N. R. Narayana Murthy

Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy CBE LH (born 20 August 1946) is an Indian billionaire businessman. He is the founder of Infosys,[5] and has been the chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), president, and chief mentor[6] of the company before retiring and taking the title chairman emeritus.[7][8][9] As of October 2022, his net worth was estimated to be $4.5 billion, making him the 654th richest person in the world in 2022 according to Forbes.[10]

N. R. Narayana Murthy

CBE LH
Narayana Murthy in 2014
Born
Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy

(1946-08-20) 20 August 1946[1]
Sidlaghatta, Princely State of Mysore, British India
(now Karnataka, India)
Alma materNational Institute of Engineering
IIT Kanpur
Known forFounder and Chairman emeritus, Infosys[2]
Board member ofUnited Nations Foundation[3]
Ford Foundation[4]
SpouseSudha Murty
ChildrenAkshata Murty
Rohan Murty
RelativesRishi Sunak (son-in-law)
AwardsPadma Vibhushan (2008)
Legion of Honour (2008)
Padma Shri (2000)

Murthy was born and raised in Shidlaghatta, Karnataka. He graduated from the National Institute of Engineering, University of Mysore with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and a master's degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.

Before starting Infosys, Murthy worked at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad as chief systems programmer, and Patni Computer Systems in Pune, Maharashtra. He started Infosys in 1981 and was the CEO from 1981 to 2002, as well as the chairman from 2002 to 2011. In 2011, he stepped down from the board and became the chairman emeritus. In June 2013, Murthy was appointed as the executive chairman for a period of five years.[11][12]

Murthy has been listed among the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time by Fortune magazine.[13] He has been described as the "father of the Indian IT sector" by Time magazine and CNBC for his contribution to outsourcing in India.[14][15] In 2005, he co-chaired the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.[16] Murthy has been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan[17] and Padma Shri awards.[18]

Early life and education

N. R. Narayana Murthy was born on 20 August 1946 in Sidlaghatta, a city in India's south-western state of Karnataka[19] into a middle-class Kannada Madhwa Brahmin family.[20] After completing his school education, he went to the National Institute of Engineering and graduated in 1967 with a degree in electrical engineering. In 1969 he received his master's degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.[21][22]

Career
Murthy (far left) with Vladimir Putin in 2004

Murthy first worked as a research associate under a faculty at IIM Ahmedabad and then later as the chief systems programmer.[23] There he worked on India's first time-sharing computer system[22] and designed and implemented a BASIC interpreter for Electronics Corporation of India Limited.[24] He started a company named Softronics. When that company failed after about a year and a half, he joined Patni Computer Systems in Pune.[25]

Murthy mentions that being arrested and expelled for no good reason during the communist era 1974 in a border town between the Yugoslav-Bulgarian border, turned him into a "compassionate capitalist" from a "confused leftist/communist", leading him to create Infosys.[26] Murthy and his six software professionals founded Infosys in 1981[27][28] with an initial capital investment of Rs 10,000, which was provided by his wife Sudha Murthy.[29] Murthy was the CEO of Infosys for 21 years from 1981 to 2002[27] and was succeeded by co-founder Nandan Nilekani.[29] At Infosys he articulated, designed and implemented a global delivery model for IT services outsourcing from India.[30] He was the chairman of the board from 2002 to 2006, after which he also became the chief mentor.[29][31] In August 2011, he retired from the company, taking the title chairman emeritus.[8][9]

Murthy with Narendra Modi in 2014

Murthy is an independent director on the corporate board of HSBC and has been a director on the boards of DBS Bank, Unilever, ICICI and NDTV.[10][32] He is also a member of the advisory boards and councils of several educational and philanthropic institutions,[10][32] including Cornell University, INSEAD, ESSEC, Ford Foundation, the UN Foundation, the Indo-British Partnership, Asian Institute of Management, a trustee of the Infosys Prize, a trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and as a trustee of the Rhodes Trust.[33] He is also the Chairman of the Governing board of Public Health Foundation of India.[34] He is on the Asia Pacific advisory board of British Telecommunications.[32][35]

