Azim Premji also referred to as the Indian Business tycoon, is a businessman, philanthropist, and the chairman of one of the leading IT companies, Wipro Limited. He is often known for his dynamic personality and charitable works along with being one of the most influential business leaders in India. Under his guidance, Wipro has expanded
Azim Premji Quick Info
Height
5 ft 5 in
Weight
72 kg
Date of Birth
July 24, 1945
Zodiac Sign
Leo
Spouse
Yasmeen Premji
Azim Premji also referred to as the Indian Business tycoon, is a businessman, philanthropist, and the chairman of one of the leading IT companies, Wipro Limited. He is often known for his dynamic personality and charitable works along with being one of the most influential business leaders in India. Under his guidance, Wipro has expanded and diversified to be one of India’s largest publicly traded companies. He was born to Hashim Premji, who was a successful businessman and founder of Western Indian Vegetable Products Ltd.
Born Name
Azim Hashim Premji
Nick Name
Premji
Azim Premji at the World Economic Forum in January 2009 (World Economic Forum / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0)
Sun Sign
Leo
Born Place
Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India
Residence
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Nationality
Education
He has done his graduation in Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering degree from Stanford University, United States.
Azim Premji at the Annual Meeting 2013 of the World Economic Forum (World Economic Forum / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0)
Azim Premji Facts
His father was a renowned businessman and was called the Rice King Of Burma.
His father got an offer from Jinnah to come to Pakistan during partition but he refused.
He was born in a Kutchi Indian Muslim Shia Islam family from Gujarat.
He had to leave college in 1966 all of a sudden due to his father’s demise.
His company Wipro was founded by his father in 1945 in a small town in Maharashtra.
Other than oil, he has introduced hair care soaps, lightening products, baby toiletries, etc.
He completed his education degree in 2000, almost 30 years after he left it.
His company Wipro emerged as a leading IT company in the 1980s.
He came up with the Azim Premji Foundation in 2001, which aims to give education in rural areas of the country. His foundation covers more than 5000 rural schools across the country.
He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Indian Government for his contribution to trade and commerce in 2005.
Azim has been featured in Business Week magazine in 2003 with the title “India’s Tech King”.
He is considered to be a revolutionary and has been recognized by Business Week as one of the “Greatest Entrepreneurs” who led Wipro to its peak.
He has donned several hats for his work in charity and is known to give away 39% of his salary for philanthropic work.
Azim considers his mother as his idol.
In 2017, India Today magazine placed him at the 9th position in “India’s 50 Most Powerful People of 2017” list.
He was the first Indian to sign up for The Giving Pledge campaign, a campaign that encourages the wealthiest people to give away most of their wealth to philanthropic causes.
Azim received a doctorate from the University of Mysore in 2015.
He is inclined towards charity and wants to do better for society and urges every Indian to do the same.
He was awarded the honorary doctorate from Wesleyan University in Middletown in 2009.
Azim received the Padma Vibhushan in the year 2011.
As of 2019, he was India’s 10th richest man alive.
Because his father was an established businessman, his childhood was privileged.
In January 2024, Azim gifted Wipro shares (1,02,30,180 shares) worth ₹500 crores to his both sons – Rishad and Tariq Premji.
Featured Image by World Economic Forum / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
