N. R.

Narayana Murthy
There is a famous adage in English which says that hard work does not kill anybody but it is
sloth that is the main culprit. A firm believer in diligence and labour, Narayana Murthy is the
pioneering force behind Infosys Technologies Limited, a global consulting and IT services
company based in India.
Born into a Brahmin family in Mysore on August 20, 1946, he graduated with a degree in
Electrical Engineering from the National Institute of Engineering, University of Mysore in
1967 after attending a government school. He received his Masters' degree from IIT Kanpur
in 1969. He first took up a job at IIM, Ahmedabad as Chief Systems Programmer. He says
that this was the best phase of his life. He had job offers from distinguished companies l ike
HMT, ECIL, TELCO, Air India but he joined IIM, Ahmedabad because this place was the third
business school in the world to install a time-sharing system after Harvard and Stanford.
Moreover, his professor (Prof Krishnayya) advised him that he would learn a lot by working
20 hours a day where the atmosphere was congenial. In Murthy's own words, he says,
"Taking this job at a salary of Rs 800 a month was the best decision of my life."
Murthy had intense zeal for learning. He admits that Professor Krishnayya is his role model.
He taught him the importance of aspiring, having the voracious hunger to learn something
new. Murthy learnt his basics here. He and his team designed and implemented a basic
interpreter for 'ecil'. He believes that it is at this place that he learnt what it is to become an
engineer. 'It isn't a theory but application of the theory to solve problems and make a
difference to society."
Murthy then joined Patni Computer Systems in Pune. Before moving to Mumbai, he met his
wife, Sudha Murthy in Pune who at the time was an engineer and working at TELCO. In
1981, the turning point came. He founded Infosys with six other software professionals. He
also served as President of the National Association of Software and Service Companies,
India from 1992 to 1994. Murthy served as CEO of Infosys for twenty years, and was
succeeded by co-founder Nandan Nilekani in March 2002. Under Murthy's leadership,
Infosys was listed on NASDAQ in 1999. He served as the Executive Chairman of the Board
and Chief Mentor from 2002 to 2006, when he became the "non-executive" Chairman of the
Board and Chief Mentor. In August 2011, he retired completely from the company and
taking the title Chairman Emeritus.
At Infosys he articulated, designed and implemented the Global Delivery Model which has
become the foundation for the huge success in IT services outsourcing from India.
Murthy serves as an independent director on the corporate boards of HSBC and has served
as a director on the boards of DBS Bank, Unilever, ICICI and NDTV. He also serves as a
member of the advisory boards and councils of several educati onal and philanthropic
institutions, including Cornell University, INSEAD, Ford Foundation, the UN Foundation, the
Indo-British Partnership, a trustee of the Infosys Prize, and as a trustee of the Rhodes Trust
that manages the Rhodes Scholarship. He is also the Chairman of the Governing board of
Public Health Foundation of India. He also serves on the Asia Pacific Advisory Board of

British Telecommunications. In 2005 he co-chaired the World Economic Forum in Davos. He

also received an honorary degree from Lancaster University.
As a firm believer in performance, he believes that good performance leads to recognition
which in turn brings respect. Respect brings power but it is important for an individual and
an organisation to bring humility and grace in one's moments of power because it enhances
dignity. No doubt, he has been on TIME magazine's list continuously. In 2004, the
prestigious magazine named Murthy one of the ten leaders in the list of "Global Tech
Influentials" who are helping to shape the future of technology. Again in 2001, TIME voted
him as one of the Asian heroes who have brought about revolutionary changes in Asia in the
last 60 years. Continuing with his achievements, he was voted the Entrepreneur of the
Year2003 by Ernst and Young. He was also featured in Business week's "The Stars of Asia"
for three successive years -1998,1999 and 2000. Infosys, being his brainchild, he has
cherished a lot of dreams for the company. He says, "I want Infosys to be a place where
people of different genders, nationalities, races and religious beliefs work together in an
environment of intense competition but utmost harmony, courtesy and dignity to add more
and more value to our customers day after day". No wonder, Infosys is on a dream run.
Adored and admired by all, Murthy is the recipient of numerous awards and honours. In
2000, he was awarded the Padmashri, a civilian award by the Government of India. The
Economist* ranked him 8th among the top 15 most admired global leaders (2005). Another
feather in his cap is that he topped the 'Economic Times Corporate Dossier1 list of India's
most powerful CEOs for two consecutive years - 2004 and 2005.
Achievements, honours and accolades apart, Murthy comes forth as a person who has got
everything today on the strength of sheer hard work and long-term vision.
Awards and Honours:
Year

Name

2012
2011

Hoover Medal
NDTV Indian of the Year's Icon of India

2010
2009
2008
2008
2007
2007
2000

Awarding organization

American Society of Mechanical

Engineers
NDTV
Institute of Electrical and Electronics
IEEE Honorary Membership
Engineers.
Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Woodrow Wilson International Center
Citizenship
for Scholars
Padma Vibhushan
President of India
Officer of the Legion of Honor
Government of France
Commander of the Order of the British
Empire (CBE)
Government of United Kingdom
IEEE Ernst Weber Engineering Leadership Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Recognition
Engineers
Padma Shri
President of India