Shiv Nadar (born 14 July 1945) is an Indian billionaire businessman and philanthropist, best known as the founder of HCL Technologies and the chairman of the Shiv Nadar Foundation. He established HCL in 1976 and played a key role in transforming it from an IT hardware company into a leading IT enterprise over the following decades. In recognition of his contributions to the Indian IT industry, he was honored with the Padma Bhushan in 2008. Since the mid-1990s, Nadar, often referred to as "Magus" (Old Persian for "wizard") by friends, has focused on improving education in India through the Shiv Nadar Foundation. As of October 2024, his estimated net worth was US$42 billion, making him one of the wealthiest individuals in the world, according to Forbes.
Early Life
 | |
| Born | 14 July 1945 Moolaipozhi, Madras Presidency, British India |
| Education | PSG College of Technology |
| Occupations | Founder, HCLTech, SSN College of Engineering, Shiv Nadar University, and Shiv Nadar University, Chennai |
| Spouse | Kiran Nadar |
| Children | Roshni Nadar Malhotra |
| Relatives | S. N. Balakrishnan (brother) |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan (2008) |
Shiv Nadar was born in Moolaipozhi village, Madras Presidency (now part of Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu) into a Tamil Hindu family. His parents were Sivasubramaniya Nadar and Vamasundari Devi. His mother, Vamasundari Devi, was the sister of S. P. Adithanar, the founder of the Dina Thanthi newspaper.
Nadar pursued his early education at Town Higher Secondary School in Kumbakonam and later attended Elango Corporation Higher Secondary School in Madurai. He was admitted to the first form (Sixth Standard) in June 1955 and continued his studies there until June 1957. Subsequently, he joined St. Joseph Boys Higher Secondary School in Trichy, where he completed his high school education. He later earned a pre-university degree from the American College, Madurai, and a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore.
Career
Shiv Nadar began his professional journey in 1967 at Cooper Engineering Ltd., part of the Walchand Group, in Pune. He soon left to start his own business venture in partnership with several friends and colleagues, including Ajai Chowdhry (former Chairman of HCL), Arjun Malhotra (CEO and Chairman of Headstrong), Subhash Arora, Yogesh Vaidya, S. Raman, Mahendra Pratap, and D.S. Puri.
His entrepreneurial journey began with Microcomp, a company focused on selling teledigital calculators in the Indian market. In 1976, Nadar and his partners founded HCL (Hindustan Computers Limited) with an initial investment of ₹187,000.
HCL expanded internationally in 1980 by establishing Far East Computers in Singapore to sell IT hardware, generating ₹1 million in revenue during its first year of operations. Despite being the largest shareholder, Nadar did not retain management control of the Singapore operations.
In July 2020, Nadar stepped down as chairman of HCL Technologies, passing the leadership to his daughter, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, who became the first woman to chair a publicly listed Indian IT company. A year later, in July 2021, he also stepped down as managing director of HCL Technologies, succeeded by C. Vijayakumar, the company's CEO, for a five-year term.
As of October 2021, Nadar was ranked by Forbes as the third richest person in India, with an estimated net worth of US$31 billion.
Focus on Education
In 1996, Shiv Nadar established SSN College of Engineering in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in memory of his father, Sivasubramaniya Nadar. He actively participated in the institution's development, including a donation of ₹10 lakh (1 million) worth of HCL shares to the college. In 2006, Nadar announced that the college would emphasize research initiatives alongside forming collaborations with foreign universities to benefit students.
Nadar expanded his involvement in education by joining the executive board of the Indian School of Business (ISB) in 2005. Furthering his commitment to rural education, his SSN Trust launched two Vidyagyan schools in Uttar Pradesh in March 2008, offering free scholarships to 200 students from 50 districts in the state.
In February 2011, he visited his alma mater, Town Higher Secondary School, where he donated computers and other equipment valued at ₹80 lakh. Nadar also served as the chairman of the board of governors at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) until 2014, contributing to the institute’s governance and development.
Personal Life
Shiv Nadar is married to Kiran Nadar, an art collector and philanthropist. The couple shares a passion for bridge and actively sponsor the HCL Bridge Tournament in India.
Their daughter, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, currently serves as the chairwoman of HCL Technologies, having taken over the position in 2020.
In 2024, Shiv Nadar was recognized as the most generous donor in India, contributing nearly ₹6 crore per day throughout the year.
Awards and Accolades
- 2007: Awarded an honorary doctorate degree by the University of Madras.
- 2007: Received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Services).
- 2008: Honored with the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, for his contributions to the IT industry.
- 2011: Featured among Forbes' "48 Heroes of Philanthropy" in the Asia-Pacific region.
- 2017: Ranked 16th in India Today's list of "India's 50 Most Powerful People."
Shiv Nadar has committed over $1 billion towards philanthropy, focusing primarily on education and rural development through the Shiv Nadar Foundation.
References
- (No date) Shiv Nadar University, delhi NCR : Admissions Open for 2025 for engineering, Natural Sciences, Humanities & Management Programs. Available at: https://snuadmissions.com/Gen/?gad_source=1 (Accessed: 10 January 2025).
- HCl’s Shiv Nadar named country’s most generous philanthropist, donated Rs 3 crore per day: Full list (2022) India Today. Available at: https://www.indiatoday.in/business/story/hcl-shiv-nadar-india-most-generous-philanthropist-donation-azim-premji-mukesh-ambani-2287932-2022-10-21 (Accessed: 10 January 2025).
- Shiv Nadar (no date a) Shiv Nadar | Founder of HCL Enterprise. Available at: https://www.shivnadarfoundation.org/who-we-are/leadership/shiv-nadar (Accessed: 10 January 2025).
- Shiv Nadar (no date b) Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/profile/shiv-nadar/?list=rtb%2F (Accessed: 10 January 2025).
