Nandan Nilekani & family

Nandan Nilekani & family

Nandan Nilekani is an Indian entrepreneur and the Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). After a successful career at Infosys, he is now heading the Government of India's technology committee, TAGUP.

Early life [edit]

Nandan Manohar Nilekani was born in 1955 in the town of Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. His parents are Durga and Mohan Rao Nilekani. His father worked as a General Manager of Mysore and Minerva Mills and subscribed to Fabian Socialist ideals that influenced Nilekani in his early years. Nilekani's elder brother, Vijay, works in theNuclear Energy Institute.^[3]

Nilekani studied at the Bishop Cotton Boys' School and St. Joseph High School Dharwad, and later at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai.^[4]

Career [edit]

Nilekani is a co-founder of Infosys and served as its CEO from March 2002 to April 2007. He is chair of the Unique Identification Authority of India,^[5][6] a cabinet-ranking position that he entered in 2009 under the invitation of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Nilekani received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in 1978 and joined Mumbai-based Patni Computer Systems, where he met and was interviewed by N.R. Narayana Murthy. In 1981, Mr. Nilekani, Mr. Murthy, and five others left Patni to start their own company, Infosys. Nilekani became the Chief Executive Officer of Infosys in March 2002 and served as CEO of the company through April 2007, when he relinquished his position to his colleague Kris Gopalakrishnan and became co-chairman of the board of directors. Before assuming leadership as CEO in 2002, Mr. Nilekani held various posts, including managing director, president, and chief operating officer.^[7]

Nilekani left Infosys in July 2009 to serve as the chairperson of the Unique Identification Authority of India,.^[5][6] As chair of the UIDAI he is responsible for implementing the envisioned Multipurpose National Identity Card, or Unique Identity card (UID Card) project in India. This initiative aims to provide a unique identification number for all residents of India and will be used primarily as the basis for efficient delivery of welfare services.^[7]

He is a member of the board of governors of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and the president of NCAER (the premier independent applied economics research institute in India).^[7] He also sits on several advisory boards, including those of the World Economic Forum Foundation and the Bombay Heritage Fund.^[8]

Nilekani has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to promote his book Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation ^[9] and spoke at a TED conference in 2009 on his ideas for India's future.^[10]

Nilekani has an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion.^[1]

Family and personal life [edit]

Nilekani is married to Rohini Nilekani, whom he met at a quizzing event at IIT.^[11] They have two children, Nihar and Janhavi, each of whom has received an undergraduate degree from Yale University.^[12]

Honours and awards [edit]

• He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto on 31 May 2011.^{[citation needed]}
• He received NDTV Indian of the Year's Transformational Idea of the Year Award in 2011^[13]
• He was named Corporate Citizen of the Year at the Asia Business Leaders Award (2004) organized by CNBC.^[14]
• Joseph Schumpeter Prize for innovative services in economy, economic sciences and politics – 2005.^[15]
• In 2009, Time magazine placed Nilekani in the Time 100 list of 'World's Most Influential People' ^[16]
• Was presented the 'Legend in Leadership Award' by the Yale University in November 2009. He is the first Indian to receive the top honour.^{[citation needed]}
• In January 2006, Mr. Nilekani became on the youngest entrepreneurs to join 20 global leaders on the World Economic Forum(WEF) Foundation Board.^[8]
• Nilekani was awarded one of India's highest civilian honours, the Padma Bhushan, in 2006.^[17]
• Also in 2006, he was named Businessman of the Year by Forbes Asia.^[18]

Bibliography [edit]

• Nandan Nilekani. Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation (March 19, 2009 ed.). Penguin Press HC. p. 528. ISBN 1-59420-204-4.

References [edit]

1. ^ ^a b "#692 Nandan Nilekani – Forbes – March 2011". Forbes.
2. ^ Special Correspondent (2010-06-07). "Finance Ministry sets up technology advisory group". The Hindu. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
3. ^ Childhood. imaginingindia.com
4. ^ Infosys Technologies Limited (2007-06-22). "About Infosys | Management Profiles | Nandan M. Nilekani". Infosys. Retrieved 2009-06-28.^{[dead link]}
5. ^ ^a b "Rs.100 crore for Unique Identification Project", The Hindu (Chennai, India), 17 February 2009, retrieved 2009-06-26, "... The Unique Identification Authority of India is being established under the aegis of the Planning Commission for which a notification has been issued in January 2009. A provision of Rs.100 crore has been made in the annual Plan 2009–10 for this ..."
6. ^ ^a b "What exactly is the Unique ID project?", ciol.com, 26 June 2009, retrieved 11 September 2012, "... The appointment of Nandan Nilekani, the co-chairman of Infosys, as the chairperson of the Unique Identification Authority of India is significant, not only because it marks a departure from the traditional government way of working... it shows that the government has actually put out effort to hunt the right person for the job ..."
7. ^ ^a b c Background. uidai.gov.in
8. ^ ^a b Nandan M. Nilekani | World Economic Forum – Nandan M. Nilekani. Weforum.org. Retrieved on 2012-12-13.
9. ^ "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Official Website | Current Events & Pop Culture, Comedy & Fake News | Comedy Central". Thedailyshow.com. 2009-03-18. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
10. ^ TED2009. "Nandan Nilekani's ideas for India's future | Video on". Ted.com. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
11. ^ "School and IIT". Imagining India. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
12. ^ The Hindu (Chennai, India). 2009-09-06 http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/06/01hdline.htm |url= missing title (help).
13. ^ "NDTV Indian of the Year 2011". ndtv.com. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
14. ^ India Today Youth Summit 2010, September 25, New Delhi. Indiatoday.intoday.in (2010-09-25). Retrieved on 2012-12-13.
15. ^ "The story continues". Imagining India. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
16. ^ The 2009 TIME 100 – Nandan Nilekani Time (magazine).
17. ^ Padma Bhushan Awardees – Padma Awards – My India, My Pride – Know India: National Portal of India. India.gov.in. Retrieved on 2012-12-13.
18. ^ Nilekani as Businessman of the Year: Forbes Asia – Oneindia News. News.oneindia.in (2006-12-01). Retrieved on 2012-12-13.