Ajay Harinath Singh Greatest Brand Leader 2018-2019

TM
Young Indian Entrepreneur
Rishad Premji
Master Strategist
Rishad Premji took over as Chairman of Wipro from his father Azim Premji recently. Azim
Premji retired as Executive Chairman of Wipro. Azim Premji, who was at the helm for
53 years, remains on the board as Founder Chairman. Rishad Premji has been the Chief
Strategy Officer and Member of the Board, responsible for shaping Wipro’s strategy to
drive sustained & profitable growth
In a transition that was on expected lines and
set in motion more than a decade ago, the
change of guard at Wipro is an absolute case
study on how succession needs to be planned.
PASSING OVER THE BATON
Rishad Premji has taken over reins of Wipro at a
challenging time, and has tough calls to make. He
has large boots to fill and inherits a rich legacy of
growth and achievement. His father Azim Premji
not just built Wipro but also committed Rs 50,000
crore to charity, the largest contribution in the
country to date. Azim Premji is one of the most
respected business icons in the Indian corporate
landscape. Under Azim Premji, Wipro went from
a small vegetable oil company to a multibillion
dollar IT giant. Along with the technology
business, Wipro has significant presence in
FMCG, infrastructure engineering and medical
devices. Rishad Premji has the right credentials
to take on this humungous responsibility at a
time when the IT industry is battling a period of
slow growth. 1.75 lakh employees at Wipro look
towards Rishad Premji for his leadership and
vision in these testing times.
Rishad Premji’s diverse and cross industry
experiences give him the benefit of a broad view
of global business. He is firmly rooted in the
values that are the bedrock of the company.
GROOMING OF A LEADER
After his schooling at Cathedral and John
Connon School, Rishad Premji went on to
graduate in Economics from Wesleyan University
and then an MBA from Harvard University.
Rishad Premji worked with Bain and Co. for
two years across multiple industries including
consumer products, automobiles, telecom and
insurance. He then worked for four years with
GE Capital in the US across several businesses.
Interestingly, Rishad Premji got his first job at
Wipro after going through a series of rigorous
interviews, a fact which speaks volumes for the
core values at Wipro. Rishad Premji joined Wipro
in 2007 as Business Manager in the financial
services division. In 2010, he was elevated to
the position of Chief Strategy Officer. He was
the person behind conceptualizing and setting
up of the Venture Capital fund – Wipro Ventures
– a 100 million fund that invests in startups
developing technologies and solutions. He led
a few of acquisitions, including the purchase
of Danish design Firm Designit, San Francisco
“Rishad Premji has been
recognized as a Young Global
Leader by the World Economic
Forum for his leadership”
based Cloud tech firm Appirio and German IT
Consultancy Cellent. He has also invested $65
million in 18 startups.
Just like his father, Rishad Premji also takes
keen interest in philanthropy. He is on the boards
of the Azim Premji Foundation and Azim Premji
Philanthropic Initiatives.Rishad Premji has
been recognized as a Young Global Leader by
the World Economic Forum for his outstanding
leadership, professional accomplishments and
commitment to society.
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