Ajai Chowdhry

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT AJAI CHOWDHRY

A visionary who cofounded HCL in 1976 with five others, with a dream of using the microprocessor and changing the world. He spearheaded HCL’s expansion into Singapore in 1980, & created a successful business spanning ASEAN, China, and Hong Kong. Today, HCL is valued at an impressive US $50 billion. In 1995, Ajai took over HCL Infosystems & turned it into a leader in hardware products, systems integration, & mobile telephony (Nokia). Under his leadership over the next 15 years, it grew to become a Rs. crore (US $1.6 billion) organization. Ajai has played a leading role in the establishment of the electronics industry in India, serving on government committees since In 2009, he chaired a Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY) task force that laid the foundation for the Electronics Policy. He is Chairman of the Mission Governing Board of National Quantum Mission of India & Fellow at Indian National Academy of Engineers. He has been nominated by MEITY as a Member to the Advisory Board of India Semiconductor Mission. In recognition of his efforts to build the IT & Electronics industry in India he was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2011. He is the recipient of many other awards. Ajai has played a crucial role in shaping several centres of learning including IIT Hyderabad, Raipur & NIFFT Ranchi, which he transformed into National Institute of Advanced Manufacturing, besides serving as Chairperson of Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI). His philanthropic efforts include a charitable trust, Swayam, which recently set-up Aspire Scholarship for B.Tech students. He is also Board Member of Population Foundation of India and Trustee of Save Life Foundation. Since 2011, Ajai has been deeply involved in nurturing, mentoring, and investing in startups. He is also on the Investment Committee of Electronic Development Fund and Canbank Venture Capital Fund. Regarded as ‘father of Indian hardware’ Ajai advocates self-sufficiency in electronics. He co-founded EPIC Foundation in 2021 with the aim to make India a Product Nation in electronics. Ajai graduated from Jabalpur Engineering College. He has attended the Executive Program at the School of Business Administration at University of Michigan, US, awarded Honoris Causa (D.Sc) by IIT Roorkee, Design & Manufacturing, Jabalpur, and University of Engineering & Management Kolkata. His best-selling memoir, Just Aspire: Notes on Technology, Entrepreneurship and the Future (HarperCollins India).