Considered a visionary, Rajendra S Pawar was years ahead of his time in realising the importance of IT (information technology) education in India. He left a comfortable job at HCL Technologies to start NIIT in 1981. In the process he revolutionised the computer education market in India, thereby creating a completely new industry segment.
Again, when the software boom was taking place, Pawar took the plunge and forayed into the software and services market, creating NIIT Technologies in 2004, now a Rs 1,000-crore company.
Known for promoting industry-academia alliances, Pawar has been working closely with India’s well-known educational institutions. He is on the Board of IIT Delhi, IIM Bangalore, Indian School of Business, Scindia School and Indira Gandhi National Open University.
A firm believer in the need for industry participation to shape the education sector, he went on to establish the NIIT University, a not-for-profit institution at Neemrana in 2009.
Pawar is a member of the Prime Minister’s National Council and the Planning Commission’s Task Force on Skill Development. He is also helping the Government of South Africa to develop a growth strategy for its ICT industry.
He has been a founder member of Nasscom (National Association of Software and Services Companies) and will lead the industry body as the chairman for 2011-12.
Born in Jammu, Pawar holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from IIT-Delhi and likes listening to music during leisure time. For his contribution to IT and the education sector he was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2011.