Azim H. Premji
- Domain:Business, Entrepreneurship and philanthropy
- Current Role: Founder Chairman- Wipro Limited
- Industry: IT, BPO, R&D services, consumer goods, precision engineering, and healthcare systems
- Revenue : over $10 billion
- Presence : Presence in 66 countries
- Years of Leadership: Actively involved in Wipro’s leadership since the late 1960s
- DoB: 24 July 1945 (age 80 years),
- Country :India
- Education : Graduated in electrical engineering from Stanford University
Known for:
One of the most influential people in the world with his leadership in business and philanthropy, and substantial contributions to the society improving education and human wellbeing .
Background & Journey:
Azim Premji, a graduate in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
When he was pursuing an engineering degree at Stanford University his father’s sudden demise in 1966 made him returned to India .At the age of 21, he took over his family business, shifting from his educational pursuits to lead Wipro. Despite his young age, Premji took on the responsibility with a vision for growth and diversification, eventually transforming Wipro from a small vegetable oil company into one of India’s largest IT and software services firms. He later completed his education through correspondence, earning his degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford. (ref :5paise.com)
Turned the $2 million hydrogenated cooking fat company into an IT, BPO, and R&D services organization generating over $10 billion in revenue, with a presence in 66 countries.
Wipro is recognized as a global leader in sustainability for its social and environmental initiatives.
Leadership Philosophy
Azim firmly believes that businesses have a responsibility to employ ethical, fair, and ecologically sensitive business practices, and to engage with fundamental societal issues.
Purposefulness and values are the core of work philosophy. Wipro believes that the means are as important as the ends.
Vision
To contribute to a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society
To bring social change through education
Values
Treat each person with respect
Be global and responsible
Unyielding integrity in everything they do
Achievements & Milestones
Recognition & Awards
Impact on Society - Azim Premji Foundation:
Established “Azim Premji Foundation” a not-for-profit organization in the year 2001 with a vision to contribute towards a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society. The work of the foundation is focused on India for enhancing quality and evenhandedness in India’s public school system.
Azim’s $15 billion donation to the Foundation’s endowment make it one of the largest foundations in the world. Since the inception, Azim Premji has contributed a substantial portion of his wealth to create a philanthropic endowment, valued at approximately INR 2,40,000 crore (USD 29 billion) as of January 2023. This endowment serves as the financial corpus supporting the Foundation’s various initiatives. The sum of 67% percent of Wipro’s economic interest is pledged to philanthropy.
Foundation recognized education as a crucial challenge to address socio and economic inequities. Primary education has emerged as the focal point for the Foundation’s journey.
The Foundation works with over 350,000 schools across seven Indian states.
The foundation established the nine/ten Azim Premji Schools (in Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand in India),
It also runs the Azim Premji University, which focuses on teaching and research programs in education and other areas of human development.
The Azim Premji University, with campuses in Bengaluru and Bhopal, furthers the Foundation’s commitment to strengthening the social sector by building new capacity.
The Azim Premji University and the Azim Premji Schools are embodiments of the Foundation’s vision of contributing to a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society. These institutions seek to catalyse positive social change through education.
Through collaborations, we align our resources with our partners working in varied areas of human development and well-being.
Our grants programme, is another strong example of the collaborative nature of our work. We support 1,150 not-for-profits and civil society organisations working in various areas such as gender justice, constitutional values, disability and governance.
Premji Philanthropic Initiatives support not-for-profits working in areas of human development and education, such as nutrition, local governance, and well-being of vulnerable groups.
The Foundation work is built on two dimensions : The first dimension is ‘needs’, which drives the foundation’s work in getting people the basic necessities of life such as health, food, education, shelter, livelihood, dignity and safety.
The second dimension is ‘values’, which inspires the work in ensuring that people are not subjected to injustice, discrimination or exploitation, and they live in peace and harmony and act with humaneness and empathy.
One way of looking at the foundation’s work is to map it to these two dimensions. When needs are addressed, it empowers the marginalized and gives them a voice, and when values are acted upon, it leads to a more dignified life for all.
Field Institutes(schools), Grants and University, are three operating units work together in an integrated manner towards the vision.
The Azim Premji University, with campuses in Bengaluru and Bhopal, furthers the Foundation’s commitment to strengthening the social sector by building new capacity.
Field Institutes
Our Field Institutes are spread across 60 districts of 7 states and 1 Union Territory. We run 10 schools in 4 states to provide safe, meaningful, and enriching experiences for children.
Grants
Our financial grants to not-for-profits and civil society organisations help them in their work across various areas. This is an affirmation of our aim to improve the lives of the vulnerable and the marginalized. The foundation’s direct work is spread across 7 states and 1 Union Territory.
Awards & recognition:
- BusinessWeeklisted him among the top 30 entrepreneurs in world history
- Financial Times, Time, Fortuneand Forbes have all named him as of one the most influential people in the world, citing his leadership in business and philanthropy, and contributions to improving public education
- The Journal of Foreign Policylisted him among the top global thinkers.
- TheEconomic Times bestowed him with the Lifetime Achievement Award
- Azim is the first Indian recipient of the Faraday Medal.
- He was awarded honorary doctorates by Michigan State University, Wesleyan University, and the Indian Institutes of Technology at Bombay, Roorkee, and Kharagpur, among others.
- The Republic of France awarded him their highest civilian award, Knight of the Legion of Honor.
- In January 2011, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award.
- The Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy was bestowed on him in 2017, hailing the “conscience, integrity, and compassion that have guided his visionary giving…….(with) invaluable benefit to both that nation and to the world.”
