Shiv Nadar (born 14 July 1945) is an Indian business magnate and philanthropist, widely recognised as the founder of HCL Technologies and the driving force behind the Shiv Nadar Foundation. He launched HCL in 1976 and was instrumental in evolving it from a hardware-focused company into one of India’s leading global IT enterprises. In 2008, he received the Padma Bhushan for his significant contributions to the Indian technology sector.
From the mid-1990s onward, Nadar shifted much of his focus towards advancing education in India through his charitable initiatives. Known affectionately as “Magus”—a Persian term meaning “wizard”—among close friends, he is admired for his visionary leadership and transformative ideas. As of October 2024, his net worth was estimated at around US$42 billion, placing him among the wealthiest individuals globally, as per Forbes.
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| 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) |
Early Life
Shiv Nadar was born in the village of Moolaipozhi in the erstwhile Madras Presidency (present-day Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu) into a Tamil Hindu family. His parents were Sivasubramaniya Nadar and Vamasundari Devi. Notably, his mother was the sister of S. P. Adithanar, the founder of the Dina Thanthi newspaper, a prominent Tamil daily.
Nadar completed his early schooling at Town Higher Secondary School in Kumbakonam, after which he studied at Elango Corporation Higher Secondary School in Madurai from June 1955 to June 1957. He later moved to St. Joseph’s Boys Higher Secondary School in Tiruchirappalli, where he finished his secondary education. He went on to obtain a pre-university qualification from the American College in Madurai and subsequently earned a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore.
Career
Shiv Nadar began his professional career in 1967 with Cooper Engineering Ltd., part of the Walchand Group, in Pune. However, his entrepreneurial aspirations soon led him to leave the role and join hands with a close group of friends and colleagues—Ajai Chowdhry, Arjun Malhotra, Subhash Arora, Yogesh Vaidya, S. Raman, Mahendra Pratap, and D. S. Puri—to venture into business.
His first business initiative was Microcomp, a company that marketed teledigital calculators in India. In 1976, this entrepreneurial group founded Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL) with an initial capital of ₹187,000, marking the beginning of what would become one of India’s most influential technology enterprises.
HCL made its first international foray in 1980 with the creation of Far East Computers in Singapore to distribute IT hardware. The venture achieved notable success, generating ₹1 million in revenue in its very first year. Although Nadar remained the largest shareholder, he chose not to hold managerial control of the Singapore unit.
In July 2020, Shiv Nadar stepped down as Chairman of HCL Technologies, handing over the position to his daughter, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, who became the first woman to chair a publicly listed Indian IT company. In July 2021, he further stepped down as Managing Director, and the role was assumed by C. Vijayakumar, who was already serving as CEO, for a five-year tenure.
As of October 2021, Forbes ranked Shiv Nadar as the third-richest individual in India with an estimated net worth of US$31 billion.
Focus on Education
In 1996, Shiv Nadar founded the SSN College of Engineering in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, as a tribute to his father, Sivasubramaniya Nadar. He remained closely involved in shaping the institution’s growth, including the contribution of HCL shares valued at ₹10 lakh to support its development. By 2006, he announced a strategic vision to strengthen the college’s research capabilities and foster global academic partnerships to enhance student learning and exposure.
His dedication to education extended further when he joined the Executive Board of the Indian School of Business (ISB) in 2005. With a strong focus on improving educational opportunities in rural India, the SSN Trust launched two Vidyagyan schools in Uttar Pradesh in March 2008. These schools offer full scholarships to high-performing students across 50 districts in the state, providing quality education to talented children from underprivileged backgrounds.
In February 2011, Nadar revisited his former school, Town Higher Secondary School, where he donated computers and infrastructure support worth ₹80 lakh to improve learning facilities. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Governors at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) until 2014, contributing to the institution’s strategic development and governance.
Personal Life
Shiv Nadar is married to Kiran Nadar, a noted art collector and philanthropist. The couple share a passion for the game of bridge and are active patrons of the HCL International Bridge Championship in India.
Their daughter, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, assumed the role of Chairperson of HCL Technologies in 2020, becoming the first woman to lead a publicly listed Indian IT company.
In 2024, Shiv Nadar was acknowledged as India’s most generous philanthropist, with an average charitable donation of nearly ₹6 crore per day throughout the year.
Awards and Accolades
2007: Conferred an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Madras
2007: Awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Services)
2008: Received the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour, for his contributions to the IT sector
2011: Featured in Forbes’ list of 48 Heroes of Philanthropy in the Asia-Pacific region
2017: Ranked 16th in India Today’s 50 Most Powerful People list
Shiv Nadar has pledged over US$1 billion towards philanthropy, with a strong focus on education, rural upliftment, and social transformation 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).
