Nandan Nilekani is the co-founder and Chairman of Infosys Technologies Limited, one of India’s largest IT services companies.  Nilekani received his Bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. His educational foundation in engineering laid the groundwork for his transformative contributions to India’s technology sector. As a co-founder of Infosys, Nilekani played a pivotal role in building the company from its inception. He served as CEO of Infosys from March 2002 to April 2007, during which time he helped establish the company as a global leader in IT services. After stepping down as CEO, he became co-chairman of the board of directors.

In 2009, Nilekani took on one of the most significant public service roles in modern India when he was appointed as the Founding Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), serving in the rank of a Cabinet Minister from 2009 to 2014. During this period, he spearheaded the development and implementation of Aadhaar, India’s biometric identification system that provides unique ID numbers to residents. Nilekani returned to Infosys as Non-Executive Chairman in August 2017. He has also co-founded and serves as Chairman of EkStep Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on creating technology-based platforms to improve basic literacy and numeracy for millions of children.

Nilekani has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including the Padma Bhushan in 2006, one of India’s highest civilian honors. Fortune Magazine named him “Asia’s Businessman of the Year” in 2003, and he received the prestigious Joseph Schumpeter Prize in 2005 for innovative services in economy, economic sciences and politics. He is the author of “Imagining India” and co-author of “Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations,” books that explore India’s development trajectory and potential in the digital age. Indiaspora is proud to have Nandan Nilekani on our Business Leaders 2.0 List.