In June 2013, Murthy returned to Infosys as executive chairman and a director. In June 2014, he stood down as executive chairman, was non-executive chairman until October, when he became chairman emeritus.[36]

Murthy is also on the strategic board which advises the national law firm, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, on strategic, policy and governance issues.[37] He is a member of IESE's International Advisory Board (IAB).[38]

In 2016, Murthy spoke with Harvard Business Review Ascend[39] on the subject of "How To Be a Better Manager".[40]

In 2017, Murthy raised concerns over alleged corporate governance lapses at Infosys, however the company went on to deny these claims.[41]

Personal life

His wife, Sudha Murthy, is a businesswoman, educator, author and the chairperson of the Infosys Foundation.[42]

Murthy has two children, a son, Rohan Murty, and a daughter, Akshata Murty.[43] In June 2013, Rohan joined Infosys as an executive assistant to his father.[44] He left Infosys in June 2014.[36] In 2009, Akshata married Rishi Sunak, who later became MP for Richmond, Yorkshire, and then Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.[45]

Awards and honours
President Pratibha Patil presenting the Padma Vibhushan to N. R. Narayana Murthy, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in 2008
YearNameAwarding organizationRef.
2014 CIF Global Indian Award Canada India Foundation [46]
2013 25 Greatest Global Indian Living Legends NDTV [47][48][49]
2013 Sayaji Ratna Award Baroda Management Association, Vadodara [50]
2013 Philanthropist of the Year The Asian Awards [51]
2012 Hoover Medal American Society of Mechanical Engineers [52]
2011 NDTV Indian of the Year's Icon of India NDTV [53]
2010 IEEE Honorary Membership Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. [54]
2009 Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars [55]
2008 Padma Vibhushan Government of India [56]
2008 Officer of the Legion of Honour Government of France [57]
2007 Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) Government of United Kingdom [58]
2007 IEEE Ernst Weber Engineering Leadership Recognition Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers [59]
2003 Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year Jury [60]
2002 IET Honorary Fellow Institution of Engineering and Technology [61]
2000 Padma Shri Government of India [18]

Books
  • A Better India: A Better World, Penguin Books, 2009
  • A Clear Blue Sky: Stories and Poems on Conflict and Hope, Puffin Books India, 2017
  • The Wit and Wisdom of Narayana Murthy, Hay House, 2016

