NANDAN NILEKANI

Nandan Nilekani Date of Birth : - Place of Birth : India

Born as the second and last son to Durga and Mohan Rao Nilekani, a manager in Minerva Mills, Nandan Nilekani spent his first 12 years in Bangalore, India.His father's job was transferable, and the young Nandan moved in with his uncle's family in Dharwad for his studies. He eventually studied at Bishop Cotton Boys School, Bangalore. Mr. Nilekani attended the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay from 1973 onwards.

One day after graduating in 1978, Nandan walked into the office of N. R. Narayana Murthy - then head of the software group at the Mumbai-based Patni Computer Systems - to seek a job. Their chemistry clicked and Murthy hired the young engineering graduate right away. Neither realised then that the relationship would last long and get etched in India's corporate history. Three years later (1981) seven enthusiasts (including Nandan) decided to start their own outfit (Infosys Technologies Ltd) with Murthy in the lead. Their decision rewrote the domestic software industry of India. He is married to Rohini (an English-language writer and novelist) and they have two children, a daughter Janhavi and a son Nihar. In May 2006, in a study conducted by Brand-comm a leading Brand Consulting, Advertising and PR firm, Mr. Nilekani emerged as one among the top ten most admired business leaders of India. With the retirement of Infosys Chairman Narayan Murthy,Mr Nilekani is expected to head the company.He is currently the President of Infosys. Personal Achievements - In 2006, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award from the Government of India. - In January 2006, he became one of the youngest entrepreneurs to join 20 global leaders on the World Economic Forum (WEF) Foundation Board. - He is regarded by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in its issue of May 2006. - He became the chief executive officer (CEO) of Infosys in March 2002. He currently functions as the President of the company. - He is a co-founder of India's National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM). He is also the chairperson of Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF). He has been named one of 'Asia's Power 25 - the most powerful people in business in Asia' by Fortune magazine, 2004.