Quick Info
| Profession | Entrepreneur, Bureaucrat, Politician |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
| Date of Birth | 02/06/1955 |
| Age | 71 years |
| Birthplace | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
Latest News about Nandan Nilekani
01/03/2026
At Infosys Investor Day 2026, Nandan Nilekani described AI as a 'root-and-branch' transformation requiring companies to rethink customer interactions, workflows, and team structures. He highlighted that AI is eliminating traditional IT roles like QA testing and basic coding while creating new positions such as AI engineers, AI agent orchestrators, forward-deployed AI professionals, AI leads, forensic analysts, and data annotators. Nilekani stressed the need for reskilling talent to adapt to non-deterministic AI systems and managing legacy systems alongside new AI-driven greenfield projects.
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Bio/Wiki
| Nandan Nilekani is an Indian entrepreneur and co-founder of Infosys. | |
| He served as Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) from 2009 to 2014 and led the implementation of Aadhaar. |
Physical Stats & More
| Height | 175 cm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 80 kg |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color | Black |
Educational Qualification(s)
| B.Tech in Electrical Engineering | Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) |
|---|
Relationships & More
| Marital Status | Married |
|---|---|
| Wife | Rohini Nilekani (Chairperson Arghyam Foundation, Philanthropist, Former Journalist) |
Family
| Father | Late Mohan Ramrao Nilekani (Worked as a Manager in textile industry) |
|---|---|
| Mother | Jahnavi Nilekani |
| Siblings | Vijay Nandan (Elder - Nuclear Energy Professional, Pilot) |
| Spouse | Rohini Nilekani |
| Children |
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Career
| Political party | Indian National Congress (INC) |
|---|---|
| Political Journey | 2014: Stepped down as Chairman of UIDAI and joined the Indian National Congress (INC). He then contested Lok Sabha election from Bengaluru and lost to BJP's Ananth Kumar by a huge margin of close to 2.3 lakh votes. |
| UIDAI | Chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) from 2009 to 2014, responsible for implementing the Aadhaar project. |
| Infosys | Co-founder and current Chairman of the Board of Infosys. |
| Other Roles | President of the governing body of National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER); Chairman of EkStep Foundation. |
Favourites
| Food | Sukha prawn masala, Fish and chips |
|---|---|
| Politician | Nelson Mandela |
| Entrepreneurs | Steve Jobs, Mohammed Yunus |
| Destinations | South Africa, Goa, Kerala |
Social Media
| https://x.com/NandanNilekani |
Some Lesser Known Facts
| 1. His father's job transfers prompted him to move to Dharwad district in Karnataka at age 12, to ensure uninterrupted studies. | |
| 2. He speaks Konkani as his mother tongue. | |
| 3. In 1978, he secured his first job at ‘Patni Computer Systems’ after being interviewed by N.R. Narayana Murthy. | |
| 4. Co-founding Infosys in 1981 with 6 others under Narayana Murthy's leadership made it India’s largest IT company. | |
| 5. He played a key role in establishing the Bangalore Agenda Task Force in 1999 to tackle the city's governance and infrastructure challenges. | |
| 6. From 2002 to 2007, he served as Infosys' CEO before becoming the co-chairman of the board. | |
| 7. He was a co-founder of NASSCOM and TiE's Bangalore Chapter. | |
| 8. In 2006, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan. | |
| 9. Forbes Asia recognized him as 'Businessman of the Year' in 2006. | |
| 10. He appeared on TIME magazine's list of 100 most influential people in 2006 and 2009. | |
| 11. His book 'Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation' was a finalist for the FT-Goldman Sachs Book Award in 2009. | |
| 12. He left Infosys as co-chairman in 2009 to lead UIDAI at the invitation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. | |
| 13. As a philanthropist, he supported various causes including water infrastructure, education, and healthcare. | |
| 14. In 2015, he co-founded 'EkStep' to enhance learning opportunities for Indian children. | |
| 15. In 2016, he became the government's digital advisor post-demonetization. | |
| 16. He rejoined Infosys board in 2017 as non-executive chairman. | |
| 17. His family owns 2.29% of Infosys. | |
| 18. He pledged to donate Rs. 315 crores to IIT-Bombay in 2023, adding to his previous donation of Rs. 85 crores to the institution. | |
| 19. In January 2023, appointed as co-chair of the G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure for Economic Transformation, Financial Inclusion, and Development. | |
| 20. Author of 'Imagining India' (2009), co-author of 'Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations' (2016), and 'The Art of Bitfulness: Keeping Calm in the Digital World' (2022). | |
| 21. Received awards including Joseph Schumpeter Prize (2005), The Economist Innovation Award (2014), Lifetime Achievement Award from E&Y (2017), Nikkei Asia Prize (2017), International Honorary Member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2019), Business Standard Lifetime Achievement Award (2022), and featured in TIME's 100 Most Influential People in AI (2024). | |
| 22. Fortune Magazine recognized him as Asia's Businessman of the Year in 2003. |