Azim Premji: Chairman and Managing Director of Wipro Technologies

Azim Premji inherited Wipro Technologies, a technology company based in Bangalore, India, in 1966. He was 21 years old. Under his leadership as Chairman and Managing Director, Wipro has grown from a small-scale manufacturer of cooking oils to a multi-billion-dollar enterprise and one of the world’s leading technology corporations.

Mr. Premji’s leadership reaches far beyond the corporate world. He started the Azim Premji Foundation to mobilize government officials and community groups for social change in India. One of the Foundation’s priorities is to promote universal primary education in India and it has worked with UNICEF’s India office towards this goal, especially education for girls. The Foundation, which makes use of the Internet and grassroots activists to advance its goals, has also initiated a programme that rewards schools for emphasizing creativity and problem-solving skills.

In addition to the Foundation, Wipro Technologies supports education through Wipro Cares, a philanthropic division of the company. Wipro Cares also provides disaster relief to Indians during emergencies such as the Gujarat earthquake in January 2001.

Mr. Premji is a graduate of Stanford University in the United States of America.