Shiv Nadar
Born 1945 · Age 80
Indian billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist; founder and long-time chairman of HCL (HCL Technologies) and founder/chairman of the Shiv Nadar Foundation; major donor to Indian education and arts.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Moolaipozhi, Madras Presidency
Born to Sivasubramaniya Nadar and Vamasundari Devi in Moolaipozhi village (present-day Thoothukudi district), Tamil Nadu.
Admitted to first form (Sixth Standard)
Admitted into the first form (Sixth Standard) in June 1955; continued education at Town Higher Secondary School, Kumbakonam.
Left Town High School (Kumbakonam)
Continued his schooling elsewhere after June 1957 (left Town High School in June 1957).
Graduated PSG College of Technology (Electrical Engineering)
Received a degree in Electrical Engineering from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore.
First job at Cooper Engineering Ltd (Walchand group)
Began his career at Walchand group's Cooper Engineering Ltd. in Pune after graduating.
Left Cooper Engineering to start ventures with peers (approx.)
Soon after joining Cooper Engineering, he left to begin entrepreneurial ventures in partnership with friends and colleagues (Ajai Chowdhry, Arjun Malhotra, Subhash Arora, Yogesh Vaidya, S. Raman, Mahendra Pratap, D.S. Puri). Date approximated from sources stating he 'soon gave it up'.
Early venture: Microcomp (approx. founding)
Initial enterprise with partners was Microcomp, focused on selling teledigital calculators in the Indian market. (Year not explicitly stated in the source; approximate.)
HCL: initial product focus on calculators/microprocessors
In its early years HCL was positioned as an IT hardware company manufacturing/selling calculators and microprocessor-based products before evolving into an IT services enterprise over subsequent decades.
Founded HCL (Hindustan Computers Limited)
Founded HCL in 1976 (sources note August 1976 in a garage) with an initial investment of Rs. 187,000.
HCL expands internationally: Far East Computers, Singapore
Opened Far East Computers in Singapore to sell IT hardware; the venture reported Rs. 1,000,000 in revenue in its first year.
Shiv Nadar Foundation (education focus) — (approx. founding/scale-up)
Mid-1990s onwards Nadar focused on education through the Shiv Nadar Foundation; the Foundation's establishment/scale-up is associated with this period (exact founding year not specified in provided text).
Nickname 'Magus' in wide use (mid-1990s)
By the mid-1990s friends and associates nicknamed Shiv Nadar 'Magus' (Old Persian for 'wizard'); cited in biographical summaries as part of public persona.
Shifted focus toward education and philanthropy (mid-1990s)
From the mid-1990s, focused efforts on developing education in India through the Shiv Nadar Foundation and related initiatives.
Founded SSN College of Engineering (Chennai)
Founded SSN College of Engineering in Chennai in the name of his father, Sivasubramaniya Nadar; actively involved in college activities.
Gifted HCL shares to SSN Trust
Gave Rs. 10 lakh (1,000,000 INR) worth of HCL shares to the SSN college/trust as part of support for the institution.
Gifted HCL Tech shares to Chennai Trust
Reported transfer/gift of HCL Tech shares to a Chennai trust (citation dated 25 July 2001).
Joined Indian School of Business (ISB) executive board (approx.)
Joined the executive board of the Indian School of Business; sources cite involvement in mid-2000s (Wikipedia cites 2005).
Joined ISB executive board (documented year)
Officially recorded as joining the executive board of the Indian School of Business in 2005.
Donation of Rs. 4 crore to Prime Minister's National Relief Fund
Shiv and Roshni Nadar presented a cheque of Rs. 4 crore to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund in New Delhi on 17 January 2005.
SSN College to promote research and foreign tie-ups
Announced SSN College would promote high-end research and institutional tie-ups with foreign universities.
Honorary doctorate from Madras University
Received an honorary doctorate degree from Madras University.
E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year (Services)
Awarded Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 (Services category).
Awarded Padma Bhushan (Government of India)
Received the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, for contributions to the IT industry (award year 2008).
Vidyagyan schools set up by SSN Trust
SSN Trust announced setting up two Vidyagyan schools in Uttar Pradesh for rural students, offering free scholarships to 200 students from 50 districts.
Committed more than US$1 billion to philanthropy (milestone)
Public reports state Shiv Nadar has committed over US$1 billion to philanthropy (aggregate commitment across initiatives). Date of cumulative claim is reported in multiple profiles; included here as a milestone.
Listed among Forbes' 48 Heroes of Philanthropy (Asia Pacific)
Named in Forbes Asia's list '48 Heroes of Philanthropy' in 2011 for philanthropic contributions.
Donated computers and equipment (Town Higher Secondary School)
Visited Town Higher Secondary School in February 2011 and donated computers and other equipment worth Rs. 80 lakh.
Appointed Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Kharagpur
HCL founder Shiv Nadar was appointed to head the board of governors at IIT Kharagpur (appointed in late October 2011).
Ended tenure as Chairman of IIT Kharagpur board
Served as chairman of the IIT Kharagpur board until 2014 (tenure end).
Ranked #16 in India's 50 Most Powerful People (India Today)
India Today magazine ranked Shiv Nadar 16th in its 'India's 50 Most Powerful People of 2017' list.
Roshni Nadar appointed Vice-Chairman of HCL Tech
Roshni Nadar Malhotra (daughter) appointed vice-chairman of HCL Technologies (reported 23 October 2018).
HCL Q1 FY2020 profit milestone (reported)
Reports cited that in the first quarter of financial year 2020 HCL recorded a profit of Rs. 2,925 crore (company milestone cited in sources).
Daughter Roshni Nadar becomes first woman chair of a listed Indian IT company
When Shiv Nadar handed over the chair to his daughter in July 2020, she became the first woman chair of a listed Indian IT company (historical milestone for HCL and India).
Handed over HCL Tech chairmanship to daughter Roshni Nadar
In July 2020 Shiv Nadar handed over the chairmanship of HCL Technologies to his daughter Roshni Nadar Malhotra; she became the first woman chair of a listed Indian IT company.
Reported resignation as Chairman; continued executive involvement (reported)
Reports in July 2020 stated he resigned/handed over the chairman role while remaining involved (sources reported he would continue as managing director or in strategy roles).
Stepped down as Managing Director of HCL Technologies
In July 2021 Shiv Nadar stepped down as Managing Director of HCL Technologies; C. Vijayakumar (CEO) succeeded him as MD for a five-year term.
Ranked 3rd richest person in India (Forbes)
Forbes ranked Shiv Nadar as the third richest person in India with an estimated net worth of US$31 billion (October 2021 report).
Topped list of most generous donors (2024)
Reported to have donated nearly Rs. 6 crore every day in 2024, topping the list of most generous donors that year.
Estimated net worth US$36.5 billion (Forbes)
Forbes estimated Shiv Nadar's net worth at US$36.5 billion as of 26 March 2025, ranking him among the richest people globally.
Key Achievement Ages
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