite posts here and here.
Mahesh Murthy
He is the founder and director of Exseed Space, Asia’s first private company in space. In a nutshell, Murthy describes himself as a marketer, investor, and entrepreneur. He speaks mainly about marketing, space tech, and advertising.
Number of Followers: 2,77,000+
Why You Should Follow: Murthy is a leading brand management voice on the platform. Therefore, you can follow him to get insights into the domain of sales and marketing.
Read our favorite post here.
ALSO READ: How Adaptive Leadership Can Help Indian Leaders Drive Success
Vineeta Singh
Vineeta Singh is the founder and CEO of Sugar Cosmetics, a leading makeup and skincare brand in India. In fact, she gained immense popularity after appearing as an investor on Shark Tank India, a show that offers entrepreneurs an opportunity to seek funding.
Being one of the sharks on the show, her valuable insights into the challenges faced by business leaders were appreciated by all. This popularity helped her gain over 9,13,000 followers on LinkedIn.
You can find her sharing life lessons and excerpts from her starting days of building Sugar Cosmetics. In addition to these tips, you can also find reports about the Cosmetics Industry.
Number of Followers: 9,13,158
Why You Should Follow: Her LinkedIn feed offers valuable information to business leaders on startup valuation, fundraising, and building a successful business. It is also an inspiration for women leaders who want to build their businesses.
Read our favorite post here.
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Deepinder Goyal
He is the founder and CEO of Zomato, a food delivery startup. Goyal has a huge fan base, which comprises leaders, entrepreneurs, Zomato’s shareholders, and people who are fond of Zomato’s creative marketing campaigns.
Furthermore, Zomato’s quarterly performance results for shareholders on Goyal’s LinkedIn account. This, in fact, is a great example of ensuring transparency and enhancing brand image.
Moreover, he also shares the links to the latest episodes of “Breaking Bad”, a podcast where Goyal indulges in insightful discussions with other business leaders.
Number of Followers: 2,12,787
Why You Should Follow: To learn about effective business strategies used by Zomato and how to build a personal brand as a leader.
Read our favorite post here.
Ritesh Agarwal
Ritesh Agarwal is the founder and group CEO of OYO. He shares his experience and knowledge about startups, technology, and entrepreneurship on LinkedIn. In fact, some of his viral posts talk about entrepreneurial burnout, how leaders can command respect through active leadership, and how entrepreneurs can embrace insecurities.
Moreover, he often posts throwback pictures or videos and shares some snippets about his entrepreneurial journey and the challenges he faced in the initial years of building OYO.
Number of Followers: 4,67,532
Why You Should Follow: Young entrepreneurs or business leaders who are at the nascent stages of building their startups can benefit from his LinkedIn posts on leadership.
Read our favorite post here.
Kunal Shah
Kunal Shah, the founder of CRED, is another popular name in the influential business leaders list. As a matter of fact, he is highly skilled in marketing strategy, entrepreneurship, business management, business development, team development, product management, and more.
His LinkedIn posts are often simple, brief, and to the point. However, Shah conveys a strong message through his posts.
Number of Followers: 10,32,180
Why You Should Follow: To learn about business trends, how to build a successful business and gain valuable information related to businesses and startups.
Read our favorite posts here and here.
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Nithin Kamath
He is the founder and CEO of Zerodha, a brokerage platform. He frequently discussed topics related to brokerage, the stock market, entrepreneurship, trading, and business.
His LinkedIn feed is a goldmine for professionals who want to learn the fundamentals of business strategy and are seeking inspiration to build a successful personal brand on LinkedIn.
Number of Followers: 12,34,532
Why You Should Follow: To learn the fundamentals of business strategy and how to build a successful personal brand.
Read our favorite post here.
ALSO READ: How to Practice Well-being Leadership
Harjeet Khanduja
Harjeet Khanduja is a senior VP of human resources at Reliance Jio. He is recognized among the top 50 global thought leaders and influencers on HR 2022.
On LinkedIn, he shares his thoughts about HR practices and industry trends.
Follow him to read his short but insightful LinkedIn posts, where he narrates a small tale and shares a valuable lesson in the end.
Number of Followers: 2,02,853
Why You Should Follow: To learn about how to hire and retain quality talent, and make effective leadership decisions.
Read our favorite post here.
Anupam Mittal
One of India’s most popular business leaders and investors, Mittal is the founder and former director of Shaadi.com and the founder and CEO of People Group. Moreover, he has gained a massive following (5,45,000+) after his appearance on “Shark Tank India” as an investor.
Mittal frequently talks about entrepreneurship, startup investing, and building Direct-to-Customer (D2C) startups.
Number of Followers: 5,45,506
Why You Should Follow: To gain insights on different business models and various industries and engage in valuable discussions about startups and investing.
Read our favorite post here.
Bhanu Harish Gurram
Gurram is the co-founder of Ditto Insurance and Finshots. In addition to that, he is also LinkedIn’s top voice, with over 1,28,000 followers. In essence, he talks about insurance, the economy, and personal finance.
Furthermore, Gurram explains the business stories of leading companies and provides insights into the latest happenings in the business landscape.
Number of Followers: 1,28,403
Why You Should Follow: His page is beneficial for business innovators who are working on an idea or running their businesses and want to learn all about personal branding.
Read our favorite post here.
Vani Kola
Vani Kola is the MD of Kalaari Capital, a leading venture capital firm in India. She passionately discusses startups, leadership, innovation, venture capital, and entrepreneurship on LinkedIn. With a massive following of almost 13,80,000 followers, Kola is one of LinkedIn’s top voices.
