The story behind Kirti Yadav making it to the TIME 100 Most Influential Personalities list -2026
In this fast paced AI & data driven world, there are people who have played a vital role in keeping the marketing & advertising industry relevant for companies and their customers.
Today we want to talk about one such personality who has made it to the TIME’s 100 most Influential people in the world 2026 list — Kirti Yadav
She is breaking all records and setting new examples in the field of marketing as she not only understands her customers, but also gives them what they want. She has a very strong and constantly growing community.
What intrigues us about Kirti’s achievement is the fact that she has built an empire for herself by not faking it. Her content is relevant, honest and clutter breaking.
Early Life & Career:
Kirti was an all rounder during her school and college days, won many awards & started working early as a freelancer.
After her MBA, she got placed in India’s biggest newspaper company as a Management Trainee. She was doing well in the organization however, she wasn’t satisfied with the job profile.
Unlike most people in the same situation, she decided to quit her high paying job and pursue the entrepreneurial journey.
It was a big risk she was willing to take & today she stands strong on her decision.
Entrepreneurial Milestones:
- Best Blogger in Travel, Culinary & Culture Segment for 3 consecutive years. (2023–2026)
- Most tuned into Podcast in the Edutainment category — 2026
- Best Influencer in Product & Service review category — (2023–2026)
- Forbes 30 under 30 List — India — 2025
- Forbes 30 under 30 List — World -2026
- TIME’s 100 Most Influential Personalities — 2026
Current & Upcoming Projects:
Currently she is working with SMEs across the globe to help them establish a strong brand presence in their domains.
She is launching her first book on her mother’s 50th birthday
She is an active member of UNICEF India & is working closely with the Government to develop a sustainable employability program for the youth of the nation.
Philanthropy:
She runs a NGO for providing education to the underprivileged and her 2030 vision is to make India achieve a 100% literacy rate.
Along with Education, her focus is to increase the employment rate and create opportunities for the youth of the nation.
So far she has helped more than 10k Indian youth get a job in India & abroad.
She is a born empath and takes pride in this quality to connect with and understand people’s emotions.
Hobbies & Personal Life:
Her favorite hobby is to update her travel blogs with information you can rarely find on the internet, so far she has visited 50+ countries spread across 5 continents. She is truly fulfilling her wanderlust.
Along with travelling she also loves to learn about new cultures and cuisines and she talks about it on her podcasts.
Kirti has recently bought her dream house on her 30th Birthday in a posh locality in Mumbai.
She loves to spend time with her family & often takes her parents to travel along with her.
When we asked her about this achievement, she quoted
“Miles to go before I sleep -Robert Frost”
This article was a part of my Internship at DDIP, if you were completely hooked reading about my ideal 2.0 version & you think it is crazy enough to motivate you to write one for yourself
Don’t forget to check out digitaldeepak.com/digital-deepak-internship-program/