References
  1. "Narayana Murthy to retire in August". The Economic Times. 22 May 2006. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  2. "Narayana Murthy returns as Infosys executive chairman as company falters". The Times of India. 1 June 2013. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  3. "UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS NAMES KATHY CALVIN NEXT PRESIDENT AND CEO". Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  4. "N. R. Narayana Murthy". Ford Foundation.
  5. "Infosys – Founders of the Company | Management Profiles".
  6. "Murthy to continue as Chief Mentor of Infosys".
  7. "From disruptors to financial magnates, here are a few IITians who made their mark on Indian and global turf". Firstpost. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  8. "Infosys chairman Narayana Murthy calls it a day". The Times of India. 19 August 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  9. "Friday farewell: Narayana Murthy logs out of Infosys". IBNLive. 20 August 2011. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  10. "Forbes profile: N.R. Narayana Murthy". Forbes. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  11. "Infosys appoints Narayana Murthy as Executive Chairman of the board, KV Kamath steps down". The Economic Times. 1 June 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  12. "Narayana Murthy Appointed as Additional Director and Executive Chairman of Infosys Board". Bloomberg TV India.
  13. "Narayana Murthy is among Fortune's 12 'greatest entrepreneurs'". Hindustan Times. 28 March 2012. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  14. "INDIA'S INFLUENTIALS N.R. Narayana Murthy". Time. 15 August 2007. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  15. "CNBC 25: 13. Narayana Murthy".
  16. "How to build a great company". Rediff.com. 31 January 2005. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  17. "LN Mittal, Ratan Tata, Narayana Murthy get Padma Vibhushan". Economic Times. 26 January 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  18. "N.R. Narayana Murthy | Infosys | Catamaran Fund | Personalities". Karnataka.com. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  19. Subramanya, K.V. (9 March 2011). "He studied in Kannada medium till Class 10". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
  20. "A woman's place is in the kitchen: My experience as the only girl in engineering school in 1968". 26 July 2017.
  21. "Narayana Murthy's Childhood". Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  22. "Narayana Murthy on Achievers' Club". Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  23. "485 Interview with N.R. Narayana Murthy". India-seminar.com. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  24. "Business Leaders NARAYANA MURTHY". Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  25. Roy, Prannoy (29 March 2008). "An Interview With Narayana Murthy". maheshone. Archived from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  26. "NR Narayana Murthy's life changing incident". businesstoday.in. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  27. in Pune, "NR Narayana Murthy's Profile, Founders of Infosys Technologies". Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  28. "Infosys Announces Leadership Succession". Infosys. 30 April 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  29. "Infosys Chairman Narayana Murthy Steps Down". yentha.com. 20 August 2011. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  30. "Management Profiles, N. R. Narayana Murthy". Infosys Limited. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  31. Non-Executive Chairman – MSN Report.
  32. Bloomberg Businessweek profile – N. R. Narayana Murthy CBE
  33. "The Rhodes Trust and Trustees – The Rhodes Trust". Rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  34. "Narayana Murthyto chair PHFI". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 12 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  35. "United Nations Foundation – N. R. Narayana Murthy (India)". Unfoundation.org. 20 August 1946. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  36. "Vishal Sikka to be CEO and MD of Infosys, Murthy Non-Executive Chairman". news.biharprabha.com. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  37. Vyas, Maulik. "Cyril Shroff ropes in business luminaries like Narayana Murthy, Deepak Parekh, Uday Kotak and others for advisory board of his law firm". The Economic Times. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  38. Members of IESE's International Advisory Board, iese.edu
  39. "How To Be a Better Manager – An Interview with N. R. Narayana Murthy". hbrascend.org. 26 November 2017.
  40. "How To Be a Better Manager - An Interview with N. R. Narayana Murthy". hbrascend.org. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  41. Sood, Anirban Sen,Varun (18 August 2017). "Narayana Murthy raises issues at Infosys again". Livemint. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  42. Venkatesha Babu (18 December 2009). "Gururaj Deshpande – The serial entrepreneur". Mint. HT Media Ltd. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  43. "India Today 2005 Power List". Indiatoday.com. 21 February 2005. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  44. "Rohan Murty to join Infosys as Narayana Murthy's executive assistant". The Economic Times. 1 June 2013.
  45. "Rishi Sunak: The wealthy millennial who rocketed to power". BBC News. 25 October 2022.
  46. N R Narayana Murthy presented 'Global Indian Award' in Canada The Times of India. 28 April 2014
  47. Udit Rajan (14 December 2013). "Courage most important attribute of a great leader: Narayana Murthy – NDTV". News Little. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  48. "NDTV honours 25 Greatest Global Living Indian Legends as it turns 25". Best Media Info. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
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  50. BMA to honour Narayana murthy The Times of India. 11 March 2013
  51. Sharma, Meera (18 April 2013). "Special Report: Asian Awards 2013".
  52. "Infosys founder Narayana Murthy receives 2012 Hoover Medal". timesofindia.com. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  53. "NDTV Indian of the Year 2011". ndtv.com. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
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  55. "Wilson Center Awards Dinner in New Delhi, India". Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
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  57. "Naryanamurthy receive highest civilian honour of France". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2008.
  58. "British Honorary Awards". Archived from the original on 23 December 2012.
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  60. "WEOY winner 2003". E&Y. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  61. "Honorary Fellows list". www.theiet.org. Retrieved 27 October 2022.

Further reading
  • N, Chokkan (2007). Narayana Murthy: I.T. guru. Chennai: Oxygen Books.
  • Mitra, Meera (2007). It's only business!: India's corporate social responsiveness in a globalized world; with a foreword by N. R. Narayana Murthy. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
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