Nikesh Arora
{{short description|Indian-American business executive (born 1968)}}
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{{Use American English|date=April 2020}}
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{{Infobox person
| name = Nikesh Arora
| image = Nikesh Arora TechCrunch Disrupt 2015.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Nikesh Arora in 2015
| birth_place = Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
|citizenship = United States{{Cite web|url=https://www.rediff.com/business/report/pix-nikesh-arora-from-being-jobless-to-getting-the-worlds-best-jobs/20150513.htm|title = Nikesh Arora: From being jobless to getting the world's best jobs!}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Ayesha Thapar|2014}}
| family = Thapar family (by marriage)
| children = 3
| birth_name =
| othername =
| yearsactive =
| occupation = CEO and chairman of Palo Alto Networks
| employer =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|2|9}}
| website =
| alma mater = IIT (BHU) Varanasi (BTech)
Boston College (MS)
Northeastern University (MBA)
| education = CFA
}}
Nikesh Arora (born February 9, 1968){{Cite news |last=Waters |first=Richard |date=May 20, 2012 |title=Happy to be a bit more 'un-Googley' |url=https://www.ft.com/content/37c149ea-a00e-11e1-94ba-00144feabdc0 |work=Financial Times}} is an Indian-American business executive. He has been the chairman and chief executive officer of the American cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks since June 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/company/press/2018/palo-alto-networks-announces-record-revenues-and-billings-and-board-appoints-nikesh-arora-as-ceo-and-chairman|title=Palo Alto Networks Announces Record Revenues and Billings and Board Appoints Nikesh Arora as CEO and Chairman – Palo Alto Networks|website=www.paloaltonetworks.com}} Arora was formerly a senior executive at Google{{cite news| url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephenharner/2015/06/22/softbanks-masayoshi-son-bets-the-ranch-on-nikesh-arora/ | work=Forbes | first=Stephen | last=Harner | title=SoftBank's Masayoshi Son 'Bets The Ranch' On Nikesh Arora}} and president of SoftBank Group from October 2014 to June 2016. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, his net worth was estimated at $1.5 billion in early 2024.{{Cite news |last=Maloney |first=Tom |date=January 3, 2024 |title=SoftBank Veteran Is a Billionaire After Another Huge Payday |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-03/softbank-veteran-arora-a-billionaire-after-another-huge-payday |publisher=Bloomberg News}}
Early life
Nikesh Arora was born to an Indian Air Force officer in a Punjabi family,{{cite news|title=nikesh_arora's_father_passes_away|newspaper=The Economic Times|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/nikesh-aroras-father-passes-away/articleshow/53218768.cms|publisher=ET Bureau|access-date=15 July 2016|last1=Chanchani|first1=Madhav}} Arora completed his schooling at The Air Force School,{{cite web|title=Six_things_to_know_about_Nikesh_Arora|date=June 21, 2016 |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/current/corporate/six-things-to-know-about-worlds-highest-paid-executive-nikesh-arora/story/234039.html|publisher=Business Today|access-date=October 6, 2019}} and went on to graduate from Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (presently IIT (BHU)) in Varanasi, India, with a Bachelors in Engineering in Electrical Engineering in 1989.{{cite web|title=Management team|url=https://www.google.com/about/company/facts/management/|access-date=18 April 2013}} He holds a M.S. degree in finance from Boston College and an MBA from Northeastern University. He has held the CFA designation since 1999.
Career
= T-Motion PLC =
In 2000, Arora established T-Motion, a subsidiary within Deutsche Telekom, "providing value-added services to the 3G Services of Deutsche Telekom." A few years after, in 2002, T-Motion was integrated into T-Mobile's core services.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}{{Cite web |last=Hiltzik |first=Michael |date=26 June 2020 |title=Column: With its Sprint merger in the bag, T-Mobile is already backing away from its promises |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-06-26/tmobile-merger-promises |access-date=26 February 2023 |website=Los Angeles Times}}
= Google =
Arora joined Google in 2004.{{Cite web |last=Hof |first=Robert |date=17 July 2014 |title=Google Management Surprise: Longtime Sales Chief Nikesh Arora Leaves For SoftBank |website=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthof/2014/07/17/google-management-surprise-longtime-sales-chief-nikesh-arora-leaves-for-softbank/ }} He held multiple senior operating leadership roles at Google, as vice president, Europe operations from 2004 to 2007, president Europe, Middle East and Africa from 2007 to 2009, and president, global sales operations and business development from 2009 to 2010.{{cite news|last=Asthana|first=Shishir|date=2014-07-19|title=5 things to know about Nikesh Arora|work=Business Standard India|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/5-things-to-know-about-nikesh-arora-114071900221_1.html|access-date=2020-07-16}} He was senior vice president and chief business officer of Google Inc. (Google) since January 2011 until July 2014.{{Citation needed|date=July 2015}}
He left Google in July 2014 resigning from the post of senior vice president and chief business officer.
