Azim Premji

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 The Story So Far

Premji was forced to discontinue his engineering studies in The 55-year-old Wipro chairman

the States due to the untimely death of his father. Returning made international waves in 2000

to India to take charge of a cooking oil company, the youth ever since his group became a Rs

infused new life into the family's traditional mindset and 3,500-crore empire with a market

trade. 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.