Shiv Nadar, Industrialist and Philanthropist
Industrialist and Philanthropist

Shiv Nadar

Born 14 July 1945 · Karnataka

Founded HCL Technologies in 1976 and transformed it into a global IT enterprise.

Shiv Nadar is an Indian billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder and chairman of HCL Technologies, and is chairman of the Shiv Nadar Foundation. Nadar founded HCL in 1976 and transformed the IT hardware company into an IT enterprise over the next three decades.

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A detail that
surprised us

“

In 1976, when India had barely 250 computers, Shiv Nadar co-founded Microcomp to sell digital scientific calculators as a stepping stone to microprocessor technology.

The Story

1
In 1976, Shiv Nadar and his colleagues launched HCL with a modest investment of ₹187,000, starting from a basement in Delhi focused on selling teledigital calculators amid India’s infancy in computing.
2
🌏 By 1980, Nadar boldly expanded HCL internationally, opening Far East Computers in Singapore, which earned ₹1 million in its first year, marking a key step in HCL’s global outreach.
3🏫 In 1996, Nadar founded SSN College of Engineering in Chennai, dedicating ₹1 million in HCL shares and insisting on research and foreign university collaborations to transform Indian technical education.
4🎓 His philanthropic focus deepened in 2005 when Nadar joined the Executive Board of the Indian School of Business, and in 2011 became Chairman of IIT Kharagpur’s Board of Governors, influencing premier Indian education institutions.

🏅 Awards & Honours

2008
Padma Bhushan

🔍 One thing most people don't know

“

In 1976, HCL was started with just ₹187,000, roughly $67,000 in today's terms, from a small Delhi room, showing how humble beginnings can lead to global business empires.

🖼️

Through the Years

3 photographs from the archives
Shiv Nadar receiving the UKTI Business Person of the Year Award from Sir Richard Stagg in India (2009)
Shiv Nadar receiving the UKTI Business Person of the Year Award from Sir Richard Stagg in India (2009)
2009
Shiv Nadar presenting a memento to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at IIT Kharagpur convocation (2011)
Shiv Nadar with Ambassador Richard Verma at Shiv Nadar University in India (2015)

🗓️ A Life in Moments

🕊️
Birth
Birth in Moolaipozhi, Madras Presidency
Shiv Nadar was born into a Tamil Hindu family in present-day Tamil Nadu, laying the roots of his South Indian heritage.
1945
📚
Education
Graduated from PSG College of Technology
Completed his electrical engineering degree, the technical foundation for his future ventures in IT.
1967
⚡
Career
Founded HCL Technologies
Started HCL with friends, initially focusing on digital calculators, investing ₹187,000 in Delhi.
1976
⚡
Career
Founded SSN College of Engineering
Established the college in Chennai, donating HCL shares and promoting research and foreign collaborations.
1996
🏅
Award
Received Padma Bhushan Award
Honored by the Indian government for his pioneering efforts in the IT industry.
2008
⚡
Career
Daughter Roshni Nadar becomes HCL Chair
Shiv Nadar passed leadership to his daughter, the first woman to chair a listed Indian IT company.
2020
More moments to come...
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🗝️Discoveries

Swipe to uncover hidden stories
01 / 04
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

Nadar gifted ₹1 million worth of HCL shares to SSN College of Engineering to promote research, an unusual move for Indian entrepreneurs in the 1990s focused mostly on profit.

02 / 04
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

In 2008, Shiv Nadar became one of the few Indian industrialists awarded the Padma Bhushan specifically for contributions to the IT industry.

03 / 04
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

By 2023, HCL Technologies operated in 60 countries with over 223,000 employees, a scale unimaginable to its founders in 1976.

“

"I admire companies that give back to communities. It is an absolute essential for organisations to watch, mitigate, and improve their impact on the environment, people, communities, their health and overall well-being. This is a necessary condition, not a sufficient condition."

— Shiv Nadar

🎙️ Speeches & Recordings

These recordings preserve the legacy of Bharat's icons
Shiv Nadar Biography and Life Story - The Man Behind HCL Technologies’ Success!
More from this archive
Shiv Nadar Biography and Life Story - The Man Behind HCL Technologies’ Success!
01
Shiv Nadar Biography and Life Story - The Man Behind HCL Technologies’ Success!
Shiv Nadar: The Visionary Behind HCL Technologies
02
Shiv Nadar: The Visionary Behind HCL Technologies
Shiv Nadar | दिल्ली की एक बरसाती से अरबपति बनने की कहानी | HCL | NIIT | Biography in Hindi
03
Shiv Nadar | दिल्ली की एक बरसाती से अरबपति बनने की कहानी | HCL | NIIT | Biography in Hindi
Mr. Shiv Nadar (Jury Member) - Leaders of Tomorrow Awards 2010
04
Mr. Shiv Nadar (Jury Member) - Leaders of Tomorrow Awards 2010
HCL Chairman Shiv Nadar Meets with AP CM Chandrababu Naidu
05
HCL Chairman Shiv Nadar Meets with AP CM Chandrababu Naidu
Shiv Nadar Biography In Hindi || Shiv Nadar University | hcl technologies 🇮🇳 hcl founder shiv nadar
06
Shiv Nadar Biography In Hindi || Shiv Nadar University | hcl technologies 🇮🇳 hcl founder shiv nadar
Shiv Nadar University on SunTV
07
Shiv Nadar University on SunTV

🌱 What changed because of them

Shiv Nadar’s vision extended beyond business, catalyzing India's IT revolution through HCL Technologies, which grew into a global IT powerhouse with over 223,000 employees by 2023. His establishment of SSN College and the Shiv Nadar Foundation has provided scholarships and research opportunities, profoundly influencing India’s education sector. This blend of industry and philanthropy has created a model for corporate social responsibility in India’s tech industry.

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