Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy (Kannada: ) better known as N. R.

. R. Narayana Murthy, is an Indian businessman, software engineer and the founder of Infosys Technologies , a consulting and IT services company based in India. e is currently the non!e"ecutive #hairman and #hief $entor of Infosys. e was the #%& of the company for '( years, from ()*( to '++'. ,fter stepping down as #%& in '++', he has broadened his scope of activities to social services as well as promoting India globally. is estimated net worth is -(.. billion as of '+(+. In '++), his lectures delivered around the world have been published as a book A Better India: A Better World /(0.

Contents
/hide0

( %arly life ' 1ersonal life 2 #orporate profile 3 ,ccolades 4 5uotes . ,wards 6 7ooks by 8arayana $urthy * 9eferences ) %"ternal links

[edit] Early life

7orn into a Kannada $adhwa 7rahmin family in $ysore, India on ,ugust '+, ()3., $urthy graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the 8ational Institute of %ngineering, :niversity of $ysore in ().6 after attending government school, and received his master;s degree from IIT Kanpur in ().). is first position was at II$ ,hmedabad as chief systems programmer /20 where he worked on a time!sharing system and designed and implemented a 7,<I# interpreter for %#I= (%lectronics #orporation of India =imited). ,fter II$ ,hmedabad, he then >oined 1atni #omputer <ystems in 1une. 7efore moving to $umbai, $urthy met his wife <udha $urthy in 1une who at the time was an engineer working at Tata %ngineering and =ocomotive #o. =td. (Telco, now known as Tata $otors) in 1une. In ()*(, with an investment of 9s.(+,+++ (-'4+ at the time) from his wife, he founded Infosys with si" other software professionals. e served as the president of the 8ational ,ssociation of <oftware and <ervice #ompanies, India from ())' to ())3. $r. $urthy is the brother!in!law of serial entrepreneur ?urura> @Aesh@ Aeshpande and the uncle of former 8,<<#&$ #hairman and $phasi< chief Berry 9ao.

[edit] ersonal life

is wife, <udha $urthy nCe Kulkarni, is an Indian social worker and accomplished author. <he is known for her philanthropic work through the Infosys Doundation. er sister, Bayashree Aespande is wife of enterpreneur and founder of :<!based <ycamore 8etworks, ?urura> Aeshpande. They have two children ! 9ohan and ,kshata. 9ohan is engaged to Eenu <rinivasan;s (of TE< motors) daughter =akshmi Eenu. ,kshata $urthy is married to 9ishi <unak.

[edit] Cor!orate !rofile

$urthy served as the founder #%& of Infosys for '( years, and was succeeded by co! founder 8andan 8ilekani in $arch '++'. ,t Infosys he articulated, designed and implemented the ?lobal Aelivery $odel which has become the foundation for the huge success in IT services outsourcing from India. e serves on the boards of various companies and universities across the world. $urthy serves as an independent director on the board of the A7< 7ank of <ingapore. This is the largest government!owned bank in <ingapore. e also serves as a director on the #entral 7oard of the 9eserve 7ank of India, as the co!chairman of the plc. and as a member of the 7oard of 8ATE, India. e also serves as an independent director on the board of the %uropean D$#? giant :nilever. e is an IT advisor to several ,sian countries. e is also an Independent Airector on the board of <7#. e also serves on the boards of the Dord Doundation and :8 Doundation. Indo!7ritish 1artnership, as a member of the 1rime $inister;s council on trade and industry, as a member of the ,sia ,dvisory 7oard of 7ritish Telecommunications e is the chairman of the governing body of the International Institute of Information Technology ! 7angalore, and was the #hairman of the ?overning 7ody of the Indian Institute of $anagement, ,hmedabad. In addition, he is a member of the 7oard of Airectors of I8<%,A, 7oard of &verseers of the Fharton <chool of the :niversity of 1ennsylvania, 7oard of Trustees, 7usiness ,dvisory #ouncil of ?reat =akes Institute of $anagement ! #hennai, <ingapore $anagement :niversity 7oard of Trustees and the 7oard of ,dvisors for the Filliam D. ,chtmeyer #enter for ?lobal =eadership at the Tuck <chool of 7usiness. $r. $urthy also sits on the 7oard of ?overnors of the ,sian Institute of $anagement (,I$), a graduate school of business located in the 1hilippines and is also the #hairman of the 7oard of $embers of <chool of $anagement /'0, ,sian Institute of Technology (,IT) located in 7angkok, Thailand. e is the chairman of the /20, ,sia 7usiness #ouncil, an organiGation headHuartered in ong Kong. e is also a member of the ,dvisory 7oards and #ouncils of various well!known universities I such as the <tanford ?raduate <chool of 7usiness, the #orporate ?overnance initiative at the arvard 7usiness <chool, Indian <chool of 7usiness ! yderabad, #ornell committee on academic affairs and committee on alumni affairs and development, Jale :niversity and the :niversity of TokyoKs 1resident;s #ouncil.

