Inspiring a generation

Few Indians voice matter to make the world realize what is so inherently strong in the Indian society. Many may not even consider this to be such an important point to highlight in a man whose achievements and efforts, when listed, could run into hundreds of pages. But we believe, it strongly speaks of the values and convictions of Azim Premji, the chairman of Wipro, and the winner of Dataquest Lifetime Achievement Award for 2009.

After the Gujarat violence in 2002, when the Western media was projecting Indian society as a communally-divided one, Azim Premji took every opportunity to clarify that India was far more liberal and secular than even the United States, quoting cases of his being profiled in the US airports because of his Muslim first name. Many business leaders have highlighted India's specific strengths in global forums but few have proclaimed their pride in being Indian as explicitly and as convincingly as Premji has.

Azim Premji means different things to different people: a visionary, a world class manager, a symbol of modesty, simplicity and austerity, a great philanthropist, and whether one likes it or not, the label of the most successful Muslim entrepreneur in the world (as the World Street Journal described him).

Well, unlike many others in Indian IT (most famously the Infosys and HCL founders) he may not be, technically speaking, an entrepreneur who started from scratch. But probably his challenge was tougher.

Son of a fairly established Gujarati businessman (who, some accounts say was offered membership of the Indian Muslim League and the post of first Finance Minister of Pakistan by Jinnah, both of which he refused), the young Azim was pursuing his studies at Stanford University in the US-extraordinary in India of that time. But he had to quit abruptly, when his father died in 1966. Premji, twenty one by that time, was advised by the investors in the company, Western India Vegetable Products Limited, to sell it off so that a more mature management could take over. That made him only more determined to steer the company and make it a success.

Premji himself says that instilled the value of humility firmly in him. “Clearly, the challenge of steering the company at a young age of twenty-one was the biggest learning experience for me. I wasn't prepared when I stepped into the role-however it only made me more resolute to surmount the challenge, learn the value of a good team, and it built humility in me to learn from others.”

Wipro pursued the traditional business for close to one and a half decades before diversifying into Information Technology in 1980. Till mid-80s, it was known for its consumer products, most notably its “787” laundry bars, which it had introduced way back in the 60s, and “Wipro Shikakai” and “Santoor” soaps. Only during the second half of 80s it made huge strides in launching computers in the Indian market. To put in perspective, HCL and Infosys started in 1976 and 1981 respectively.

Initially, it was the void created by the exit of IBM that many Indian companies tried to fill. Wipro was no exception. But what worked for Wipro was the vision-it was not a short-term approach.

In what is probably the first example of industry-academia collaboration in this industry, in 1980 Wipro asked IISc to figure out design options for computers they could manufacture. Based on the IISc recommendation, Wipro decided to go for 16-bit microprocessor based system instead of the 8-bit both HCL and DCM were selling then. Hence, Intel's 8086 microprocessor got selected over those from Motorola and Rockwell. Introduced at the annual CSI convention in February 1981, it was the first time a non-mainframe could have multiple terminals and multitasking at the same time.

Beyond the decisions to tap the new markets, what also stands out is how Premji selected his people. This was the phase when Premji hired Ashok Narasimhan to kickstart the “computer” business. When he left, Premji needed a manager who could take the company into next levels. It is said that is the time when he had interviewed NR Narayana Murthy, someone, who, like Premji, has won both the Dataquest IT Person of the Year and Lifetime Achievement awards. Why Murthy did not join Wipro is anybody's guess. But that probably was a blessing in disguise for Indian IT. It saw emergence of two powerful companies, instead of one. When finally Premji hired Ashok Soota, he kept off from the limelight, making many believe that he was not hands-on on the IT business. It is only when one talks to Wipro insiders that one realizes that Premji was involved in most corporate initiatives but projected Soota as the face of Wipro. When Soota left to start his own company, Wipro was ready for the next phase of growth as a global company. And Vivek Paul was the perfect choice. Paul was based out of the US and delivered on what was expected. Wipro listed in NYSE in 2000 and by the time he left in 2005, Wipro's market cap was one of the highest among IT services companies globally, much higher than much-larger companies such as CSC, EDS and ACS. Again, when Paul was at the helm, though Premji was not as low-key, he allowed the center-stage to Paul.

And finally, when he announced his decision regarding the new CEOs, it was almost after three years. That was also a pioneering step-two CEOs. That time, the observers read it as his discomfort in handing over power to one person. A year later, the performance-in a tough market-silenced all critics.

Many of Premji's managers evolved into CEOs and entre­preneurs. Ashok Soota, Krishnakumar Natarajan, P Chan­d­rasekhar, Sudeep Banerjee, Sudip Nandy, to Revathi Kasturi, the Wipro alumni list would make the Who's Who of Indian IT. As Premji himself says, taking the reigns of the business at the age of twenty-one had made him realize the value of a good team.

The Global Company
In the initial years, Wipro's strength was R&D. But soon, it realized that without tapping into the BFSI segment and other horizontal services, it could not grow beyond a point. While others still shied away from large acquisitions, Wipro got into BPO by acquiring Spectramind, started by Raman Roy, of Amex and GE fame. It strengthened its infrastructure management business through acquisition of Infocrossing, which remained Indian IT's biggest acquisition till HCL acquired Axon.

Creating Value through Values
As a public figure, what many Indians associate Premji with are his austerity and his conviction in saying what he believes in. As one of the richest Indians, Premji could well hire chartered flights-yet, Premji mostly travels economy class, does he mind getting into the front seat of a junior colleague's car.

And it is not just in business that Azim Premji speaks out his mind. While he may not be getting into each political debate, he does not hesitate to speak his mind, be it on the Gujarat violence or the issue of reservation. While he was critical of the Gujarat violence, he ensured that the global media does not project this exception to portray Indian society.

In one of his recently published articles he spoke about his passion for giving back to society. “First, to build a just, equitable, sustainable and humane society, we must act with the clear understanding that the issues and challenges facing our nation cannot be solved by the government alone. We as individuals, entrepreneurs and organizations are equal participants of this democratic society, and must play a more active role in these systemic issues. Indeed the government can do a lot more and do much better on many dimensions, but equally, we must do a lot more. Second, giving money in the form of contributing to 'causes' is perhaps the usual first step towards our starting to engage with these issues. However, the engagement becomes a lot more meaningful and useful if it really involves giving attention and thought to these issues. Often the paths to improvement require a lot more than money; they require careful thought and sustained energy. This is thus a combination of a basic attitude of 'giving' and 'caring' for what happens with what we 'give'.

His Azim Premji Foundation, a not-for-profit organization established in 2001, with a vision to “significantly contribute to achieve quality universal education that facilitates a just, equitable and humane society”, works in the area of elementary education to pilot and develop 'proofs of concept' that have a potential for systemic change in India's 1.3 mn government-run schools.

What makes Premji extraordinary is he drives all these personally, even while still being active in business, unlike say, Bill Gates or NR Narayana Murthy. And apart from all the values and convictions, it needs tremendous energy. This is a recognizing of his contribution again-he was the winner of the man of the year award exactly ten years back, in 1999. These ten years have elevated him from a successful businessman to an extraordinary public figure that the country is proud of and an entire generation looks for inspiration from.

Shyamanuja Das & Sudesh Prasad
(Source: DQ)