“If you have excellent people, then you have to give them power.” Shiv Nadar is the author of and adherent to this quote.Of course, today we will learn the success story of Shiv Nadar, who founded India’s one of the best IT companies, called HCL.
Introduction:
Shiv Nadar is an Indian IT pioneer who founded HCL in 1976. He is the 3rd richest person in India, as per Forbes. He chairs HCL Tech, a $9.9 billion worldwide organization with more than 153,000 professionals operating from 50 countries, which is the 3rd IT service provider company in India.
He is also the chief strategy officer of HCL Tech. Under Shiv’s guidance, HCL has grown so much and has continued to ride the waves of the changing IT landscape for over 40 years. Shiv is also a Padma Bhushan holder, which he was awarded in 2008.
His real-time net worth is $24 billion.Shiv’s nickname isMagus,” as called by his friend. In the mid-90s, he started focusing on the education system in India through the Shiv Foundation. Currently, the company has more than 150,000 employees worldwide. In July 2020, he stepped down as chairman of HCL Technologies and handed over the position to his daughter, Roshni Nadar Malhotra.
Early life and education:
Shiv Nadar was born in 1945 in Moolaiozhi Village (around 10 km from Tiruchendur in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India). His father’s name was Sivasubramaniya Nadar, and his mother’s was Vamasundari Devi. His sister’s name is SP Adithanar, who founded a newspaper called Dina Thanthi.
His schooling finished at Town Higher Secondary School, Kumbakonam. Also, he went to Elango Corporation Higher Secondary School in Madurai. Later he joined the St. Joseph Boys Higher Secondary School, Trichy, and finished the high school journey.
Shiv got a pre-university degree at the American college in Madurai. After getting an Electrical and Electronics degree from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, he began his career at Walchand Group’s College of Engineering, Pune.
His Career:
He soon left the college to start his own venture. Shiv formed a joint venture with Ajai Chowdhury (Ex-Chairman, HCL), Arjun Malhotra (CEO and Chairman, Headstrong), Subhash Arora, Yogesh Vaidya, S. Raman, Mahendra Pratap, and DS Puri.
His business journey began with Microcorp, a group that sold digital calculators. After that, in 1976, he founded HCL with a Rs 187,000 investment. Sensing a boom in the IT sector before anyone else, he was able to operate his business internationally.
The company expansion in Singapore made 1 million dollars in the first year, as reported by the venture. Shiv Nadar remained the largest shareholder, though he never controlled the management of the company.
His contribution towards education and the healthcare sector:
Shiv has never valued the right to education. Once he said, “Education is and will be the most powerful tool for individuals and social change, and we must do all that it takes to facilitate it.” In 1996, Shiv made decisions to give back to his community.
With nearly 1 million shares, he established the college called SSN College of Engineering in Chennai in memory of the late father, Sivasubramnaiya Nadar.
Shiv Nadar collaborated with many foreign universities with an emphasis on research. He has also instituted a school in UP called Vidyangayan School, providing a free scholarship to 200 students all across the districts.
Shiv Nadar has a very calm nature that rubs off on many employees and people working under him. He has created a very rich culture in the company; he always encourages employees to do their best work, and top performers were rewarded with perks like cars and paid holidays as well.
Courtesy: Business Casual