You can follow her on LinkedIn to get updates on “Leadership Code”, a series of episodes where she talks about the journey to becoming a leader. Furthermore, Kola also posts insights and her views on the Indian startup industry.
Therefore, she is one of the best business leaders to learn from if you are building your startup and want to become a successful leader. Through her LinkedIn posts, stay updated with the latest trends in the startup investment landscape.
Number of Followers: 13,79,338
Why You Should Follow: To learn the latest developments in the startup industry, how to raise capital, and how to start a startup while ensuring personal growth.
Read our favorite post here.
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Radhika Gupta
Radhika Gupta, MD and CEO of Edelweiss Asset Management Limited, is a prominent business leader. In fact, she was also honored as one of the young corporate leaders of the year by the Confederation of Indian Industry. She added to her accolades this year, with the prestigious CEO of the Year award at SABRE South East Asia Awards 2023.
Radhika is the author of “Limitless: The Power of Unlocking Your True Potential”, a book that is based on themes like problem-solving, building confidence, and unlocking your potential.
She inspires business leaders by speaking regularly about leadership, asset management, women in business, and empathy at work.
Number of Followers: 3,89,981
Why You Should Follow: To seek inspiration on how to become a better leader by learning various soft skills and the importance of women empowerment in the business sector.
Read our favorite posts here and here.
Sanjiv Mehta
He is the former CEO and MD at Hindustan Unilever Limited, the largest Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company in India. It should therefore be no surprise that Mehta has over 7,43,000 followers and is one of the top voices on LinkedIn.
He consistently shares insights on leadership, management, and his journey as a CEO. Moreover, Mehta also passionately talks about diversity, equity, and inclusion in workplaces.
In fact, he even discusses market challenges and risks and how entrepreneurs can navigate through them to build a resilient business.
Number of Followers: 7,43,390
Why You Should Follow: To gain practical lessons on leadership and business strategy, supply chain, and gain insights into the FMCG sector.
Read our favorite posts here and here.
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the executive chairperson at Biocon and Biocon Biologics, is considered to be one of the most powerful business leaders in the world today. She was also among the 16 most influential women in leadership lists by The CEO Magazine in 2021.
You will also find her name in the list of Fortune India’s Top 25 most powerful women in Asia-Pacific in 2023. Moreover, she has also received Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, the country’s highest civilian awards.
If you are a woman business leader and want to make a name for yourself in a challenging industry, Shaw is a leading inspiration.
Number of Followers: 9,71,700
Why You Should Follow: Business innovators or business visionaries who are working in the fields of biotechnology, health care, or research and development can follow her to get the latest industry insights.
Read our favorite post here.
Dipali Goenka
The CEO and MD of Welspun India Ltd, Dipali Goenka is one of the most popular entrepreneurial leaders on LinkedIn, with more than two decades of experience in running a successful business. A testament to her success is the fact that Business Today recognized her as one of the most powerful women in business two years running—in 2021 and 2022.
Goenka occasionally discusses topics such as leadership, sustainable development, and women empowerment on LinkedIn. Her posts encompass a blend of motivation, thoughts on cultural notions, supply chains, and diversity.
Number of Followers: 1,98,083
Why You Should Follow: To gain insights into and learn the impact of strong leadership and sustainable development.
Read our favorite post here.
Ankur Warikoo
Warikoo is another popular and influential business leader on LinkedIn. He is the founder of WebVeda, an online school for young professionals, and co-founder of nearbuy.com. He is also an entrepreneur, speaker, and author of “Get Epic Shit Done”.
Warikoo frequently shares his thoughts about money, career, startups, and personal growth. In addition, he is a startup investor and holds a position as one of the top voices on LinkedIn. He is widely recognized for his unique storytelling style.
Number of Followers: 21,32,558
Why You Should Follow: To read about life lessons, how to grow your company, life hacks, mentorship, and book suggestions. He is one of the best entrepreneurial leaders to follow if you want to focus on personal growth as a leader and are keen on building a personal brand.
Read our favorite post here.
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Abhijit Bhaduri
Bhaduri has his name etched among the popular industry leaders you need to follow for growth and success. He was a chief learning officer at Wipro for seven years and is now the general manager of Global Learning and Development (L&D) at Microsoft.
He has cultivated a large base of LinkedIn followers due to the valuable insights and opinions he shares, often conveyed through his sketches and drawings pertaining to topics like career, motivation, personal branding, and innovation.
Number of Followers: 7,79,656
Why You Should Follow: To read his newsletter “Dreamers and Unicorns”, where he talks about how you can use your superpowers to grow your career and become a strong leader.
Read our favorite post here.
Ritu Anand
Dr. Ritu Anand is a former chief leadership and diversity officer at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) with more than 30 years of leadership experience. Her LinkedIn followers engage with her on vibrant topics, including management, human resources, and employee engagement.
You can follow her to discover her weekly #ThursdayRITUal posts, where she candidly shares her personal and professional experiences.
Corporate leaders or business visionaries seeking to learn more about hiring and retaining talent and building a team can further follow her to gain insights about employee engagement and the ways in which workplace culture can be improved.
Number of Followers: 99,487
Why You Should Follow: To stay updated on current trends in management, human resources, and employee engagement and gain practical advice for your own leadership journey
Read our favorite post here.
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To conclude, following and engaging with these famous business leaders on LinkedIn can help you gain leadership knowledge, learn how to build a brand, and acquire various business strategies. While theoretical knowledge can be extremely beneficial, learning technical leadership skills can give a significant boost to your career. What’s more, Emeritus online leadership courses are taught by industry leaders and have a backward-design methodology to help you achieve the required skill set. So don’t think twice before you explore Emeritus’ online leadership courses to become one of the most influential corporate leaders.
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