Sunder Pichai led Google named world’s third most valuable brand after Apple and Amazon
Microsoft’s India born CEO Satya Nadella comes out top in Brand Finance Brand Guardianship Index 2022 of world’s top 250 CEOs with Sundar Pichai led Google named world’s third most valuable brand after Apple and Amazon.
“Nadella has been credited with overhauling Microsoft’s fortunes by changing its culture towards one of teamwork, innovation, and inclusivity, and instilling a growth mindset throughout the business,” according to leading brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance.
New entrant TikTok has been named world’s fastest-growing brand, up 215%, leading global revolution in media consumption in its latest report published Thursday.
Three other Indian-Americans CEOs also figure high in the index with Pichai at 5th, Shantanu Narayan of Adobe at 6th, and Puneet Renjen of Deloitte at 14th place.
Read: Indian American Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai and Madhur Jaffery get Padma Bhushan (January 25, 2022)
India’s top ranked CEO N. Chandrasekhar of the Tatas is at 25th place in the global list with Anand Mahindra of M&M and Mukesh Ambani of Reliance at 41st and 42nd, respectively. State Bank of India’s Dinesh Kumar Khara is ranked 46th.
Apple has retained the title of the most valuable brand title following a 35% increase to US$355.1 billion – the highest brand value ever recorded in the Brand Finance Global 500 ranking.
Google, led by Pichai, also saw a similar brand value growth of 38% to US$263.4 billion, the report noted.
“The brand relies on advertising for the vast majority of its revenue, and was hurt at the start of the pandemic as advertising spend dropped due to uncertainty,” it said.
“However, as the world adjusted to the new normal, and with people spending more and more time online, advertising budgets opened back up and Google’s business rebounded, resulting in a healthy uplift in brand value.”
Tech remains most valuable industry, while second-ranked retail crosses US$1 trillion mark following 46% brand value growth during Covid-19 pandemic, according to the report.
US and China continue to dominate claiming 2/3 of brand value in ranking, while India sees fastest-growth over course of pandemic among top nations, up 42%
WeChat named world’s strongest brand for second consecutive year with top score of 93.3 out of 100 and elite AAA+ rating, the report said.
The top 10 of the ranking is dominated by brand guardians — as the CEOs are called in the report — from the tech and media sectors, with Tech boasting the majority with six featuring.
Tim Cook sits in a well-earned 2nd place, having overseen Apple’s record-breaking year, which saw it become the first company to achieve a US$3 trillion market valuation, the report said.
Cook is joined by the brand guardians of a number of household brand names, with Tencent’s Huateng Ma (4th), Google’s Pichai (5th), and Netflix’s Reed Hastings (7th) all featuring at the top of the ranking.
Read: Meet the top 7 Indian Americans CEOs in corporate America (November 30, 2021)
David Haigh, Chairman & CEO of Brand Finance, commented, “Ultimately, the role of a brand guardian is to build brand and business value. Our ranking recognizes those who are building business value in a sustainable manner, by balancing the needs of all stakeholders – employees, investors, and the wider society.”
“More and more, the CEOs ranked in the Brand Guardianship Index must work in partnership to build a sustainable future, redefining the role of a CEO from ultra-competitive entrepreneur to collaborative diplomat,” he stated.
Ranking the world’s top 250 CEOs, the Brand Guardianship Index evaluates the performance of chief executives according to how well they manage and grow their companies’ brands, the repot saiud.
Within Asia-Pacific, Tata Group is the most valuable brand in South Asia and India’s only entry in the top 100, with a brand value of $23.9 billion, following an impressive 12% increase from the previous year.
In addition, Chairman of Tata Sons, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, ranks as the top CEO in India and stands at 25th position globally in the Brand Guardianship Index 2022.
The performance of Tata Group exceeded expectations in 2021, thanks to a number of new acquisitions and partnerships and as key group companies – from Tata Consultancy Services to Tata Steel – witnessed major growth.
The market capitalization of Tata Group’s 20 listed subsidiaries has exceeded that of 70 listed central public sector undertakings (CPSUs) in India.
Additionally, the Tata Group will be sponsoring the star-studded cricket tournament Indian Premier League (IPL).
Read: Satya Nadella Ranked No. 1 As Top CEO In The World In Brand Finance Ranking (January 27, 2022)
The partnership comes just as Tata is inching towards the launch of its ‘super app’ TataNeu, which will consolidate all of Tata’s consumer-facing businesses, the report noted.
The mobile application will serve as a digital ecosystem for all of Tata’s service offerings including retail, groceries, travel, hospitality, and digital payments.