= SoftBank Corp. =
Arora was president and chief operating officer of SoftBank Corp. from 2014 to 2016{{cite news| url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthof/2014/07/17/google-management-surprise-longtime-sales-chief-nikesh-arora-leaves-for-softbank/ | work=Forbes | first=Robert | last=Hof | title=Google Management Surprise: Longtime Sales Chief Nikesh Arora Leaves For SoftBank}}{{cite web|url=http://www.softbank.jp/en/corp/news/press/sb/2014/20140718_01/|title=Nikesh Arora to join SoftBank as Vice Chairman, SoftBank Corp. and CEO of the newly formed SoftBank Internet and Media, Inc. – Press Releases – News – About Us – SoftBank Group|access-date=July 19, 2014|archive-date=August 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150819200344/http://www.softbank.jp/en/corp/news/press/sb/2014/20140718_01|url-status=dead}} receiving total compensation over $200 million,{{cite web|url=http://blogs.reuters.com/breakingviews/2016/06/21/softbanks-long-term-plan-abruptly-cut-short/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622131439/http://blogs.reuters.com/breakingviews/2016/06/21/softbanks-long-term-plan-abruptly-cut-short/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-06-22|title=SoftBank's long-term plan abruptly cut short|website=Reuters}} a Japanese record at the time.{{cite news| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-22/softbank-sets-pay-record-with-135-million-pay-for-arora | work=Bloomberg | first=Dave | last=McCombs | title=SoftBank Sets Pay Record With $135 Million Pay for Arora | date=22 June 2015}}
= Palo Alto Networks =
In June 2018, Arora became the CEO and chairman of Palo Alto Networks.
In 2023, Arora's total compensation from Palo Alto Networks was $151.4 million, up 1,355% from the previous year and representing a CEO-to-median worker pay ratio of 735-to-1 for the company, as well as making Arora the fourth highest paid CEO in the US that year.{{Cite web |last=Paradis |first=Tim |date=2024-06-18 |title=Here are the highest-paid CEOs in the US, some of whom have 9-figure compensation packages |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/highest-paid-us-ceos-compensation-packages-stock-awards-2024-5 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240828183037/https://www.businessinsider.com/highest-paid-us-ceos-compensation-packages-stock-awards-2024-5 |archive-date=2024-08-28 |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}
= Other experiences =
Arora was chief marketing officer and a member of the management board at T-Mobile, Bharti Airtel, Europe{{cite web|last=Charny|first=Ben|title=T-Mobile to cut wireless-data prices|url=http://news.cnet.com/T-Mobile-to-cut-wireless-data-price/2100-1039_3-991178.html|publisher=CNET|access-date=2 March 2011}} and is a trustee at the Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles, California.{{cite web|title=Board of Trustees Page|url=http://www.paleycenter.org/about-leadership-board-of-trustees|work=Index|publisher=Paley Center for Media|access-date=8 October 2011}}
Since 2007, Arora has been a senior advisor to Silver Lake Partners, a private equity firm.{{Cite web|url=http://www.silverlake.com/Mobile/Advisors.aspx|title=Mobile Advisors|website=www.silverlake.com|access-date=2016-04-21}}
From 2001 to 2004, he was chief marketing officer of the T-Mobile International Division of Deutsche Telekom AG. He was chief executive officer and founder of T-Motion PLC, which merged with T-Mobile International in 2002.{{Citation needed|date=July 2015}}
Arora began his career at Fidelity Investments in 1992, holding a variety of finance and technology management positions, rising to vice president, finance of Fidelity Technologies.{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/nikesh-arora/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130034734/http://www.forbes.com/profile/nikesh-arora/|title=Forbes profile |archive-date=30 January 2014 }}
Arora has also worked for Deutsche Telekom, Putnam Investments, Fidelity Investments.{{Cite news|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/5-things-to-know-about-nikesh-arora-114071900221_1.html|title=5 things to know about Nikesh Arora|last=Asthana|first=Shishir|newspaper=Business Standard India|date=July 19, 2014|access-date=2016-04-21}}
He has been a board member of Sprint Corporation, Colgate-Palmolive and Yahoo! Japan.{{Cite news |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/business/google-highest-paid-executive-nikesh-arora-billionaire-9093974/ |title=Once Google's highest paid executive, how Nikesh Arora became a billionaire |date=January 4, 2024 |work=The Indian Express}} He was elected to the board of Uber in 2025.{{Cite web |last1=Bosa |first1=Deirdre |last2=Wu |first2=Jasmine |date=2025-06-04 |title=Uber adds Palo Alto CEO Nikesh Arora to its board after executive shakeup |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/04/uber-board-palo-alto-nikesh-arora.html |access-date=2025-06-05 |publisher=CNBC |language=en}}
Personal life
Arora has a daughter from his first marriage.{{Cite news |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/softbanks-nikesh-arora-and-wife-ayesha-thapar-had-their-first-child-early-this-month/articleshow/47700253.cms |title=SoftBank's Nikesh Arora and wife Ayesha Thapar had their first child early this month |date=June 17, 2015 |work=The Economic Times}} His second marriage was to Ayesha Thapar, an Indian industrial heiress, in 2014.{{Cite news |last=Crabtree |first=James |date=June 22, 2016 |title=Lunch with the FT: Nikesh Arora |url=https://www.ft.com/content/40808a72-3886-11e6-a780-b48ed7b6126f |work=Financial Times}} They have a son and a daughter.
References
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Category:Banaras Hindu University alumni
Category:Boston College alumni
Category:Northeastern University alumni
Category:20th-century American businesspeople
Category:21st-century American businesspeople
Category:Indian emigrants to the United States
Category:American people of Punjabi descent
Category:American computer businesspeople
Category:American technology chief executives