We all know about the Ambanis. Want to know about an Indian who have once ranked himself in the Forbes list for richest men? Here is presenting to you Wipro bigwig Azim Premji.
- Azim Premji, the 73-year-old chairperson of Wipro, owns 73 percent in the company.
- Premji also has a private equity fund, PremjiInvest, to manage his $2 billion worth.
- In December 2010, he pledged to give about Rs 8,846 crore ($2 billion)to improve school education in India and it was considered as the “largest act of philanthropy by an Indian”.
Early Life:
- Originally from Kutch in Gujarat, Azim Hashim Premji was born on 24 July 1945 in Bombay in a Nizari Ismaili Shia Muslim family.
- Premji gave up studies at Stanford University to look after the family’s cooking oil business in 1966 when his father died and expanded into software. He completed his degree over 30 years later.
- Premji has a degree of Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Premji’s journey from soaps to IT software is remarkable.
- He saw Wipro rise from vegetable products to one of the largest IT products and service companies in the world.
Achievements:
Even after having a big ready-made business for himself, Premji has achieved has struggled to achieve a lot which is still a dream to many millionaires in India.
- Premji’s Wipro is the second-largest hydraulic cylinder company in the world.
- In 2005, Premji was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his outstanding work in trade and commerce by the Government of India.
- In 2001, he started the Azim Premji Foundation, a non-profit organization that would contribute to achieving quality education for all. This foundation currently functions across the rural areas of Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh, in close partnership with various state governments.
Initiatives:
Having money is not a big deal but if you want to know how to use it for the betterment of the society, here is your inspiration.
11. Azim Premji is the first Indian to sign up for The Giving Pledge, a campaign led by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, with a vision to encourage the wealthiest people to make a commitment to give most of their wealth to philanthropic causes.
12. There were reports that he gave away an additional 18% of his stake in Wipro, taking his total contribution so far to 39%.
13. He is currently the second wealthiest Indian, and the 58th richest person in the world, with a personal wealth of $21.8 billion in 2019.
Azim Premji is the best inspiration we all can ever get. From being a billionaire to bring a philanthropist, he has taught the whole world something great. He taught us that money is not an achievement but to invest in something where there is no return but helps develop our own nation is an achievement.
