Mumbai–May 01–PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) has been named to TIME’s inaugural TIME100 Companies Industry Leaders list, recognised as one of the 10 Most Influential Sustainability Companies of 2026.
TIMEisaglobalmediabrandbuilton100yearsofunparalleledtrustandauthority, and the first to ever start a weekly newsmagazine.Withaglobalaudienceofover151million, they are one of the most trusted media companies in the world whose mission is to provide guidance about the ideas and people who shape the world.
TIME’s new shortlist is connected to its annual TIME100 Most Influential Companies list, highlighting 200 organisations shaping the future of global business.PADI was named a leader in sustainability alongside other renowned brands that include sustainability AI platform Watershed, world food company Danone, and global technology leader GHGSat.
To assemble the list, TIME solicited nominations across sectors and polled its global network of contributors, correspondents, and outside experts. Editors evaluated each company based on impact, innovation, ambition, and success – resulting in a diverse group of leaders driving meaningful change worldwide.
PADI has been recognised for turning divers into stewards, underscoring the organisation’s evolution beyond a traditional diving training agency into a global movement transforming how people explore and protect the ocean.
“PADI is helping redefine dive tourism–not just as seeing the ocean, but safeguarding it,” says TIME. “The world’s largest scuba diving organisation, which has issued 31 million certifications since 1966 and trains three-fourths of the world’s divers, is using its global network as a force for change.”
TIME references PADI’s Conservation Action Portfolio and its ability to empower divers to feed real-world observations into datasets that drive policy, as well as their global influence on advisingdivetourismdevelopmentsaskeyreasonsforbeingnamedaTIME100Companies Industry Leader.
“Being recognised by TIME as an Industry Leader reinforces the influence of our global membership and validates our mission to create a billion Torchbearers who explore and protect the ocean,” said Dr Drew Richardson, President and CEO of PADI Worldwide.
“For six decades, our members have empowered individuals to experience the underwater world, and today that same community is driving real, scalable impact for our blue planet. This honour reflects not only where we’ve been, but where we are going.”
This recognition comes during PADI’s 60th anniversary and builds on the legacy of innovation and purpose-driven leadership, further solidifying its role at the intersection of adventure, conservation, and global travel.
