Indian-born Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks, has clinched the second spot on The Wall Street Journal's 2023 list of highest-paid CEOs in the United States. The 56-year-old's impressive compensation package of $151.43 million outshines those of several prominent tech leaders, including Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Google's Sundar Pichai.
Facts About Nikesh Arora
Early Life and Education
Nikesh Arora was born on February 9, 1968, in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. His father served in the Indian Air Force. Arora attended The Air Force School (Subroto Park) and graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi in 1989. After a brief period at Wipro, he moved to the United States to pursue an MBA at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
Career Beginnings
Arora began his career in 1992 at Fidelity Investments, where he held various roles in finance and technology management, eventually rising to Vice President of Fidelity Technologies. In 2000, he founded T-Motion, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, which later became integral to T-Mobile's core services. He also served as the Chief Marketing Officer for the T-Mobile International Division of Deutsche Telekom AG.
Google and SoftBank
In 2004, Arora joined Google, taking on significant roles such as Vice President of Europe operations, President of Europe, Middle East, and Africa, and ultimately, Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer. He spent nearly a decade at Google.
In 2014, Arora moved to Japan's SoftBank Corp, where he became Vice Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Internet and Media Inc. He was poised to succeed SoftBank's CEO, Masayoshi Son, and earned $208 million in compensation over two years. However, in a surprising move, he resigned from SoftBank in June 2016.
Palo Alto Networks
Arora joined Palo Alto Networks in 2018, where he now serves as CEO and Chairman. His leadership has been instrumental in driving the company's growth and securing its position as a leader in cybersecurity.
Honours and Recognition
In 2015, Nikesh Arora was honoured with the Global Indian award at the ET Corporate Excellence Awards, acknowledging his significant contributions to the global business landscape
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