IT Founders of Infosys, HCL honoured on Republic Day
S Gopalakrishnan, MD and CEO of Infosys and Ajai Chowdhry chairman of HCL have been honoured with the Padma Bhushan on India's Republic Day 2011, Jauary 26.
S. Gopalakrishnan (Kris to his colleagues) is one of the founders of Infosys Technologies Limited, a global IT business solutions provider headquartered in Bangalore, India.
In 1981, Kris, along with N.R. Narayana Murthy and five others, founded Infosys Technologies Limited. His initial responsibilities included the management of design, development, implementation, and support of information systems for clients in the consumer products industry in the U.S.
Between 1987 and 1994, Kris headed the technical operations of KSA/Infosys (a joint venture between Infosys and KSA at Atlanta, U.S.) as Vice President (Technical). In 1994, Kris returned to India and was appointed Deputy Managing Director of Infosys.
On June 22, 2007, Kris was appointed the CEO and Managing Director of Infosys. Kris previously served as the Chief Operating Officer (April 2002), and as the President and Joint Managing Director (August 2006). Kris is recognized as a global thought leader. He holds master's degrees in Physics (1977) and Computer Science (1979) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Said Kris on receiving the Padma Bhushan:“I am thankful to the government for this recognition. I am also thankful to the leadership and my colleagues at Infosys, without whose support I would not have got this award.”
Ajai Chowdhry,co- Founder HCL & Chairman HCL Infosystems has been honoured with the Padma Bhushan in the Republic Day honours 2011, on 26 January. He is seen in the photo addressing the World Economic Forum 2010.
Ajai was one of the six founder members (led by Shiv Nadar) of the garage startup in 1976 which grew to become HCL, India's leading Technology and IT company and a $ 5 billion global enterprise.
He 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. Employing over 5100, it has emerged as the country's information-enabling powerhouse.
During this tenure he extensively covered South Asian Markets including Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and China, expanding business operations, which paved the way towards enhancing HCL's core competencies in bringing the best international technologies to the domestic market.
Ajai has a bachelor's degree in electronics and communication engineering, and attended the Executive Program at the School of Business Administration at the University of Michigan, US.
Ajai is an avid reader and is fond of Jazz and the fine arts.
Jan 26 2011