Nandan Nilekani
From Open Encyclopedia
Born as the second and last son to Mohan R Nilekani, a manager in Minerva Mills, Nandan Nilekani spent his first 12 years in Bangalore, India.
His father's job was transferable, and he had to move to his uncle’s place in Dharwad for his studies.
Being good at his studies, in 1973 he entered the portals of Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay without much of a hassle.
One day after graduating in 1978, Nandan walked into the cabin of N. R. Narayana Murthy — then head of the software group at the Mumbai-based Patni Computer Systems — to seek a job. Their chemistry clicked and Murthy hired the young engineering graduate right away. Neither realised then that the relationship would last long and get etched in India’s corporate annals. Three years later (1981) seven enthusiasts (including Nandan) decided to start their own outfit (Infosys Technologies Ltd) with Murthy in the lead. Their decision rewrote the domestic software industry of India.
He became the chief executive officer (CEO) of Infosys in March 2002. He currently functions as the President, CEO, and Managing Director of the company.
He is a co-founder of India’s National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM). He is also the chairperson of Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF). He has been named one of ‘Asia’s Power 25 – the most powerful people in business in Asia' by Fortune magazine, 2004.
He is married to Rohini (an English-language writer and novelist) and they have two children daughter Janhavi and son Nihar.
In 2006, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award from the Government of India.
