
Nikesh Arora
Indian-American business executive (born 1968)
Nikesh Arora (born February 9, 1968) is an Indian-American billionaire business executive. He is currently the chairman and chief executive officer of the American cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks.2
From Wikipedia’s article on Nikesh Arora (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Born Feb 9, 1968.1
About
Arora was formerly a senior executive at Google 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.
From Wikipedia’s article on Nikesh Arora, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2
Companies
- UberBoard member Jun 10, 2025 to now10
- Palo Alto NetworksBoard member Jun 11, 2018 to now11
- Palo Alto NetworksChief executive officer Jun 11, 2018 to now12
- Sprint CorporationBoard member Nov 7, 2014 to Aug 11, 201513
- GooglePres, Global Sales & Bus Dev Jul 16, 2009 to Jul 8, 201414
- Colgate-Palmolive CompanyBoard member Mar 26, 2012 to Jul 3, 201415
Holdings
Stock this person has reported owning, from the forms officers and directors file with the SEC. See the biggest insider stakes.
Shares held
Palo Alto Networks PANW1,069,936 shares16$371.8M at $347.48Mar 27, 2026
Colgate-Palmolive Company CL12,997 shares17$1.2M at $93.26Jul 3, 2014
Uber UBER1,304 shares18$88.5K at $67.83Feb 17, 2026
As of each latest filing. The line shows shares held over time.
Recent filings
- Mar 27, 2026Bought 100 shares at $147.48 of Palo Alto Networks16
- Mar 27, 2026Bought 67,985 shares at $146.87 of Palo Alto Networks16
- Feb 12, 2026Granted 165 shares of Palo Alto Networks19
- Nov 1, 2025Returned to company 1,185,721 shares of Palo Alto Networks20
- Nov 1, 2025Granted 1,185,721 shares of Palo Alto Networks20
- Sep 23, 2025Sold 4,021 shares at $208.35 of Palo Alto Networks21
- Sep 23, 2025Sold 18,669 shares at $207.63 of Palo Alto Networks21
- Sep 23, 2025Sold 47,064 shares at $206.85 of Palo Alto Networks21
- Sep 23, 2025Sold 32,463 shares at $205.63 of Palo Alto Networks21
- Sep 23, 2025Sold 251,559 shares at $204.64 of Palo Alto Networks21
- Sep 23, 2025Sold 110,592 shares at $203.69 of Palo Alto Networks21
- Sep 23, 2025Sold 382,040 shares at $203.10 of Palo Alto Networks21
- Sep 23, 2025Exercised options 846,408 shares at $33.08 of Palo Alto Networks21
- Jun 7, 2025Returned to company 42,558 shares of Palo Alto Networks22
- Apr 3, 2025Sold 4,297 shares at $168.38 of Palo Alto Networks23
- Apr 3, 2025Sold 71,272 shares at $167.65 of Palo Alto Networks23
- Apr 3, 2025Sold 56,076 shares at $166.70 of Palo Alto Networks23
- Apr 3, 2025Sold 81,510 shares at $165.75 of Palo Alto Networks23
- Apr 3, 2025Sold 39,501 shares at $164.69 of Palo Alto Networks23
- Apr 3, 2025Sold 44,182 shares at $163.65 of Palo Alto Networks23
- Apr 3, 2025Exercised options 296,838 shares at $33.08 of Palo Alto Networks23
- Apr 2, 2025Sold 16,799 shares at $174.43 of Palo Alto Networks23
- Apr 2, 2025Sold 55,147 shares at $173.62 of Palo Alto Networks23
- Apr 2, 2025Sold 86,586 shares at $172.76 of Palo Alto Networks23
- Apr 2, 2025Sold 54,560 shares at $171.89 of Palo Alto Networks23
Early life and education
- Date not recordedIndian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi3
- Date not recordedThe Air Force School3
- Date not recordedBanaras Hindu University3
- Date not recordedNortheastern University3
- Date not recordedBoston College3
Nikesh Arora was born to a Punjabi family in Ghaziabad. His father is an Indian Air Force officer. Arora went to high school at The Air Force School.
He later went on to graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India, with a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering in 1989. 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.
From Wikipedia’s article on Nikesh Arora (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career
Occupation: scientist.6
- Since 2018Chief executive, Palo Alto Networks5
- Date not recordedWorked at SoftBank Mobile4
- Date not recordedWorked at Google4
- Date not recordedWorked at Palo Alto Networks4
Fidelity Investments
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.
T-Motion PLC
In 2000, Arora established T-Motion, a subsidiary within Deutsche Telekom. In 2002, T-Motion was integrated into T-Mobile's core services.
Arora joined Google in 2004. 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.
Arora left Google in 2014, resigning from the post of senior vice president and chief business officer.
Read more
SoftBank Corp.
Arora was president and chief operating officer of SoftBank Corp. from 2014 to 2016 receiving total compensation over $200 million, a Japanese record at the time.
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 U.S. that year. For 2024, Arora's total compensation was $58 million.
Other positions
Arora was chief marketing officer and a member of the management board at T-Mobile, Bharti Airtel, Europe and is a trustee at the Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles, California.
Since 2007, Arora has been a senior advisor to Silver Lake Partners, a private equity firm. 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.
Arora has also worked for Deutsche Telekom and Putnam Investments.
Arora has been a board member of Sprint Corporation, Colgate-Palmolive and Yahoo! Japan. He was elected to the board of Uber in 2025.
Arora is also a member of The Business Council.
From Wikipedia’s article on Nikesh Arora (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Personal life
Arora has a daughter from his first marriage. His second marriage was to Ayesha Thapar, an Indian industrial heiress, in 2014. They have a son and a daughter.
From Wikipedia’s article on Nikesh Arora (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Links
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1WikidataNikesh Arora on Wikidata
- 2WikipediaNikesh Arora on Wikipedia
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- 10SEC EDGARUber, Board member
- 11SEC EDGARPalo Alto Networks, Board member
- 12Wikidata and SEC EDGARPalo Alto Networks, Chief executive officer
- 13SEC EDGARSprint Corporation, Board member
- 14SEC EDGARGoogle, Pres, Global Sales & Bus Dev
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- 19SEC EDGARForm 4 filed Feb 17, 2026
- 20SEC EDGARForm 4 filed Nov 4, 2025
- 21SEC EDGARForm 4 filed Sep 24, 2025
- 22SEC EDGARForm 4 filed Jun 10, 2025
- 23SEC EDGARForm 4 filed Apr 3, 2025
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