Reshma Kewalramani, Indian-origin CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, has secured a highly prized place on Fortune magazine's list of the 100 Most Powerful People in Business in 2025.
Making her debut at number 62, Kewalramani is among a roster of world industry leaders, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet's Sundar Pichai.
She makes her first appearance on the elite list, which honors influential leaders shaping the future of business today.
Fortune mentions that the list is more about shaping minds and decisions rather than personal wealth, highlighting a leader's capacity to influence the thoughts and actions of people around them. "This list tracks power and influence, and while net worth is part of the picture, we are far more interested in a leader's capacity to influence the thinking and behavior of those around them," the magazine said.
Several other Indian and Indian-origin executives also make the list, such as Microsoft's Satya Nadella at No. 2, Sundar Pichai at No. 6, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani at No. 56, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan at No. 83, and Gautam Adani at No. 96. Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang was at the top.
Dr. Kewalramani became the first woman to lead a leading U.S. biotech company when she joined Vertex Pharmaceuticals as CEO in April 2020. She was appointed to this position after serving in the Boston-based company from 2017 and working there in the role of Chief Medical Officer.
She was born in Mumbai and immigrated to the United States at age 11. Her education is a medical degree from Boston University, clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, and executive education through Harvard Business School's General Management Program.
Kewalramani’s leadership has coincided with a period of significant innovation at Vertex, now valued at over $110 billion. The company recently received FDA approval for Journavx, the first non-opioid pain treatment to hit the market in more than 20 years. Vertex has also led breakthroughs in cystic fibrosis therapy and is pushing the frontiers of gene-editing for conditions like sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia.
As Fortune noted in its profile: "Reshma Kewalramani, who applies her background as a licensed physician to the role, became CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in 2020, after serving as the biopharmaceutical company's chief medical officer."
As of mid-2025, Dr. Kewalramani’s estimated net worth exceeds $100 million. This includes Vertex stock holdings valued at approximately $47.5 million and nearly $53.6 million in stock sales since 2021. Her total compensation as CEO in 2024, factoring in salary, bonuses, and equity awards, stood at $21.5 million.
Outside of Vertex, she is a member of Ginkgo Bioworks' board of directors and was recently recognized by TIME magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People of 2025."
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