Nandan Nilekani

Nandan Nilekani is an Indian entrepreneur and the Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). After a successful career at Infosys, he is now heading the Government of India's technology committee, TAGUP.

Early life

Nandan Manohar Nilekani was born in 1955 in the town of Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. His parents are Durga and Mohan Rao Nilekani. His father worked as a General Manager of Mysore and Minerva Mills and subscribed to Fabian Socialist ideals that influenced Nilekani in his early years. Nilekani's elder brother, Vijay, works in the Nuclear Energy Institute.

Nilekani studied at the Bishop Cotton Boys' School and St. Joseph High School Dharwad, and later at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai.

Career

Nilekani is a co-founder of Infosys and served as its CEO from March 2002 to April 2007. He is chair of the Unique Identification Authority of India, a cabinet-ranking position that he entered in 2009 under the invitation of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Nilekani received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in 1978 and joined Mumbai-based Patni Computer Systems, where he met and was interviewed by N.R. Narayana Murthy. In 1981, Mr. Nilekani, Mr. Murthy, and five others left Patni to start their own company, Infosys. Nilekani became the Chief Executive Officer of Infosys in March 2002 and served as CEO of the company through April 2007, when he relinquished his position to his colleague Kris Gopalakrishnan and became co-chairman of the board of directors. Before assuming leadership as CEO in 2002, Mr. Nilekani held various posts, including managing director, president, and chief operating officer.

Nilekani left Infosys in July 2009 to serve as the chairperson of the Unique Identification Authority of India,. As chair of the UIDAI he is responsible for implementing the envisioned Multipurpose National Identity Card, or Unique Identity card (UID Card) project in India. This initiative aims to provide a unique identification number for all residents of India and will be used primarily as the basis for efficient delivery of welfare services.

He is a member of the board of governors of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and the president of NCAER (the premier independent applied economics research institute in India). He also sits on several advisory boards, including those of the World Economic Forum Foundation and the Bombay Heritage Fund.

Nilekani has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to promote his book Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation  and spoke at a TED conference in 2009 on his ideas for India's future.

Nilekani has an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion.

Honours and awards

• He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto on 31 May 2011.
• He received NDTV Indian of the Year's Transformational Idea of the Year Award in 2011
• He was named Corporate Citizen of the Year at the Asia Business Leaders Award (2004) organized by CNBC.
• Joseph Schumpeter Prize for innovative services in economy, economic sciences and politics – 2005.
• In 2009, Time magazine placed Nilekani in the Time 100 list of 'World's Most Influential People'
• Was presented the 'Legend in Leadership Award' by the Yale University in November 2009. He is the first Indian to receive the top honour.
• In January 2006, Mr. Nilekani became on the youngest entrepreneurs to join 20 global leaders on the World Economic Forum (WEF) Foundation Board.
• Nilekani was awarded one of India's highest civilian honours, the Padma Bhushan, in 2006.
• Also in 2006, he was named Businessman of the Year by Forbes Asia.