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Azim Premji Biography : Wipro Technologies Company

Famous for : being one of India's richest men, billionaire software entrepreneur
Premji details : Born - July 24, 1945 India / Lives - Bangalore, India

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Business Quotes by Indian Billionaire Azim Premji

As you get bigger, you have to learn to delegate. It’s also an excellent way to get staff involved
in the company’s operations.
Azim Premji - Companies - Learning - Priorities

The early years were more about learning than about acting. I had to carry on my father’s
work, which was a big challenge.
Azim Premji - Companies - Learning - Challenges

As an advisor, I can say what I want. If I were a politician, I would constantly have to
compromise, and I’m incapable of doing that.
Azim Premji - Politician - Dishonesty - Truth

I want Wipro to be among the top ten IT companies in the world.

Azim Premji - Companies - Technology - Ambition

Character is one factor that will guide all our actions and decisions. We invested in
uncompromising integrity that helped us take difficult stands in some of the most difficult
business situations.
Azim Premji - Truth - Decisions - Actions - Challenges

There are millions of children today who don’t attend school. However, education is the only
way to get ahead in this country.
Azim Premji - Learning - Encouragement - Poverty

In our way of working, we attach a great deal of importance to humility and honesty; With
respect for human values, we promise to serve our customers with integrity.
Azim Premji - Truth - Customers

Azim Premji

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Azim Premji
 Azim Premji at the World Economic Forum in
Davos, 2007
24 July 1945 (1945-07-24) (age 65)
Born
Karachi, Pakistan
Residence Bangalore, India[1]
Nationalit
Indian
y
Alma Stanford University (dropped out in
mater 1966, completed in 1999)[1]
Occupatio
Chairman of Wipro
n
Net worth US$17 billion (2010)[2]
Religion Shia Islam
Spouse Yasmeen Premji
Children 2[3]
Azim Hashim Premji (Gujarati: અઝીમ પેમજ) (born 24 July 1945) is an Indian business
tycoon, philanthropist and the chairman of Wipro Limited, a group company that
holds Wipro Technologies, India's third largest software development companies.
According to Forbes, he is currently the third richest Indian with a personal
wealth of US$17 billion in 2010.[2][4]. In 2000, he was voted among the 20 most
powerful men in the world by Asiaweek. He was also among the 50 richest
people in the world from 2001 to 2003 according to Forbes.[2] In April 2004, he
was rated among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.
His assets include 74% of Wipro. Wipro Limited, which dealt in hydrogenated
cooking fats along with consumer products, grew from a company of US $2.5
million to a giant of $1.4 billion under Premji's leadership. Wipro Technologies,
one of its group companies, is one of India's largest software companies and is
ranked among the top 100 technology companies globally.[5]

Contents
[hide]
1 Personal life
2 Honours and
awards
3 Azim Premji
Foundation
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
[edit] Personal life

Premji was born in Karachi, Pakistan, to a Gujarati Khoja, Shia Ismaili Muslim
family. His father M. H. Premji owned the Western India PROducts (which later
became Wipro Ltd.) which made hydrogenated vegetable oils and fats. His
grandfather was the rice king of Burma. His father had declined an invitation
from Muhammed Ali Jinnah to go to Pakistan.[6] While he completed his initial
education at St. Mary's School, Mumbai, Premji was forced to leave his studies in
electrical engineering from Stanford University, California, USA at the age of 21
to take over the family business when his father, M.H. Premji, suddenly died in
1966. He has since after a gap of over thirty years completed his degree in
Electrical Engineering.[7]

When Azim Premji occupied the hot seat, Wipro dealt in hydrogenated cooking
fats and later diversified to bakery fats, ethnic ingredient based toiletries, hair
care soaps, baby toiletries, lighting products, and hydraulic cylinders. Thereafter
Premji made a focused shift from soaps to software.[8] The Amalner-based
vanaspathi manufacturing company, the Western India PROduct later became
Wipro Products Ltd, Wipro Technologies and Wipro Corporation. Under Premji’s
leadership Wipro embarked on an ambitious phase of expansion and
diversification. The Company began manufacturing light bulbs with General
Electric and other consumer products including soaps, baby care products,
shampoos, powder etc. In 1975, Wipro Fluid Power business unit manufacturing
hydraulic cylinders and truck tippers was started. But Premji’s ambitions did not
stop there. In the 1980s Wipro entered the IT field, taking advantage of the
expulsion of IBM from the Indian market in 1975. Thus, Wipro became involved in
manufacturing computer hardware, software development and related items,
under a special license from Sentinel. As a result, the $1.5 million company in
hydrogenated cooking fats grew within a few years to a $662 million diversified,
integrated corporation in services, medical systems, technology products and
consumer items with offices worldwide. The company’s IT division became the
world's first to win SEI CMM level 5 and PCMM Level 5 (People Capability Maturity
Model) certification, the latest in quality standards. A large percentage of the
company’s revenues are generated by the IT division. Wipro works with leading
global companies, such as Alcatel, Nokia, Cisco, Ericsson and Nortel and has a
joint venture in Medical Systems with General Electric company.[7]

Premji is married to Yasmeen, the couple have two children, Rishad and Tariq.
Rishad is married to Aditi and is currently the Chief Strategy Officer of IT
Business, Wipro Technologies.[9]

Premji is known for his modesty and frugality in spite of his wealth. He drives a
Toyota Corolla and flies economy class, prefers to stay in company guest houses
rather than luxury hotels and even served food on paper plates at a lunch
honouring his son's wedding.[10]
[edit] Honours and awards

Premji has been recognized by Business Week as one of the Greatest

Entrepreneurs[11] for being responsible for Wipro emerging as one of the world’s
fastest growing companies.

