Ajai Chowdhry | |
---|---|
Ajai Chowdhry | |
Born | |
Nationality | Indian |
Alma mater | Jabalpur Engineering College |
Occupation(s) | Founder, HCL, Chairman: National Institute of Foundry and Forge Technology (NIFFT),Ranchi, IIIT -Naya Raipur |
Awards | Padma Bhushan |
Ajai Chowdhry (born 29 August 1950) is one of the six founding members of HCL (Hindustan Computers Limited). He is currently the Chairman-Board of Governors at National Institute of Foundry and Forge Technology (NIFFT), Ranchi, International Institute of Information Technology, and Naya Raipur.
The parents of Ajai moved from Pakistan to India along with their six children, during the Partition of India. They arrived at a camp for refugees in Delhi. Later, in order to obtain the accession to the princely realms, Ajai's father took a work in Mount Abu
Ajai was born on August 29, 1950, in Mount Abu. The youngest of the seven siblings is Ajai. In 1955, his father joined Indian Administrative Service.
Ajai Chowdhry attended Christ Church School in Jabalpur for his formal education.[1] He completed his education in 1966. A Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics and Telecom) degree was awarded to him later. from Jabalpur Engineering College, in 1971. He also completed a programme for executives at the University of Michigan, in 1994. Ajai was also nominated by MeitY as India Semiconductor Mission's advisory board member. Chowdhry was a member of the Consultation Group focused on Science, Technology and Innovation by the Niti Aayog[2]
Beginning his career in 1972, Ajai Chowdhry worked with Delhi Cloth & General Mills (DCM) Data Products where he was a sales trainee, hired at a compensation of INR 600 per month in the electronics division.[3] In 1975, he quit his job to start his own company named "Micro comp".
In August 2009, the Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications & IT and the Government of India constituted the IT Task Force, under the leadership of Ajai Chowdhry[4] The task force warned that the import bill of electronics will be higher than that of oil - thus shaping the electronics policy of the country. [3]
Ajai Chowdhry was a member of the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC), which is an apex body providing advisory inputs for shaping government policy.[5]
As an investor, Ajai is on board of Indian Angel Network and has invested in several start ups. He also serves as the chairman of FICCI Startup Committee.[3]
Ajai co-founded EPIC Foundation in 2021. The goal of the foundation was to focus on developing electronic products that could be of national importance. Ajay serves as the chairman of the foundation and has works with other expert global advisors.[3][16]
Ajai was married in 1977 to Kunkun Chowdhry. He has two sons, Kunal and Akshay. [3]