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.
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.