Malayalee billionaire and GEMS Education founder Sunny Varkey has received the 2026 Dwight D. Eisenhower Global Leadership Award, an international honour recognising leadership that creates economic and social impact.

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The award was presented on November 9 in New York by the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), which selects only three recipients each year.

Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation and chairman of GEMS Education Group, was recognised for his contributions to global investment, economic cooperation and international partnerships.

The award is named after former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who founded the BCIU, a nonprofit organisation focused on strengthening commercial ties between businesses and governments across the world.

The list of previous recipients includes prominent figures from business, politics and other fields. They include former Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, Marriott International chairman J. W. Marriott Jr., Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser and Mexican businessman Carlos Slim.

The 2025 recipients included Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado.