KM Birla, Nita Ambani among top 100 philanthropic leaders: survey

Business tycoons Gautam Adani, Nita Ambani and Kumar Mangalam Birla are among 100 Indians in the list of corporate leaders who have made a mark through their philanthropic activities across the world.

The list, which is first of its kind, was released on Thursday by Indiaspora, a Us-based diaspora body, with guidance from nine jurors and drawing from multiple sources, including reputed studies, earlier verified lists and publicly shared documents.

“Topping the list are industrialist Gautam Adani, Nita Ambani and Kumar Mangalam Birla from India; Monte Ahuja, Ajay Banga and Manoj Bhargava from US; Sonam Ajmera, Bob Dhillon and Aditya Jha from Canada; Mohamed Amersi, Manoj Badale and Kujinder

Bahia from the United Kingdom,” the list said.

MR Rangaswami, the founder of Indiaspora, said: “It is incredibly inspiring to see so many philanthropists from our community who have translated their success into social impact”.

“These leaders serve as an example of the importance of generosity and remind us of the many issues that need our attention,” he said.

Sara Kalim, director of development at Somerville College and one of the jurors, said it was very gratifying to be a part of the effort. “I appreciated the careful consideration given to each honoree by those who were involved,” said. With more than 32 million people of Indian-origin globally, according to the ministry of external affairs, Indians are the largest diaspora population in the world.

“Covid taught us that businesses, nonprofits, government, and philanthropy all play a critical role in lifting the communities they serve and operate in during times of crisis,” said Prem Watsa, founder and CEO of Fairfax Financial Holdings and one of the honorees on the List.

“I hope the diaspora will continue to give forward, and even more boldly,” said Rohini Nilekani, founder-chairperson of sustainable water and sanitation nonprofit Arghyam, who is also an honoree on the List.

Nilekani said it is both inspiring and critical to resolve many old and emerging societal challenges in India.