Rajendra Singh Pawar

Overview

Rajendra Singh Pawar is an Indian entrepreneur and angel investor, co-founder of NIIT Limited and founder of NIIT University. He has played a pivotal role in shaping the growth of the Indian IT sector by creating skilled manpower to drive its momentum. Under his leadership, NIIT has revolutionized the IT training industry and established an innovative model in higher education through the not-for-profit NIIT University. He has also been actively involved in various ICT industry initiatives, including serving as Chairman of NASSCOM and leading the NASSCOM Cyber Security Task Force. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honor, in 2011. Additionally, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in 2022. His entrepreneurial journey reflects a commitment to education, skill development, and the advancement of the IT industry in India. Under his leadership, NIIT has played a key role in shaping the growth of the Indian IT sector by creating skilled manpower to drive its momentum. Having revolutionized the IT Training industry, he is now involved in establishing an innovative model in Higher Education, the not-for-profit NIIT University. Acknowledging Mr. Pawar’s contribution to the IT industry in India, he has been awarded the country’s prestigious civilian honour, Padma Bhushan, by the President of India in 2011. Actively involved in India’s key Chambers of Commerce, he has also led several ICT industry initiatives including NASSCOM (2011-12) as its Chairman. Currently, Mr. Pawar is the Chairman of NASSCOM Cyber Security Task Force that has been set up in response to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to see India emerge as a global hub of Cyber Security products and services. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Data Security Council of India. Mr. Pawar's contributions have been widely acknowledged and he has been conferred prestigious awards including the ‘Distinguished Alumnus Award’ by IIT Delhi (1995), 'IT Man of the Year' by IT industry journal Dataquest (1998), ‘Madhav Award’ by the Scindia School (1999), and 'Master Entrepreneur of the Year' by Ernst & Young (1999) among others. He has been a part of Prime Minister Vajpayee’s National Taskforce (1998), commissioned to develop India into an IT Superpower and has served as a member of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s National Council on Skills Development (2009-2014).