Most Powerful Business Leaders in India

DEEPAK PAREKH, 67, Banker

He and other corporate hotshots wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the strong nexus between some businessmen, bureaucrats and power-brokers, which Manmohan took note of. He is the first port of call for the Government when it seeks expert advice, be it on restructuring Hindustan Aeronautics or modernising Indian Railways. The HDFC group's market cap of Rs 2.2 lakh crore is the highest by far for any banking or financial services group in the country. Parekh, who sits on the boards of companies like Siemens, GlaxoSmithkline and Castrol, resigned as director from Hindustan Unilever and Hindustan Oil within two weeks in December 2011.