Raj Subramaniam and Nikesh Arora receive CED Distinguished Leadership Awards

The Committee for Economic Development (CED), the public policy center of The Conference Board, has honored two Indian American

business leaders —  Raj Subramaniam and Nikesh Arora — and their companies for their outstanding leadership in challenging times.

Subramaniam, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of FedEx Corporation, and Arora CEO and Chairman, Palo Alto Networks were conferred the CED Distinguished Leadership Awards with four others at a ceremony in New York.

READ: Raj Subramaniam wins top Asian Americans in Business Award(September 12, 2023)

This year’s awards pay special tribute to those who have worked to advance equal opportunity during a time of national economic uncertainty, build a more civil and just society, and uphold a rules-based international order, according to a media release.

“This year’s honorees have navigated these transformational times with agility, ingenuity, integrity, and a deep sense of responsibility for the far-reaching impact of their leadership, bringing about lasting change within their companies, communities, the nation at-large, and the global community,” said Dr. Lori Esposito Murray, Co-Chair of the 2024 Distinguished Leadership Awards. “Their commitment as business leaders to work collaboratively with policy makers is indispensable for navigating the complexities of the global landscape.”

Subramaniam succeeded the founder of FedEx Corporation, one of the world’s largest transportation companies, in June 2022 as the second CEO in FedEx history.

He previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer of FedEx Corporation and has held various leadership roles in operations and marketing across the FedEx enterprise.

READ: Post honeymoon, Nikesh Arora quits Google to join Japanese telecom giant SoftBank (July 18, 2014)

With more than 30 years of industry experience at FedEx, one of the world’s largest transportation companies, Subramaniam’s forward-thinking, innovative ways have helped revolutionize the transportation and logistics industry.

Subramaniam is also a 2023 recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, the highest civilian award presented by the President of India to the Indian diaspora in recognition of outstanding achievements in India and abroad.

Originally from Trivandrum, India, Subramaniam earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Syracuse University, and a master’s degree in business administration from The University of Texas at Austin.

During his tenure of four years, Arora has led Palo Alto Networks, the leading cybersecurity company in the world, through a major transformation to become the partner of choice for enterprise organizations and governments around the world.

Before joining Palo Alto Networks in 2018, Arora served as president and chief operating officer of SoftBank Group Corp. Prior to that, he spent ten years at Google, Inc. as a senior executive, where he was senior vice president and chief business officer, president of global sales operations and business development, and president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Arora’s career also includes serving as chief marketing officer for the T-Mobile International Division of Deutsche Telekom AG, and chief executive officer and founder of T-Motion PLC, which merged with T-Mobile International in 2002.

Arora serves on the board of Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A., a public Switzerland-based luxury goods holding company, and Tipping Point, a non-profit organization that fights poverty in the Bay Area.

Previously, he served on the boards of SoftBank Group Corp., Sprint Corp., Colgate-Palmolive Inc. and Yahoo! Japan, among others. He holds an MBA in business administration from Northeastern University, an MS in finance from Boston College, and a BTech in electrical engineering from the Institute of Technology at Banaras Hindu University.

Arora has received numerous awards for leadership and influence including ETs 2015 Global Indian of the Year, CRN’s Top 100 Executives “Most influential”, Comparably’s 5th Annual list of Best CEOs for Women. Under his leadership, Palo Alto Networks received the top ranking on Newsweek’s 100 Most Loved Workplaces in 2022.

(This story was originally published by the American Bazaar.)