Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has been named the 2026 Business Leader of the Year by the Harvard Business School Association of Northern California, receiving the honor at a gala dinner held in San Francisco’s Julia Morgan Ballroom. The award — handed out by the association since 1969 — puts Garlinghouse in the company of prior winners such as Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, former Cisco chief John Chambers, and Intel co‑founder Gordon Moore.
Harvard Business School Professor David B. Yoffie singled out Garlinghouse’s stewardship of Ripple, saying he has shown an “extraordinary ability to scale a complex platform while maintaining a steadfast commitment to his core vision.” The recognition arrives as Garlinghouse marks 11 years with Ripple; he joined as chief operating officer in April 2015 and became CEO in 2016 after being recruited by co‑founder Chris Larsen.
Garlinghouse has become one of the most visible executives in crypto, particularly during Ripple’s lengthy legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. That high‑profile fight helped raise his profile as an advocate for clearer crypto regulation in the United States — a theme he continues to push as Ripple expands globally.
Under his leadership Ripple has pursued an institutional growth strategy bolstered by major acquisitions: GTreasury for $1 billion and Hidden Road for $1.25 billion, the latter rebranded as Ripple Prime, a clearing platform aimed at institutional finance. The company has also secured important regulatory footholds, including an Electronic Money Institution license in the U.K., and has benefited from renewed market interest in XRP products following last year’s launch of XRP spot ETFs.
The Harvard accolade is another public milestone for Garlinghouse as Ripple deepens its footprint across payments, custody, stablecoins and institutional services. The award highlights both his role in steering Ripple through regulatory turbulence and the company’s ongoing push to position XRP and Ripple’s platforms for broader institutional adoption.
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