Ajai Chowdhry
Founder - HCL & Chairman, HCL Infosystems
Ajai Chowdhry, one of the six founder members of HCL began an exciting journey three decades ago with a dream to give India its very own microcomputer. The sheer clarity of vision and hard work led to a revolution and laid the foundation for the Indian IT industry, taking India to the league of major economies of the world. Ajai Chowdhry has constantly added newer and cutting-edge technology skills to the companies portfolio and under his able leadership several pioneering projects like foraying into IT retail, creating an extensive Systems Integration business and driving a vision of “IT for the masses” was successfully driven. He has a vision to take PC and broadband into every village and to every person in India. It was this vision that made HCL Infosystems the first company in India to create special products for the rural market place like a rural PC that works on a car battery or specially developed financial inclusion software and hardware products. In 2011, the honourable President of India conferred Mr Ajai Chowdhry with the prestigious Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian honours, as recognition of his consistent contribution in building the IT industry of the nation.