• Source:JND
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The highest-paid CEO of Indian origin in the US is not Microsoft’s Satya Nadella or Google’s Sundar Pichai, but rather an individual who has achieved remarkable success and recognition, setting a new benchmark for leadership and financial success among Indian-origin executives.

 A recent report evaluating CEOs based on their Compensation Actually Paid (CAP) highlighted that only one CEO of Indian descent made it into the top 10. 

According to C-Suite Comp, Nikesh Arora, chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, is the only Silicon Valley executive of Indian origin to be featured among the ten highest-paid CEOs in the US, making him the highest-paid CEO of Inidan-origin in the US.  

Meet Nikesh Arora, the highest-paid Indian-origin CEO of Indian origin in the United States. Renowned for his influential role in the tech industry, Arora's impressive career spans leadership positions at some of the world's top companies. 

In this article, we'll explore his net worth, educational background, and the key milestones that have shaped his remarkable career. Discover what sets Arora apart as a prominent figure in Silicon Valley and beyond.

Nikesh Arora, born on February 9, 1968, is an Indian-American business executive who has served as the chairman and CEO of the American cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks since June 2018. 

Nikesh Arora Early Life

Nikesh Arora born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, has built an impressive career. Growing up in a military family, with his father in the Indian Air Force, instilled in him the values of discipline and determination, which have contributed to his success.

Nitesh Arora Education

He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (now IIT (BHU)) in Varanasi, India, in 1989. Arora also earned an MS degree in Finance from Boston College and an MBA from Northeastern University. He has held the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation since 1999.

Nikesh Arora Net Worth

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, his net worth was estimated at USD 1.5 billion (150 Crore) in early 2024.

Nikesh Arora Career 

In 2000, Nikesh Arora founded T-Motion, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom that provided value-added services for the company's 3G offerings. By 2002, T-Motion had been integrated into T-Mobile’s core operations. Arora joined Google in 2004 and served as senior vice president and chief business officer until his resignation in July 2014. From 2014 to 2016, he was president and COO of SoftBank Corp., earning over USD 200 million in total compensation, setting a record in Japan at the time.

In June 2018, Arora was appointed CEO and chairman of Palo Alto Networks.

In 2023, his total compensation from Palo Alto Networks soared to USD 151.4 million (1,514 crore), a 1,355 per cent increase from the previous year. This reflected a CEO-to-median worker pay ratio of 735-to-1, making Arora the fourth highest-paid CEO in the US that year.

Nikesh Arora Personal Life

Arora has a daughter from his first marriage. He remarried in 2014 to Ayesha Thapar, an Indian industrial heiress, and together they have a son.