Ajai Chowdhry

An engineer by training, Ajai Chowdhry is one of the six founder members of HCL, India’s leading Technology and IT Enterprise. HCL, India’s original IT garage start-up founded in 1976, is today a US$ 5 billion Global Enterprise. Ajai took over the reins of HCL Infosystems, the flagship company of the group, as President and CEO in 1994. He was appointed the Chairman of HCL Infosystems in November 1999. Under Ajai’s stewardship, the company’s turnover has grown to US$ 2.6 billion for the last 12 months from US$ 89 Million in 1994. Employing ~5900 people, it has emerged as the country’s information-enabling powerhouse. Ajai, son of an IAS officer, has been a key force in driving the growth of HCL Infosystems. The credit of setting up HCL's overseas operations, starting with Singapore in 1980 goes to him. During this tenure he extensively covered South Asian Markets including Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and the People's Republic of China, expanding business operations, which paved the way towards enhancing HCL's core competencies in bringing the best international technologies to the domestic market. Driving the thrust on IT, Telecom and Imaging, Ajai perceives the role of his company as that of enabling information. Credited with providing momentum to key IT phenomena - within the company as well as in the industry - he has constantly added newer and cutting edge technology skills to the company's portfolio. Under his leadership, several new projects have been undertaken in the company that have had a lasting impact including – pioneering HCL into digital lifestyle by getting into IT retail, building technology capability for convergence at the time when convergence of IT was merely a slogan, creating an extensive Systems Integration business, spearheading the company wide Quality movement and driving a vision of “IT for the masses” are some examples. A great believer in manufacturing potential of India, Ajai has relentlessly advocated the cause of manufacturing in India to many non-Indian MNCs, Industry bodies and Government. An absolute stickler for customer focus, he himself spends significant time personally listening to customers. Having an exceptional knack of picking up emerging technology trends, Ajai sensed opportunity early in the telecom & imaging domain and today HCL Infosystems is poised to exploit this opportunity to offer a rich bouquet of technology solutions to its customers. Gifted with a pedant sense of entrepreneurship Ajai has been enlisted among ‘India's Most Powerful Brand Builders’ and has been adjudged among ‘India Inc’s Most Powerful CEOs’ by The Economic Times. It is a recognition of his stature and visionary ability, that Ajai was invited to be part of the IT Hardware Task Force set up by the Prime Minister of India, to give shape to the country's IT strategy. Ajai has tirelessly championed the cause of improving the PC penetration in the country. He has worked closely with the Government to take the cause of ‘IT for the masses’ agenda forward and is on several Government committees on IT and Hardware. Recently, he chaired the committee to draft the Eleventh Five Year plan for electronics hardware in India. Ajai is also the chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) National Committee on Technology and innovation. He has chaired the CII’s National Committee for IT, ITES & E-Commerce, where he actively encouraged the deployment of IT in Indian SME sector (Small & Medium Industry), to increase their productivity and to make them globally competitive. Actively involved with various industry forums, Ajai has recently been nominated as a Member for the esteemed ‘India Design Council’, a task force set up by the Government of India to constitute the National Design Policy. Understanding the potential of the integrated use of technology, he is aggressively advocating an Integrated Systems approach to Homeland security. He has worked extensively towards creating awareness on this front through Media, Industry platforms & Government interactions. Ajai is a key member of the task force set up by the CII to advice the Government of India on Internal Security & Chair’s the Sub-Group on “Technology for Internal Security”. In cognizance of his contribution in championing the cause of the domestic Indian IT market, Ajai has recently been conferred the DATAQUEST ‘IT Person of the Year 2007’ Award. Ajai has earlier been awarded the 'IT Man of the Year' title by The Skoch Consultancy and 'Best IT Man of the Year' by The Foundation of Indian Industry and Economists. He has also received ‘Corporate Ratna - IT Industry of the Millennium’ Award by Wisitek Foundation and ‘Electronics Man of the Year - 2006’ Award by EFY for his pivotal role in HCL’s breakthrough innovations.

His pride and passion for his country very well reflects in the creation of HCL MindiaTM, a forum to salute the prowess of the Indian Mind. His affection for music is well known.