Roshni Nadar Malhotra , Indian billionaire and philanthropist has achieved stellar growth as the first woman leader of a listed IT company in India. In 2020, the young, energetic leader assumed the position of chairperson of HCL Tech, a multinational IT services and consulting firm based in India, founded by her father, Shiv Nadar, in 1976. HCL emerged as a central player in India’s rise as an IT hub, and when Roshni took over, her strategic decisions and futuristic approach for the company took it to the next level.
In spite of the slowdown in the global economy and geopolitical issues, Roshni Nadar Malhotra has steered the business towards consistent growth. As a visionary leader, she credits her leadership team for the company’s success and acknowledges the contribution of the entire organisation that has managed to land major deals in the past few months. Positioning as a market challenger with differentiated products and services, catering to 25 geographies.
HCL Tech achieved a significant milestone with its total revenue hitting Rs. 1.01 lakh crore for FY23, a year-on-year growth of 18.5%. The company has also recently closed a mega deal worth $2.1 billion (Rs 17,508 crore) with US-based Verizon Business for managed network services (MNS), which is expected to start contributing towards the bottom line soon. Additionally, in Europe, the company won a contract from Siemens AG to modernise its cloud-led digital transformation. A key initiative that benefited the company was the acquisition of IBM Software Products in 2018; its annual recurring revenue crossed $1 billion in FY23. HCL Tech delivered a share-holder return at a CAGR of 22.2%, the highest among competitors.
“Roshni holds an undergraduate degree in communications from Northwestern University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. At Kellogg, she was awarded the Dean’s Distinguished Service Award”
The company has witnessed rapid expansion in a short time period, and to further consolidate, Roshni has set a strategic objective to ‘deliver top total shareholder returns in the medium- to long-term’, while having already delivered the highest returns to shareholders (in the industry) in the current year.
As the Chairperson and Trustee of the Shiv Nadar Foundation, she is the driving force behind VidyaGyan, a leadership academy for the economically underprivileged, meritorious rural students of Uttar Pradesh, and has been working towards nurturing future leaders from rural India who can be catalysts of change for their communities, villages, and the nation at large.
Passionate about wildlife and conservation, The Habitats Trust was established in 2018 with the goal of protecting India’s natural habitats and indigenous species. To create awareness, she produced a TV series for Animal Planet/Discovery based on the most endangered wildlife species in India, ‘On The Brink’, whose episode on bats was the recipient of the Best Indian National Film Award.
In recognition of her outstanding work both in business and in philanthropy, Roshni has received numerous prestigious awards and accolades. She is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at the MIT School of Engineering, USA, and is a member of the Kellogg School of Management Executive Board for Asia. She serves on the board of directors of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and is an independent director on the board of HDFC Asset Management Company.
Roshni holds an undergraduate degree in communications from Northwestern University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. At Kellogg, she was awarded the Dean’s Distinguished Service Award. In 2023, Roshni was conferred with the Schaffner Award by Kellogg for her contribution to society.
