Azim Hasham Premji, Chairman, Wipro Corporation is an alumnus of Stanford University, USA. He joined Wipro in 1966 at the age of 21. Under his leadership, a Rs. 70 million company in hydrogenated cooking fats has grown to a $500 million diversified Corporation in Services, Technology Products and Consumer Products with leadership positions in the businesses it is in.

One of the world's richest men, Mr. Azim Premji's strength lies in bringing together and building teams of high potential-high performing people. His vision and pragmatism have helped Wipro Corporation become the #2 most competitive and successful company in India as rated by Business Today, a leading business magazine in India. Wipro in terms of market capitalization is among the top 10 Corporations in India.

Peek in to the Past

Premji was forced to discontinue his engineering studies in the States due to the untimely death of his father. Returning to India to take charge of a cooking oil company, the youth infused new life into the family's traditional mindset and trade.

The Story So Far

The 55-year-old Wipro chairman made international waves in 2000 ever since his group became a Rs 3,500-crore empire with a market capitalization exceeding Rs 500,000 million!

Over the years, Premji diversified into sectors like computer hardware and lighting, disregarding marketing laws that extolled the virtues of core competence and frowned on brand extensions into unrelated segments. Despite all the success, the media-shy Premji maintained a low profile, letting his work do all the talking. Until early last year the media broke the story that Azim Premji had become the second-richest man in the world. In spite of his billions, however, he still travels economy class and stays in budget hotels.

Humanitarian Space

In the year 2001, Premji established Azim Premji Foundation, a not-for-profit organization with a vision of influencing the lives of millions of children in India by facilitating the universalisation of elementary education. This means every child is in school and learning. The financial resources to this foundation have been personally contributed by Premji. The current programs of the Azim Premji Foundation cover over 5000 rural schools.

Mantra

Ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things, Have the courage to think big.