$urthy retired from his e"ecutive position at Infosys on '+ ,ugust '++.. owever, he continues as the 8on!%"ecutive #hairman of the board /30. $urthy started a new venture capital fund called Catamaran "enture #und with the money he got by selling *++,+++ Infosys shares worth (63 #rores. <udha $urthy does it again by helping him in setting up his E# Dund by giving him 9s.32+ crores which she got by selling Huarter of her stake (..L in Infosys.

[edit] A$$olades
$urthy has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors. In '++*, he was awarded the 1adma Eibhushan, a second highest civilian award by India and =Cgion d;honneur, the highest civilan award awarded by Drance. In '+++, he was awarded the 1adma <hri, a civilian award by the ?overnment of India. e was voted the Forld %ntrepreneur of the Jear ! '++2 by %rnst M Joung. e was one of the two people named as ,sia;s 7usinessmen of the Jear for '++2 by Dortune magaGine. In '++(, he was named by TI$% N #88 as one of the twenty!five, most influential global e"ecutives, a group selected for their lasting influence in creating new industries and reshaping markets. e was awarded the $a" <chmidheiny =iberty '++( priGe ( <witGerland), in recognition of his promotion of individual responsibility and liberty. In ())), 7usinessFeek named him one of the nine entrepreneurs of the year and he was also featured in the 7usinessFeek;s ;The <tars of ,sia; (for three successive years ! ())*, ())) and '+++). In ())*, the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, one of the premier institutes of higher learning in India, conferred on him the Aistinguished ,lumnus ,ward, and in ()).!)6, he was awarded the B9A Tata #orporate =eadership ,ward. e was awarded the Aean;s medal by the Fharton <chool in '++(. In Aecember '++4, 8arayana $urthy was voted as the 6th most admired #%&N#hairman in the world in a global study conducted by 7urson!$arsteller with the %conomist Intelligence :nit /30. The list included (3 others with distinguished names such as 7ill ?ates, <teve Bobs and Farren 7uffett. In $ay '++., 8arayana $urthy has, for the fifth year running, emerged the most admired business leader of India in a study conducted by 7rand!comm, a leading 7rand #onsulting, ,dvertising and 19 firm. The %conomist ranked him *th among the top (4 most admired global leaders ('++4). e was ranked '*th among the world;s most!respected business leaders by the Dinancial Times ('++4). e topped the %conomic Times #orporate Aossier list of India;s most powerful #%&s for two consecutive years I '++3 and '++4. TI$% magaGineKs O?lobal Tech InfluentialsP list (,ugust '++3) named $urthy as one of the ten leaders who are helping shape the future of technology. In 8ovember '++., TI$% magaGine again voted him as one of the ,sian heroes who have brought about revolutionary changes in ,sia in the last .+ years. The list featured people who have had a significant impact on ,sian history over the past .+ years and it included others such as $ahatma ?andhi, Aalai =ama, $other Teresa, $uhammad ,li Binnah etc. e was the first recipient of the Indo!Drench Dorum $edal ('++2), awarded by the Indo!Drench

Dorum in recognition of his role in promoting Indo!Drench ties. e was recently awarded the #ommander of the 7ritish &rder (#7%) by the 7ritish government. e was awarded the I%%% %rnst Feber %ngineering =eadership 9ecognition in '++6,/40 and he received the I%%% onorary $embership in '+(+./.0. ,lso in '+(+, in what is considered to the be the highest professional distinction for an engineer, the ,merican 8ational ,cademy of %ngineers (8,%) elected $urthy as a foreign member. $urthy also holds over '. honorary doctorates from universities across the world.