In 2000, he was conferred an honorary doctorate by the Manipal Academy of

Higher Education.

As on March 9, 2010, he was one of the wealthiest people in India, with a net
worth of $17 billion.[12]

He was awarded a Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.), an honorary degree, from the

Aligarh Muslim University on the 18th of June, 2008 on the occasion of 58th
Convocation Ceremony of the University.

In 2009, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Wesleyan University in

Middletown, Connecticut for his outstanding philanthropic work.[13] In 2005 the
government of India honored him with the title of Padma Vibhushan for his
outstanding work in trade and commerce.

[edit] Azim Premji Foundation

The Azim Premji Foundation says it "Aims at making a tangible impact on

identified social issues by working in active partnership with the Government and
other related sectors of society". The Foundation was set up with financial
resources contributed by Azim Premji.

Programmes of the Azim Premji Foundation focus on "creating effective and

scalable models that significantly improve the quality of learning in the school
and ensure satisfactory ownership by the community in the management of the
school". Azim Premji Foundation says it "dedicates itself to the cause of
Universalization of Elementary Education in India"[citation needed]. The
organisation has over the years been instrumental in improving the quality of
general education, particularly in rural schools[citation needed].

Citing a technology initiative, the Foundation reported: "Think of a single PC with

three display terminals, three keyboards and three 'mouses', which can be
simultaneously used as if they are three independent computers"[citation
needed].

Five new titles of educational CDs for Indian schools were produced earlier in
2005. They are:

Friendly Animals and Journey on the Clouds (English)

Swatantra Divas

Fun with Chinchoo in Mathematics

Khel-Mel (Hindi), released in February 2005.

With these, the total number of master titles available is 70[citation needed].

There are now 68 titles in Karnataka, 42 for Andhra Pradesh, 35 for Tamil Nadu
and Pondicherry, 18 for Urdu medium schools, six for Orissa, 14 for Gujarat, 3 for
Punjab and 1 for Kerala.

This Foundation is also involved in computer-based assessment in Andhra

Pradesh (50,000 students took part in early 2005), a learning guarantee
programme, and a policy planning unit in Karnataka.

In December 2010, he pledged to donate $2 billion for improving school

education in India. This would be done by transferring 213 million equity shares
of Wipro Ltd, held by a few entities controlled by him, to the Azim Premji Trust.
[14] This donation is the first of its kind by any Indian billionaire.

[edit] See also

List of billionaires

[edit] References

^ a b "The World's Billionaires #83 Azim Premji". Forbes.com. November 3,

2009. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/10/billionaires-2009-richest-people_Azim-
Premji_1UFS.html. Retrieved 7 December 2009.

^ a b c Azim Premji topic page. Forbes.com. Retrieved September 2010.

^ "What you didn't know about Rishad Premji". Rediff. June 7, 2007.
http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/jun/07rishad.htm. Retrieved 7 December
2009.

^ "The World's Billionaires". Forbes. March 3, 2009.

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/10/billionaires-2009-richest-people_Azim-
Premji_1UFS.html. Retrieved 2009-03-16.

^ http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/azim-premji/

^ http://connect.in.com/azim-premji/biography-392.html

^ a b http://profiles.incredible-people.com/azim-hashim-premji/

^ http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-heroes/azim-premji.html

^ "Rishad Premji is Wipro's new CSO". The Hindu. September 2, 2010.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/09/03/stories/2010090352040700.ht
m. Retrieved 2010-09-10.

^ Hawkins, Asher (November 14, 2010). "The Frugal Billionaires". Forbes.

http://www.forbes.com/2007/11/14/billionaires-walton-buffett-biz-
cz_ah_1114frugalbillies.html. Retrieved 2009-03-16.

^ Wipro chief features in Business Week's "30 Greatest Entrepreneurs of all

Time" list
^ "Technology's Richest Billionaires". Forbes. March 9, 2010.
http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/09/microsoft-google-facebook-technology-
business-intelligence-billionaires-2010-richest_slide_6.html.

^ [1]

^ "Azim Premji pledges $2bn to foundation". Times of India. December 2, 2010.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Azim-Premji-pledges-2bn-to-
foundation/articleshow/7025608.cms.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Azim Premji

Azim Premji's Article in the Times of India on the CWG 2010 Expenses

Wipro Corporate Official Site

Profile on virtualbangalore.com

Azim Premji Foundation

Mr Azim H Premji, Chairman, Wipro Limited

Forbes topic page on Azim Premji

Persondata
Premji,
Name
Azim
Alternative
names
Short
description
July 24,
Date of birth
1945
Mumbai,
Place of birth
India
Date of death
Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azim_Premji"

Categories: Businesspeople in software | Indian businesspeople | Indian

billionaires | Gujarati people | Indian Muslims | Indian Shi'a Muslims | Recipients
of the Padma Bhushan | Wesleyan University people | 1945 births | Living people
| People from Bangalore | Wipro

Hidden categories: Articles with hCards | Articles containing Gujarati language

text | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements
from March 2009
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This page was last modified on 6 December 2010 at 05:16.

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