Early Life:
Birth:
Shiv Nadar was born on July 14, 1945, in Moolaipozhi village, Tamil Nadu, India.
Family:
His parents were Sivasubramaniya Nadar and Vamasundari Devi. His mother is the sister of S. P. Adithanar, founder of Dina Thanthi newspaper.
Education:
Shiv Nadar studied at various schools, including Town Higher Secondary School in Kumbakonam and St. Joseph Boys Higher Secondary School in Trichy. He received a pre-university degree from the American College, Madurai, and a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore.
Career:
- Nadar began his career at Cooper Engineering Ltd. in Pune in 1967 but soon left to start his venture.
- He, along with his partners, founded Microcomp, which focused on selling teledigital calculators in the Indian market.
- In 1976, HCL (Hindustan Computers Limited) was founded with an initial investment of Rs. 187,000.
- In 1980, HCL expanded internationally with the opening of Far East Computers in Singapore.
- In July 2020, Shiv Nadar handed over the leadership to his daughter, Roshni Nadar, who became the first woman chair of a listed Indian IT company.
Philanthropy and Education:
- In 1996, Nadar founded SSN College of Engineering in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and actively contributed to its development.
- He played a role in the executive board of the Indian School of Business and served as chairman of the board of governors at IIT Kharagpur.
- Nadar’s SSN Trust announced the establishment of two Vidyagyan schools in Uttar Pradesh in 2008 to provide free scholarships to rural students.
- Shiv Nadar has committed more than $1 billion to philanthropy, primarily focusing on education through the Shiv Nadar Foundation.
Personal Life:
- Shiv Nadar’s daughter, Roshni Nadar, is the chairwoman of HCL.
- His wife, Kiran Nadar, is an art collector and philanthropist.
Awards and Accolades:
- In 2008, Shiv Nadar was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India for his contribution to the IT industry.
- Madras University awarded him an honorary doctorate degree in 2007.
- He received the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 (Services) award.
- Forbes listed him among the 48 Heroes of Philanthropy in Asia Pacific in 2011.
- India Today magazine ranked Nadar 16th in India’s 50 most powerful people of 2017 list.
- Shiv Nadar has made significant contributions to philanthropy, committing more than $1 billion.