[edit] %uotes

O&ur assets walk out of the door each evening. Fe have to make sure that they come back the ne"t morning.P /40 O1erformance leads to recognition. 9ecognition brings respect. 9espect enhances power. umility and grace in one;s moments of power enhances dignity of an organisation,P /.0 OThe real power of money is the power to give it away.P /60 OIn ?od we trust, everybody else bring data to the table.P s /*0 O1rogress is often eHual to the difference between mind and mindset.P /)0 OI want Infosys to be a place where people of different genders, nationalities, races and religious beliefs work together in an environment of intense competition but utmost harmony, courtesy and dignity to add more and more value to our customers day after day.P /(+0 O, clear conscience is the softest pillow in the world.@ /((0 OFhen in doubt, disclose.@

[edit] A&ards

1adma <hri ! ?overnment of India 1adma Eibhushan ! ?overnment of India &fficer of the =egion of onor ! ?overnment of Drance/60 &rder of the 7ritish %mpire! ?overnment of :nited Kingdom./*0

[edit] Boo's (y Narayana Murthy

A Better India, A Better World, 1enguin 7ooks, '++), I<78 )6*!+.!6++*!'*2!3

8. 9. 8arayana $urthy 7orn ,ugust '+, ()3. (age .3) $ysore, Karnataka, India &ccupation #hairman of Infosys Technologies <alary -4+,+++ :<A (Infosys) 8et worth -(.. billion ('+(+)/(0 <pouse <udha $urthy #hildren '/'0

Life lessons from Narayana Murthy

$ay '*, '++6 (2:4* I<T <hare this ,sk :sers Frite a #omment N R Narayana Murthy [ Images ], chief mentor and chairman of the board, Infosys Technologies, delivered a pre-commencement lecture at the New Yor !niversity "#tern #chool of Business$ on %ay &' It is a scintillating speech, %urthy spea s about the lessons he learnt from his life and career' We present it for our readers(

Aean #ooley, faculty, staff, distinguished guests, and, most importantly, the graduating
class of '++6, it is a great privilege to speak at your commencement ceremonies. I thank Aean #ooley and 1rof $arti <ubrahmanyam for their kind invitation. I am e"hilarated to be part of such a >oyous occasion. #ongratulations to you, the class of '++6, on completing an important milestone in your life >ourney. ,fter some thought, I have decided to share with you some of my life lessons. I learned these lessons in the conte"t of my early career struggles, a life lived under the influence of sometimes unplanned events which were the crucibles that tempered my character and reshaped my future. I would like first to share some of these key life events with you, in the hope that these may help you understand my struggles and how chance events and unplanned encounters with influential persons shaped my life and career. =ater, I will share the deeper life lessons that I have learned. $y sincere hope is that this sharing will help you see your own trials and tribulations for the hidden blessings they can be. The first event occurred when I was a graduate student in #ontrol Theory at IIT, Kanpur, in India / Images 0. ,t breakfast on a bright <unday morning in ().*, I had a chance encounter with a famous computer scientist on sabbatical from a well!known :< university. e was discussing e"citing new developments in the field of computer science with a large group of students and how such developments would alter our future. e was articulate, passionate and Huite convincing. I was hooked. I went straight from breakfast to the library, read four or five papers he had suggested, and left the library determined to study computer science. Driends, when I look back today at that pivotal meeting, I marvel at how one role model can alter for the better the future of a young student. This e"perience taught me that valuable advice can sometimes come from an une"pected source, and chance events can sometimes open new doors. The ne"t event that left an indelible mark on me occurred in ()63. The location: 8is, a border town between former Jugoslavia, now <erbia, and 7ulgaria. I was hitchhiking from 1aris back to $ysore, India, my home town. 7y the time a kind driver dropped me at 8is railway station at ) p.m. on a <aturday night, the restaurant was closed. <o was the bank the ne"t morning, and I could not eat because

