Roshni Nadar, the only daughter of technology billionaire Shiv Nadar, has been appointed as the executive director and chief executive of HCL Corporation, the holding investment company with stakes in HCL Technologies and HCL Infosystems.
Though this appeared like a leadership change at the IT-led industrial conglomeration, HCL officials clarified that the 27-year-old will stay clear of operations in the group companies and focus on education and philanthropy.
She will primarily supervise activities of the Shiv Nadar Foundation and Nadar’s SSN Trust alone while father Shiv Nadar will continue to hold the power to take strategic decisions as HCL Tech’s chairman and chief strategy officer.
“Roshni's role has nothing to do with the operations of HCL and her field of study makes it clear that her chosen area of work is on the 'developmental' side and ‘NOT’ in the areas of technology or IT or running the businesses therein,” Saurav Adhikari, corporate vice-president, strategy, at HCL told Hindustan Times.
“What she is heading is a holding company and as it happens it is called HCL Corp."
{{/usCountry}}“What she is heading is a holding company and as it happens it is called HCL Corp."
{{/usCountry}}Adhikari said Roshni will oversee a 300-acre project called Shiv Nadar University, the foundation stone for which will be laid in Greater Noida in about two months, and will also run a school project for the underprivileged in Uttar Pradesh called Vidya Gyan. Her educational qualifications as an MBA in social enterprise management from the Kellogg school in the US will aid her work.