Business leaders who passed away in 2025

In 2025, the global business landscape quietly closed several long-running chapters. The year saw the passing of founders, chief executives and industry leaders whose decisions shaped companies, markets and management thinking across sectors—from fashion and logistics to manufacturing, technology and advertising.

What follows is a factual account of prominent business leaders who passed away in 2025, listed with the organisations they were most closely associated with, and the roles through which they left a lasting imprint.

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Global business leaders

Giorgio Armani
Founder and Chairman, Armani Group — 2025

Armani built one of the world’s most enduring luxury fashion businesses, transforming personal design sensibility into a global brand spanning apparel, fragrance, hospitality and lifestyle.

Gopichand Hinduja
Chairman, Hinduja Group — 2025

A central figure in building the Hinduja Group into a diversified multinational conglomerate, with interests across banking, energy, automotive, healthcare and infrastructure.

Frederick W. Smith
Founder and Executive Chairman, FedEx — 2025

Smith revolutionised global logistics by creating the overnight delivery model, reshaping supply chains, global trade and the rise of e-commerce.

Lord Swraj Paul

Founder, Caparo Group — 2025

An Indian-born British industrialist, Paul built Caparo into a major engineering and automotive group and played a visible role in UK–India business relations.

Vince Zampella
CEO, Respawn Entertainment; Co-creator, Call of Duty — 2025

One of the most influential figures in modern gaming, Zampella helped turn video games into a global entertainment business with mass-market reach.

Paul “Tony” Novelly
Former CEO, Apex Oil — 2025

A longtime leader in the US energy sector, Novelly steered Apex Oil through volatile commodity cycles and regulatory shifts.

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Indian business leaders

Simone Tata
Former Chairperson, Lakmé; Founder, Westside — 2025

A pioneer of organised beauty and fashion retail in India, Simone Tata helped shape how Indian consumers engaged with branded lifestyle products.

Sunjay Kapur
Chairman, Sona Comstar — 2025

Kapur led the automotive components major through rapid global expansion, positioning it for the transition toward electric and technology-led mobility.

Amit Banerji
Founder and CEO, Table Space — 2025

Part of a new generation of entrepreneurs, Banerji built enterprise-grade managed workspaces for large corporates in India’s evolving office market.

Ram Buxani
Chairman, ITL Cosmos Group — 2025

A prominent figure in the Dubai–Indian business community, Buxani played a role in strengthening cross-border retail and consumer businesses.

Neeraj Tyagi
CEO, We Founder Circle — 2025

A leading angel investor and ecosystem builder, Tyagi was closely involved in mentoring early-stage founders and backing young startups.

TT Jagannathan
Chairman Emeritus, TTK Prestige — 2025

Associated with the rise of branded kitchen appliances in India, Jagannathan helped build TTK Prestige into a household consumer brand.

Piyush Pandey
Former Executive Chairman, Ogilvy India — 2025

One of India’s most influential advertising leaders, Pandey shaped decades of brand communication and popular culture.

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US and regional executives

Rich Teerlink
Former CEO, Harley-Davidson — 2025

Teerlink is credited with reviving Harley-Davidson’s brand and culture during a critical phase for the iconic motorcycle maker.

Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman
Founder and Owner, Manna Inc. — 2025

After a professional basketball career, Bridgeman built a billion-dollar food and beverage business, becoming a model for athlete-entrepreneurs.

Don Davis Jr.
Former Chairman and CEO, Rockwell Automation — 2025

Davis played a key role in shaping the company’s long-term industrial automation strategy and operational footprint.

Leonard Goldstein
Former Chairman and CEO, Miller Brewing Company — 2025

Goldstein led the brewer during a period of consolidation and competition in the US beer industry.

Carol Ann Schneider
Founder, SEEK Careers/Staffing — 2025

A pioneer in workforce staffing, Schneider built one of the largest employment services firms in the United States.

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Why 2025 stands out

Many of the leaders who passed away in 2025 belonged to an era of founder-led growth and long-tenured executive leadership. Their careers spanned decades of expansion, globalisation and industry transformation.

As companies move into 2026, their absence highlights a broader shift underway—toward institutional leadership, professional management and succession models designed to outlast individual architects.

For business leaders today, the lesson is quiet but clear: organisations endure not because of personalities, but because of the systems and cultures leaders leave behind.