I had no local money. I slept on the railway platform until *.2+ pm in the night when the <ofia %"press pulled in. The only passengers in my compartment were a girl and a boy. I struck a conversation in Drench with the young girl. <he talked about the travails of living in an iron curtain country, until we were roughly interrupted by some policemen who, I later gathered, were summoned by the young man who thought we were criticising the communist government of 7ulgaria. The girl was led awayQ my backpack and sleeping bag were confiscated. I was dragged along the platform into a small *"* foot room with a cold stone floor and a hole in one corner by way of toilet facilities. I was held in that bitterly cold room without food or water for over 6' hours. I had lost all hope of ever seeing the outside world again, when the door opened. I was again dragged out unceremoniously, locked up in the guard;s compartment on a departing freight train and told that I would be released '+ hours later upon reaching Istanbul. The guard;s final words still ring in my ears !! @Jou are from a friendly country called India and that is why we are letting you goR@ The >ourney to Istanbul was lonely, and I was starving. This long, lonely, cold >ourney forced me to deeply rethink my convictions about #ommunism. %arly on a dark Thursday morning, after being hungry for (+* hours, I was purged of any last vestiges of affinity for the =eft. I concluded that entrepreneurship, resulting in large!scale >ob creation, was the only viable mechanism for eradicating poverty in societies. Aeep in my heart, I always thank the 7ulgarian guards for transforming me from a confused =eftist into a determined, compassionate capitalistR Inevitably, this seHuence of events led to the eventual founding of Infosys in ()*(. Fhile these first two events were rather fortuitous, the ne"t two, both concerning the Infosys / ?et 5uote 0 >ourney, were more planned and profoundly influenced my career tra>ectory. &n a chilly <aturday morning in winter ())+, five of the seven founders of Infosys met in our small office in a leafy 7angalore suburb. The decision at hand was the possible sale of Infosys for the enticing sum of -( million. ,fter nine years of toil in the then business! unfriendly India, we were Huite happy at the prospect of seeing at least some money.

A)*+ REA,: -he ama.ing su$$ess story of Infosys

I let my younger colleagues talk about their future plans. Aiscussions about the travails of our >ourney thus far and our future challenges went on for about four hours. I had not yet spoken a word.

Dinally, it was my turn. I spoke about our >ourney from a small $umbai / Images 0 apartment in ()*( that had been beset with many challenges, but also of how I believed we were at the darkest hour before the dawn. I then took an audacious step. If they were all bent upon selling the company, I said, I would buy out all my colleagues, though I did not have a cent in my pocket. There was a stunned silence in the room. $y colleagues wondered aloud about my foolhardiness. 7ut I remained silent. owever, after an hour of my arguments, my colleagues changed their minds to my way of thinking. I urged them that if we wanted to create a great company, we should be optimistic and confident. They have more than lived up to their promise of that day. In the seventeen years since that day, Infosys has grown to revenues in e"cess of -2.+ billion, a net income of more than -*++ million and a market capitalisation of more than -'* billion, '*,+++ times richer than the offer of -( million on that day. In the process, Infosys has created more than 6+,+++ well!paying >obs, ',+++!plus dollar! millionaires and '+,+++!plus rupee millionaires. A final story: &n a hot summer morning in ())4, a Dortune!(+ corporation had seHuestered all their Indian software vendors, including Infosys, in different rooms at the Ta> 9esidency hotel in 7angalore so that the vendors could not communicate with one another. This customer;s propensity for tough negotiations was well!known. &ur team was very nervous. Dirst of all, with revenues of only around -4 million, we were minnows compared to the customer. <econd, this customer contributed fully '4L of our revenues. The loss of this business would potentially devastate our recently!listed company. Third, the customer;s negotiation style was very aggressive. The customer team would go from room to room, get the best terms out of each vendor and then pit one vendor against the other. This went on for several rounds. &ur various arguments why a fair price !! one that allowed us to invest in good people, 9MA, infrastructure, technology and training !! was actually in their interest failed to cut any ice with the customer. 7y 4 p.m. on the last day, we had to make a decision right on the spot whether to accept the customer;s terms or to walk out. ,ll eyes were on me as I mulled over the decision. I closed my eyes, and reflected upon our >ourney until then. Through many a tough call, we had always thought about the long!term interests of Infosys. I communicated clearly to the customer team that we could not accept their terms, since it could well lead us to letting them down later. 7ut I promised a smooth, professional transition to a vendor of customer;s choice.

