Presented with Tata Consulting Services, the prestigious list includes innovative leaders from Coca-Cola, Delta, FedEx, e.l.f. Beauty, and more
NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Fast Company, the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, today announced the launch of the Fast Company Pacesetters, a new list presented in partnership with Tata Consulting Services (TCS). The Pacesetters list recognizes 40 next-generation leaders whose companies are putting artificial intelligence to work in innovative ways to engage with their customers and create measurable business value.
As companies race to adopt AI, many are still struggling to turn investments in the technology into meaningful results. The Fast Company Pacesetters list explores what separates organizations successfully deploying AI from those still searching for its potential. This year's list includes honorees from top businesses including FedEx, Delta, e.l.f Beauty, Heineken USA, L'Oréal, Coca-Cola, Disney, and more.
"Progress happens when vision is matched with execution, and the executives honored this year exemplify what it means to lead with purpose and build for what comes next," says Amit Bajaj, President, TCS North America. "At TCS, we are proud to support this recognition platform and celebrate leaders who are not only embracing AI, but reimagining how their organizations create value, drive growth, and make a positive impact."
Grounded in research conducted by Fast Company, the Pacesetters spotlights leaders at the intersection of technology, business transformation, and customer experience. Eligible candidates were invited by Fast Company's editors to highlight customer-focused projects or initiatives they had launched or led within the past 12 months, detailing their impact on customer experience. Submissions were then evaluated by Fast Company's editorial team based on factors like the ambition and clarity of the leadership initiative, the role of technology in enabling meaningful operational improvements, measurable customer or business impact, originality and scalability, and the leader's role in driving implementation and organizational change.
Honorees for this inaugural class were selected from a combination of applicants and executives nominated by Fast Company's editorial judges and external judges. Final selections were made by Fast Company editors, with input from an external panel of leaders in customer experience, technology, AI, advertising, and business. The Pacesetters is not a ranking, but a curated selection of leaders whose work demonstrates how customer-centric thinking and emerging technologies are transforming the way business gets done.
"Technology is changing the customer experience, but the most interesting work is happening behind the scenes," says Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "The Pacesetters on this year's list are redesigning how leading organizations operate, to fundamentally change what a company can do."
The Pacesetters conversation will continue at the Fast Company Innovation Festival, taking place September 14–17 in New York City, where a panel discussion will bring together leaders to explore the research and real-world lessons behind the list.
The full Fast Company Pacesetters list is available at https://www.fastcompany.com/pacesetters-2026.
Tickets to attend the Fast Company Innovation Festival are available now.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow business publication Inc. For more information, please visit fastcompany.com.
About Tata Consulting Services
Tata Consultancy Services (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) is the technology partner of choice for industry-leading organizations worldwide. Since its inception in 1968, TCS has upheld the highest standards of innovation, engineering excellence and customer service.
It has set an aspiration to become the world's largest AI-led technology services company and is enabling its clients to transform themselves across the full AI stack, from infrastructure to intelligence.
Rooted in the heritage of the Tata Group, TCS is focused on creating long term value for its clients, its investors, its employees, and the community at large. With a highly skilled workforce spread across 55 countries and 202 service delivery centers across the world, the company has been recognized as a top employer in six continents. With the ability to rapidly apply and scale new technologies, the company has built long term partnerships with its clients – helping them emerge as perpetually adaptive enterprises. Many of these relationships have endured into decades and navigated every technology cycle, from mainframes in the 1970s to artificial intelligence today.
TCS sponsors 14 of the world's most prestigious marathons and endurance events, including the TCS New York City Marathon, TCS London Marathon, Tata Mumbai Marathon, and TCS Sydney Marathon with a focus on promoting health, sustainability, and community empowerment.
TCS generated consolidated revenues of over US $30 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026. For more information, visit www.tcs.com.
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Media Contact
Alyssa Carroll, Fast Company, 1 (212) 389-5300, [email protected], www.fastcompany.com
SOURCE Fast Company
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