The Bangalore-based infotech firm had broken into the elite club in PwC's 2002 rankings when it was placed 85th. General Electric, Microsoft and Toyota Motor Corporation took the top honours in the latest edition of the survey.

The country had greater representation in the list of the world's most respected business leaders, with as many as four Indians, including Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy (36), Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani (42), Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata (46) and Wipro chairman Azim Premji (57) making the cut. Murthy overtook high-profile corporate bosses such as Rupert Murdoch of News Corp, Sandy Weill of Citigroup and George Soros.

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates was named the most respected business leader and Jack Welch, despite stepping down as GE's CEO two years ago, continued to command respect among the business community as he was ranked number two.

Among the top 100 companies that created the most value for its shareholders, Infosys was ranked 37, Reliance Industris Ltd, 45 and Wipro 51.

According to PwC, the survey draws on the views of nearly 1,000 CEOs across 25 countries and a select cross-section of fund managers, non-governmental organisations and media commentators. The survey's aim was to identify companies, which were setting the pace in building reputational capital.

Infosys was clearly the most dominant Indian firm in the survey, as it made it to the top 100 in all the seven categories. The company also retained its top spot among the most respected Indian companies.

The Tata Group moved up a slot in this year's ranking as it replaced RIL at number two. RIL, Hindustan Lever Ltd, Ranbaxy, ITC, Maruti Udyog, Hero Honda and HDFC Bank completed the list.