TIME and Reliance are working together to launch TIME100 Next India, showing 100 leaders who are starting to become important in India and the Indian community around the world. This first expansion of the TIME100 Next idea will finish with the gala in Mumbai in December 2026, and the specially chosen list of names will be available later this year.
The plan was announced at the TIME100 Gala in New York, and shows TIME’s attempt to give recognition to people with new and developing voices in business, science, technology, the arts, sports, and people who speak up for others. TIME’s CEO Jessica Sibley says she is very pleased to be bringing TIME100 Next to India for the first time.
TIME100 Next India: First global expansion
This is the very first international version of TIME100 Next, which is similar to the main TIME100 list. However, it focuses on people who will be shaping the future, rather than people who already are famous, and this shows how much more important India is becoming in stories about global leadership.
Dan Macsai, TIME’s chief strategy officer and executive editor, says that TIME100 Next has become a very influential way to find the leaders who will be important for the next ten years. He also says that expanding to India will focus attention on an amazingly talented group of younger people.
Reliance partnership and Mumbai gala timeline
Reliance is partnering with them for the launch, because they are focused on helping future leaders to develop. Nita Mukesh Ambani, who founded and runs Reliance Foundation, says Reliance is dedicated to creating India’s future by giving the next generation of talented people, new ideas, and leaders the support they need.
TIME’s editors will choose the people for the first list and publish it online. After that, there will be a well-known gala at NMACC in December 12026. Ambani says they’re excited to work with TIME to launch TIME100 Next India for the first time ever.
Key milestones confirmed so far include:
– Editorial curation of 100 rising leaders
– Sectors spanning business, science, tech, arts, sports, advocacy
– Inclusion of Indian diaspora voices
– List publishing later this year
– Gala at NMACC, Mumbai, in December 2026
What the list will recognise
TIME100 Next India will celebrate the effect and influence of people early in their careers, and give more attention to leaders whose work shows which direction India and the world are going. The plan is to get people who are making changes in all kinds of fields and in many different places together on a worldwide platform.
The focus on India and the Indian community abroad shows a system where innovation, starting businesses, and creative work are growing. The list is intended to find the people who will be responsible for the big improvements, important discussions, and new developments in creative fields in the future.
Statements from leaders
Sibley says TIME100 Next India shows TIME’s commitment to ‘recognizing and getting together the next group of leaders who are making progress in all industries and all over the world’. This event is part of TIME’s larger plan to make its global events available to more people.
Ambani adds that it has always been Reliance’s goal to show India the best things from the rest of the world and show the rest of the world the best things from India. Macsai says this move will help tell the stories of these up-and-coming leaders to a ‘truly global audience’.
Why this matters now
This edition focusing on India shows where the world is now looking as new talent changes the way businesses work, how research is done, culture, and public life. It also continues TIME’s growth in holding events, and using big, noticeable events to increase the impact of what they do.
People who are nominated, and the fields they work in, will clearly benefit from being more widely known, getting to know people in other industries, and having a way to make their ideas move forward. For those reading the list, it will be a quick look at the leaders who will likely be important over the next ten years.
What happens next is a step-by-step introduction. We can expect more information about the first list and the gala in December 12026 in the coming months. For now, we should all pay attention: India’s next generation is about to become a major part of the world stage.
