Rajat, the former managing director of management consultancy McKinsey & Company, who hails from Kolkata, was recognized as the first Indian born CEO of a global corporation. He served the firm with full determination and sincerity for nine long years and during his tenure the company was successful in starting its branches in 23 new countries and has also doubled its consultant base. Apart from being an exemplary successful businessman, Rajat was a philanthropist focusing on diverse areas such as education, global health, and global business.

Gupta was a trustee of the University of Chicago; a board member of the Global Health Council, the Harvard School of Public Health, and the Weill Cornell Medical College; and an adviser to the Clinton Global Health Initiative and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, reports   Kevin Roose  of nymag.

Gupta’s life experienced a twist in the year 2010, when Raj Rajaratnam, a hedge fund manager and founder of Galleon Group from Sri Lanka was accused of insider trading. Gupta was arrested by FBI towards the end of 2011 for disclosing the earnings of his company (Goldman Sachs) to Rajaratnam, and Galleon Group is said to have benefited a lot from the information provided. Gupta is said to have passed information about Warren Buffet's decision to invest $5 billion in Goldman Sachs to Rajaratnam. As a result, Rajaratnam was able to buy the stock and make a profit of $800,000, before the news was made public.