How we chose the 2026 Pacesetters

To create the 2026 list of Pacesetters, a team of expert Fast Company editors and writers, along with a group of external judges, sought out groundbreaking executives in a variety of industries who are using generative artificial intelligence, autonomous agents, and machine learning to find new ways to inspire and retain their customers. Because Pacesetters—a new recognition program presented by Tata Consultancy Services—is a brand-new program, honorees for this initial class were selected from a combination of applicants and executives whose innovative work was nominated by Fast Company‘s editorial staff or our group of judges: Amit Bajaj, CEO, TCS North America Taryn Crouthers, CEO, Big Spaceship Michael Horn, Global Head of AI, Omnicom Reggie Marable, Chief Customer Officer, Sierra Nic Morales, VP of Customer Experience, Cohere All nominees were then vetted by the full judging panel to ensure that the honored work exemplifies customer-centric, technology-enabled transformation. The resulting, unranked list highlights how emerging technologies and customer-focused leadership are reshaping business. The 40 honorees on the 2026 Pacesetters have met our high bar for demonstrating i…