Lakshmi Niwas Mittal is the Executive Chairman of ArcelorMittal, the world’s second-largest steel and mining company. He studied at Shri Daulatram Nopany Vidyalaya, Calcutta from 1957 to 1964 and graduated from St. Xavier’s College, affiliated to the University of Calcutta, with a B.Com degree in the first class. Mittal founded what became ArcelorMittal in 1976 when he built a greenfield rolling mill in Indonesia. With a vision of globalization, he made 47 acquisitions over 15 years. In 2005, Mittal purchased International Steel Group and formed Mittal Steel, the world’s largest steel company. The following year, Mittal merged with Arcelor, creating ArcelorMittal.

Mittal served as CEO of ArcelorMittal from 2006 to 2021, and currently serves as Executive Chairman. Known for his strategic vision in the steel industry, Mittal’s business strategy has always focused on consolidation. He has transformed the global steel industry through his aggressive acquisition strategy and operational excellence, building ArcelorMittal into one of the world’s leading integrated steel and mining companies with operations across multiple continents.

Mittal greenlit the world’s largest integrated steel plant in Hazira, Gujarat—24 Mt capacity, with phase 1 due by 2026 and full scale by 2029—demonstrating his commitment to India’s steel self-reliance. Simultaneously, Mittal launched a ₹50,000 crore (~US $6 bn) investment in renewable energy and green hydrogen in Gujarat, aligning his empire with sustainability goals. He pledged $25 million to Harvard’s South Asia Institute, now renamed the Lakshmi Mittal South Asia Institute, and directed climate‑focused research grants through the institute’s platform.  Indiaspora is proud to have Lakshmi Mittal  on our Business Leaders 2.0 List.