This was a turning point for Infosys. <ubseHuently, we created a 9isk $itigation #ouncil which ensured that we would never again depend too much on any one client, technology, country, application area or key employee. The crisis was a blessing in disguise. Today, Infosys has a sound de!risking strategy that has stabilised its revenues and profits. I want to share with you, ne"t, the life lessons these events have taught me. /. I will begin with the importance of learning from e"perience. It is less important, I believe, where you start. It is more important how and what you learn. If the Huality of the learning is high, the development gradient is steep, and, given time, you can find yourself in a previously unattainable place. I believe the Infosys story is living proof of this. =earning from e"perience, however, can be complicated. It can be much more difficult to learn from success than from failure. If we fail, we think carefully about the precise cause. <uccess can indiscriminately reinforce all our prior actions. 0. , second theme concerns the power of chance events. ,s I think across a wide variety of settings in my life, I am struck by the incredible role played by the interplay of chance events with intentional choices. Fhile the turning points themselves are indeed often fortuitous, how we respond to them is anything but so. It is this very Huality of how we respond systematically to chance events that is crucial. 1. &f course, the mindset one works with is also Huite critical. ,s recent work by the psychologist, #arol Aweck, has shown, it matters greatly whether one believes in ability as inherent or that it can be developed. 1ut simply, the former view, a fi"ed mindset, creates a tendency to avoid challenges, to ignore useful negative feedback and leads such people to plateau early and not achieve their full potential. The latter view, a growth mindset, leads to a tendency to embrace challenges, to learn from criticism and such people reach ever higher levels of achievement (Krakovsky, '++6: page 3*). 2. The fourth theme is a cornerstone of the Indian spiritual tradition: self!knowledge. Indeed, the highest form of knowledge, it is said, is self!knowledge. I believe this greater awareness and knowledge of oneself is what ultimately helps develop a more grounded belief in oneself, courage, determination, and, above all, humility, all Hualities which enable one to wear one;s success with dignity and grace. 7ased on my life e"periences, I can assert that it is this belief in learning from e"perience, a growth mindset, the power of chance events, and self!reflection that have helped me grow to the present.

7ack in the ().+s, the odds of my being in front of you today would have been Gero. Jet here I stand before youR Fith every successive step, the odds kept changing in my favour, and it is these life lessons that made all the difference. $y young friends, I would like to end with some words of advice. Ao you believe that your future is pre!ordained, and is already setS &r, do you believe that your future is yet to be written and that it will depend upon the sometimes fortuitous eventsS Ao you believe that these events can provide turning points to which you will respond with your energy and enthusiasmS Ao you believe that you will learn from these events and that you will reflect on your setbacksS Ao you believe that you will e"amine your successes with even greater careS I hope you believe that the future will be shaped by several turning points with great learning opportunities. In fact, this is the path I have walked to much advantage. A final &ord: Fhen, one day, you have made your mark on the world, remember that, in the ultimate analysis, we are all mere temporary custodians of the wealth we generate, whether it be financial, intellectual, or emotional. The best use of all your wealth is to share it with those less fortunate. I believe that we have all at some time eaten the fruit from trees that we did not plant. In the fullness of time, when it is our turn to give, it behooves us in turn to plant gardens that we may never eat the fruit of, which will largely benefit generations to come. I believe this is our sacred responsibility, one that I hope you will shoulder in time. Thank you for your patience. ?o forth and embrace your future with open arms, and pursue enthusiastically your own life >ourney of discoveryR

$r. 8. 9. 8arayana $urthy is the #hairman of the 7oard and #hief $entor of Infosys Technologies =imited. e founded Infosys in ()*( along with si" other software professionals and served as the #%& for '( years before handing over the reins of the company to co!founder 8andan $. 8ilekani in $arch '++'. :nder his leadership, Infosys was listed on 8,<A,5 in ())). e served as the %"ecutive #hairman of the 7oard and #hief $entor from '++' to '++.. $r. $urthy articulated, designed and implemented the ?lobal Aelivery $odel, which has become the foundation for the success of IT services outsourcing from India. e has also led key corporate governance initiatives in India. $r. $urthy is an IT advisor to several ,sian countries. e serves as an independent director on the boards of several global companies including :nilever, =ondon and A7< 7ank, <ingapore. e is also a member of the advisory boards and councils of several educational institutions including Fharton, #ornell, I8<%,A, <tanford, Tokyo :niversity, <$: ! <ingapore, Indian Institute of Information Technology!7angalore (IIIT!7) and %<<%#, 1aris. $r. $urthy is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. The %conomist ranked him *th on its list of (4 most admired global leaders in '++4. e was ranked '*th among the world;s most respected business leaders by The Dinancial Times in '++4. In '++3, TI$% magaGine identified him as one of ten global leaders who are helping shape the future of technology. e was featured in 7usinessFeekKs OThe <tars of ,siaP consecutively from ())* to '+++. e was voted the OForld %ntrepreneur of the JearP by %rnst M Joung in '++2 and as India;s most powerful #%& for three consecutive years ('++3 to '++.) by The %conomic Times. e received the %rnst Feber %ngineering =eadership medal from The Institute of %lectrical and %lectronics %ngineers in '++6 for his pioneering role in the globaliGation of IT services. $r. $urthy holds a 7. %. (%lectrical) from the :niversity of $ysore (().6) and $. Tech. (%lectrical) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (().)). e has been conferred honorary doctorate degrees by leading universities across the world.