Tata, Mittal, Khosla among Forbes’ 100 Greatest Business Minds

Three Indian entrepreneurs have been included into the list of '100 Greatest Living Business Minds' released by Forbes magazine. They are Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of the salt-to-software Tata Group; Lakshmi Mittal, chief executive and chairman of the world's largest steel producer Arcelormittal; and Vinod Khosla, founder of venture capital firm Khosla Ventures.

As part of Forbes' 100th anniversary celebrations, the magazine unveiled on Tuesday its special centennial issue, which has essays, lessons and ideas for the next 100 years from the world's greatest living thinkers in the world of business.

In developing the list, Forbes said it sought people who have either created something with a lasting impact on the world or innovated in a way that transcends their given field.

"The list speaks to a century of entrepreneurial capitalism compiling the doers who have created, disrupted and innovated on a collectively historic scale. All honorees were required to actively participate in the project – all essays are original, capturing wisdom from the list-makers themselves, "Forbes said its statement.

Ratan Tata, former chairman of the iconic Tata Group which owns brands including Jaguar Land Rover, Taj Hotels, and Tetley Teas, said, "Be passionate in areas relevant to you, and be a voice that is respected and abreast of developments."

Lakshmi Mittal shared these insights, "Every industry today has to fight complacency, prepare to see disruption coming and then be flexible enough to adapt swiftly."

Commenting on 'reputation', venture capitalist and the former chief executive of Sun Microsystems Vinod Khosla, said, "I explicitly don't build or guard my reputation. I believe in telling it like it is and not worrying about it."

Forbes magazine was founded 100 years ago on 17 September 1917 by B C Forbes, a financial journalist, and his partner Walter Drey, who was then GM of the Magazine of Wall Street. As B C Forbes put it, the reason he started Forbes magazine was to promote humaneness in business. "Business was originated to produce happiness, not to pile up millions," he said.