Azim Premji facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Azim Premji
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Premji at the World Economic Forum, 2013
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Azim Hashim Premji
24 July 1945 |
| Alma mater | Stanford University (B.S.E) |
| Occupation | Founder Chairman of Wipro |
| Children | Rishad Premji, Tariq Premji |
| Honours | Padma Vibhushan (2011) |
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Azim Hashim Premji (born on July 24, 1945) is a famous Indian businessman and a very generous person who helps others. He used to be the chairman of a big company called Wipro Limited. Today, he is still a founder chairman and a non-executive member of the board. People sometimes call him the "Czar of the Indian IT Industry" because he helped Wipro grow into one of the world's top software companies over 40 years.
He has been named one of the most powerful people in the world by Asiaweek and Time magazine. He is also often listed among The 500 Most Influential Muslims. Azim Premji is also the head of Azim Premji University in Bangalore. The Indian government gave him the Padma Vibhushan, which is India's second-highest award for citizens.
Azim Premji is known for his kindness. In 2013, he promised to give away at least half of his money by joining something called the Giving Pledge. He started by donating $2.2 billion to the Azim Premji Foundation, which works to improve education in India. In 2020, he was at the top of the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List for giving the most money to charity. In 2019, he moved down on the Forbes India Rich list because he gave away so much of his wealth to help others.
As of December 2024, Azim Premji was ranked 19th on the Forbes list of India’s 100 richest business people.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Azim Premji was born in Bombay, which was part of British India at the time. His family was Gujarati and Ismaili Muslim. His father was a well-known businessman, sometimes called the "Rice King of Burma." The founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, asked Azim Premji's father to move to Pakistan, but he decided to stay in India.
Azim Premji studied at Stanford University and earned a degree in Electrical Engineering. He is married to Yasmeen Premji, and they have two children, Rishad and Tariq. His son, Rishad Premji, is now the Chairman of Wipro.
Azim Premji's Business Journey
In 1945, Azim Premji's father started a company called Western Indian Vegetable Products Ltd. It was in a small town in Maharashtra and made cooking oil and laundry soap. In 1966, when Azim Premji was just 21 years old, his father passed away. Azim Premji left his studies at Stanford University to take over the family business.
At first, the company made hydrogenated oil. But Azim Premji expanded it to include many other products like bakery fats, toiletries, hair care soaps, baby products, lighting, and hydraulic parts. In the 1980s, he saw that the IT (computer technology) field was growing fast. When a big American company, IBM, left India, Azim Premji used this chance to change his company's focus. He renamed it Wipro and started making mini-computers with help from an American company. After that, he shifted Wipro's main business from soaps to computer software.
In 2006, Premji started his own investment company called PremjiInvest (PI).
Awards and Honors for Azim Premji
Azim Premji has received many awards for his work and generosity:
- Business Week magazine called him one of the "Greatest Entrepreneurs" because he helped Wipro become one of the fastest-growing companies in the world.
- In 2000, he received an honorary doctorate from the Manipal Academy of Higher Education.
- In 2005, the Indian government gave him the Padma Bhushan award for his great work in business.
- In 2009, he received another honorary doctorate from Wesleyan University for his amazing charity work.
- In 2011, he was given the Padma Vibhushan, which is India's second-highest award for citizens.
- In April 2017, India Today magazine listed him as one of India's 50 most powerful people.
- In 2018, the French Government gave him the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, which is France's highest award for civilians.
- In December 2019, Forbes magazine included him in their "Heroes of Philanthropy list" for the Asia-Pacific region.
- In 2019, Forbes also named him one of the world's most generous people outside of the US.
Azim Premji's Philanthropy
Azim Premji believes that people who have a lot of wealth should use it to make the world better for those who are less fortunate. He has given away a huge amount of his wealth to help others.
Azim Premji Foundation
- In 2001, he started the Azim Premji Foundation, which is a non-profit organization.
- In December 2010, he promised to donate $2 billion to improve school education in India. He did this by giving 213 million shares of Wipro Ltd to the Azim Premji Trust. This was the largest donation of its kind in India.
- In March 2019, Premji gave an additional 34% of his Wipro shares to the foundation. This brought his total donations to the foundation to about $21 billion.
- In May 2020, the Azim Premji Foundation worked with other science centers to help with testing during the coronavirus pandemic.
- The foundation has warned people about fake emails that ask for donations, pretending to be from them.
The Giving Pledge
Azim Premji has said that being rich "did not thrill" him. He became the first Indian person to join the Giving Pledge. This is a campaign started by famous billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. It encourages the wealthiest people to promise to give most of their money to charity. He was one of the first non-Americans to join this group.
He has stated: "I strongly believe that those of us, who are privileged to have wealth, should contribute significantly to try and create a better world for the millions who are far less privileged."
By April 2013, he had already given more than 25% of his personal wealth to charity. In July 2015, he gave away another 18% of his shares in Wipro, bringing his total contribution to 39%. His lifetime giving now stands at $21 billion. In April 2019, Azim Premji became the top Indian philanthropist.
India's Most Generous Donor
Azim Premji topped the list of "India's most generous" people in November 2020. He donated ₹79.04 billion (about $1 billion) in the financial year 2019–20. This was a huge increase from his previous donations. Education is the main cause he supports with his donations. He remained the top donor in the financial year 2021, giving ₹9,713 crore (about $1.33 billion).
See also
In Spanish: Azim Premji para niños
