WEF 2026: Mukesh Ambani, N Chandrasekaran, Devendra Fadnavis and 100+ CEOs to represent India at Davos
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India is gearing up for a strong and high-profile presence at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, where global leaders will gather for five days from Monday to deliberate on fostering dialogue in an increasingly fragmented world.
The summit will bring together more than 3,000 participants from governments, corporates, academia, multilateral institutions, civil society, and labour organisations. Among them, US President Donald Trump is expected to be a major draw, arriving with five members of his Cabinet. Notably, a dedicated USA House has been set up in Davos for the first time in over 50 years of the forum’s history.
According to the WEF, the meeting will see participation from at least 64 heads of state or government, with six of the seven G7 nations represented at the highest leadership level. Large delegations from countries including China and the United States are also scheduled to attend.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also be present, WEF President and CEO Borge Brende said at an online press conference, adding that the five-day annual meeting beginning January 18 will take a hard look at developments in Ukraine, Gaza, and Latin America, including Venezuela.
Brende said a large bipartisan delegation from the US Congress, along with several state governors, would attend the meeting, which is being held under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue”.
President Trump will bring along the largest-ever US delegation to Davos, including at least five Cabinet secretaries. Those expected include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
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Brende said the world is likely facing its most complex geopolitical situation since 1945, and that dialogue is not a luxury in times of uncertainty but an urgent necessity.
He added that the WEF Annual Meeting will see historic participation of more than 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries this year, including over 1,700 business leaders, about half of whom are CEOs or chairpersons. There will also be a record number of nearly 400 top political leaders, including a strong presence from Latin America.
The meeting will be attended by more than 30 foreign ministers, over 60 finance ministers and central bank governors, and more than 30 trade ministers.
Prominent political leaders expected include Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, and Swiss President Guy Parmelin.
Other leaders include the presidents of Argentina, Indonesia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Congo, Ecuador, Finland, Mozambique, Poland, Serbia, Singapore, Israel, and Syria, along with the prime ministers of Spain, Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands, Pakistan, the Palestinian National Authority, and Qatar.
Nearly 200 leaders from civil society and the social sector—including labour unions, non-governmental and faith-based organisations—as well as experts and heads of leading universities, research institutions, and think tanks will also participate.
From India, at least four Union ministers—Ashwini Vaishnaw, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Pralhad Joshi, and K. Rammohan Naidu—along with six chief ministers are expected to attend, besides over 100 top CEOs from the country.
The chief ministers include Maharashtra’s Devendra Fadnavis, Andhra Pradesh’s N. Chandrababu Naidu, Assam’s Himanta Biswa Sarma, Madhya Pradesh’s Mohan Yadav, Telangana’s A. Revanth Reddy, and Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren. While Reddy is from the Congress, Soren belongs to Congress ally Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Naidu to the Telugu Desam Party, an ally of the BJP, the other three chief ministers are from the BJP.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar was also expected to attend but has dropped out due to engagements back home.
Among Union ministers, Naidu is from the TDP, while the others are from the BJP. Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Rameshbhai Sanghavi will also be present, along with high-level delegations from Uttar Pradesh and Kerala.
Indian leaders are expected to participate in several panel discussions, including one on “Can India Become the Third-Largest Economy in the World”.
Indian business leaders expected to attend include Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, Tata Group chairman N. Chandrasekaran, Bajaj Group chairman Sanjiv Bajaj, Jubilant Bhartia Group chairman Hari S. Bhartia, TVS Motor CEO Sudarshan Venu, and Mahindra Group CEO Anish Shah.
Other Indian corporate leaders likely to be present include Axis Bank MD Amitabh Chaudhry, Godrej Industries Group chairman Nadir Godrej, JSW Group chairman Sajjan Jindal, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, Bharti Group founder Sunil Bharti Mittal, Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, Infosys CEO Salil S. Parekh, Wipro chairman Rishad Premji, Essar CEO Prashant Ruia, Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, and ReNew CEO Sumant Sinha.
Former Union minister Smriti Zubin Irani will also attend as founder and chairperson of the Alliance for Global Good: Gender Equity and Equality, which was established in Davos.