Nandan Nilekani

Nandan Nilekani
Born	Bangalore, India
Occupation(s)	Businessman, entrepreneur, bureaucrat
Known for	Co-founder of Infosys, Chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
Notable work	Aadhaar biometric ID system, Unified Payments Interface (UPI)

Nandan Mohanrao Nilekani is a prominent Indian businessman and one of the founders of Infosys. He currently holds the position of non-executive chairman at Infosys, having assumed this role on 24 August 2017 after the departure of Vishal Sikka, succeeding co-chairs R Seshasayee and Ravi Venkatesan.

Nilekani was also the head of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), where he directed the rollout of India’s biometric identification initiative. Following his tenure at Infosys, he chaired the Government of India’s technology advisory panel, TAGUP.

Although affiliated with the Indian National Congress, Nilekani has not been politically active since 2019.

Early life

Born in Bangalore to Durga and Mohan Rao Nilekani, who hail from Konkani roots in Sirsi, Karnataka, Nandan Nilekani was raised with influences from his father, a general manager at Mysore and Minerva Mills, who embraced Fabian Socialist principles. His older brother Vijay is employed at the Nuclear Energy Institute in the United States.

Nilekani’s education includes attendance at Bishop Cotton Boys' School, followed by St. Joseph's High School in Dharwad. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the IIT Bombay.

Information technology

Nilekani’s professional journey began in 1978 at Mumbai-based Patni Computer Systems, where he met fellow entrepreneur N.R. Narayana Murthy. In 1981, Nilekani joined Murthy and five others to leave Patni and establish Infosys. He held the CEO position from March 2002 until April 2007, during which time Infosys’ revenue expanded sixfold to reach $3 billion. Before becoming CEO, he served as managing director, president, and chief operating officer. Upon stepping down as CEO, he transitioned to co-chairman of Infosys’ board.

In 2017, Nilekani returned to lead Infosys as chairman after CEO Vishal Sikka resigned. During this period, he realigned the company’s core operations from its California office back to its headquarters in Bengaluru. This change coincided with the exit of several senior executives including R. Seshasayee (chairman), Ravi Venkatesan (co-chairman), Sikka (executive vice chairman), as well as board members Jeffrey Lehman and John Etchemendy.

Bureaucracy

In July 2009, Nilekani departed from Infosys to take on the role of chairman at the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), an appointment made by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. As head of UIDAI, he spearheaded the Multipurpose National Identity Card initiative designed to assign unique biometric identifiers to every resident in India to enhance welfare program delivery. This massive undertaking has been described as "the largest social project on Earth," creating a government database encompassing the entire Indian population.

The project resulted in the creation of Aadhaar, a biometric ID system that stores demographic details along with addresses. By April 2017, over 1.14 billion Indians had been issued Aadhaar numbers. In 2016, World Bank Chief Economist Paul Romer praised Aadhaar as “the most advanced ID program globally.” Nevertheless, the system has attracted criticism related to privacy issues and concerns over data protection.

Beyond UIDAI, Nilekani serves on the governing board of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and holds the presidency at NCAER. He also contributes to advisory panels such as those for the World Economic Forum Foundation and the Bombay Heritage Fund.

He has promoted his book Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and delivered a talk at a TED conference in 2009 focusing on India's prospects.

Nilekani was instrumental in creating the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which transformed digital payment systems across India. As UIDAI chairman, he led the committee responsible for designing UPI’s digital payment infrastructure. He envisions a comparable revolutionary effect for India's energy sector, referring to it as "the next UPI."

Politics

In March 2014, Nilekani became a member of the Indian National Congress and contested the Bangalore South parliamentary seat. However, he was defeated by the BJP candidate Ananth Kumar in the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

By December 2016, he had joined a committee dedicated to promoting the wider adoption of digital payment systems across India.

General election 2014

During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Nilekani was reportedly the wealthiest candidate, with declared assets totaling Rs 7,710 crore.

EkStep

Nilekani leads EkStep as its chairman, a non-profit initiative launched by the Nilekanis with an initial investment of $10 million (approximately Rs 82 crore). EkStep focuses on overcoming early childhood education hurdles through a technology-enabled platform that enhances learning outcomes via gamified applications accessible on the Google Play Store.

NCAER

He holds the position of president on the governing council of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), India’s oldest and largest non-profit think tank specializing in economic research. Founded in 1956, NCAER undertakes independent economic policy research funded by grants and conducts commissioned studies for both government and industry sectors. Its research spans forecasting, poverty evaluation, and more. Notably, NCAER is among a select group of global think tanks that gather scientifically rigorous, national-level primary survey data from households, businesses, consumers, and individuals, which is extensively utilized for India's economic and social analyses.

Investments

As a prolific investor, Nilekani has supported numerous technology startups such as 10i Commerce, Juggernaut, Mubble Networks, Fortigo, P2SME, Railyatri, Axiom Consulting, Systemantics India, Sedemac Mechatronics, Disha Medical Services, Tracxn Technologies, and LetsVenture.

Charity

In 2017, Nandan and Rohini Nilekani committed to donating half of their wealth through the Giving Pledge—a philanthropic campaign initiated by Bill Gates. They cited growing inequality and uncertainties faced by younger generations globally as key motivations. Additionally, Nilekani has contributed to reconstructing IIT Bombay’s hostel facilities and established the Indian Institute for Human Settlements in 2008 to tackle urban development issues within India.

Personal life

Nilekani is married to Rohini Nilekani (née Soman), whom he met during a quiz competition at IIT. The couple has two children—Nihar and Janhavi—both enrolled as undergraduates at Yale University. His mother tongue is Konkani; he is also fluent in Kannada, English, Marathi, and Hindi. As of March 2018, the Nilekani family held a 2.31 percent ownership stake in Infosys.

Honours and awards

• Honorary Doctorate of Law from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto (2011).
• Recipient of NDTV Indian of the Year’s Transformational Idea Award (2011).
• Awarded Corporate Citizen of the Year at CNBC's Asia Business Leaders Awards (2004).
• Joseph Schumpeter Prize recognizing innovation in economics and politics (2005).
• Included in Time magazine’s Time 100 list highlighting 'World's Most Influential People' (2009).
• First Indian honored with Yale University’s 'Legend in Leadership Award' (2009).
• Appointed to the World Economic Forum Foundation Board as one of twenty global leaders (2006).
• Conferred India's Padma Bhushan—the nation’s third highest civilian award (2006).
• Forbes Asia Businessman of the Year (2006).
• Ranked twelfth on India Today magazine’s list of India's 50 most powerful individuals (2017).
• Lifetime Achievement Award from E & Y alongside CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Award for significant contributions to India’s economy (2017).
• Honored with the 22nd Nikkei Asia Prize for Economic & Business Innovation (2017).
• Awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by IIT Bombay (2019).