Wipro Limited, one of India’s largest IT services companies, was founded in 1945 as Western Indian Vegetable Products Ltd. Former Wipro Chairman Azim Premji transformed the company from a $2 million vegetable oil business into a $10+ billion global IT powerhouse operating across 65 countries. Often called the “Czar of the Indian IT Industry,” Premji took charge of the family business in 1966 at just 21 years old after his father’s sudden death, leaving his studies at Stanford University. Under his visionary leadership spanning five decades, Wipro diversified from cooking oils and consumer products into information technology, consulting, and business process services, growing to employ over 230,000 people worldwide. Premji is also one of the world’s greatest philanthropists, having pledged over $29 billion to education through the Azim Premji Foundation.

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Azim Premji – Quick Facts

Wipro Competitors

Wipro Limited operates in the highly competitive global IT services and consulting industry. The key competitors of Wipro include:

• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) – India’s largest IT services company by revenue and market cap
• Infosys – second-largest Indian IT company, major Wipro rival
• HCL Technologies – fast-growing Indian IT services and engineering firm
• Cognizant Technology Solutions – U.S.-headquartered IT services with major India operations
• Accenture – global consulting and IT services leader
• Tech Mahindra – part of the Mahindra Group, focused on telecom and enterprise IT
• Capgemini – French multinational IT consulting and services
• IBM Consulting – technology consulting division of IBM

Azim Premji Net Worth 2026 – Wipro Founder Salary

As of 2026, Azim Premji’s net worth is estimated at approximately $11–12 billion USD, according to Forbes and Bloomberg Billionaires Index. This makes him one of India’s wealthiest individuals, ranked approximately 19th in India and among the top 200 globally. The majority of his wealth is derived from his family’s stake in Wipro Limited (approximately 62% of the company through promoter holdings). However, it is important to note that Premji’s wealth before philanthropy would be significantly higher — he has donated over $29 billion in Wipro shares and other assets to the Azim Premji Foundation, making him India’s greatest philanthropist by far.

Azim Premji Compensation History (Final Years as Chairman)

Wipro Net Worth 2026 – Is Wipro Profitable?

Yes, Wipro Limited is a profitable company. In FY2025 (fiscal year ended March 31, 2025), the company reported net income of $1.54 billion, an 18.9% increase year-over-year, with operating margins expanding to 17.1%. Wipro’s market capitalization as of early 2026 is approximately $25–26 billion.

Wipro Financial Summary (FY2025)

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Azim Premji Email Address | Contact Information

Below are the known contact details and information channels for Wipro Founder Azim Premji. Note that since his retirement from active management in 2019, Premji maintains a private profile with limited public presence.

Career & Education – Company, University, & College

Azim Premji’s career is virtually synonymous with Wipro itself. He joined the company in 1966 at the age of 21, when it was a small vegetable oil producer with annual revenues of just $2 million. Over more than five decades, he transformed Wipro into one of the world’s largest IT services companies through a series of bold diversifications — first into consumer products (soap, light bulbs, hydraulic cylinders), then into computer hardware in the 1980s, and finally into IT services and software in the 1990s.

Azim Premji Career Timeline

Under Premji’s watch, Wipro entered the IT hardware business in the early 1980s by manufacturing minicomputers in collaboration with Sentinel Computer Corporation of the United States. He then steered the company into software services in the late 1980s and early 1990s, positioning Wipro Technologies as a major offshore IT services provider. The company listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2000 as one of the first Indian IT firms to do so, and Premji briefly became one of the richest people in the world as the dot-com boom surged.

In 1999, Premji transitioned from Managing Director to Executive Chairman, appointing professional CEOs to run the day-to-day operations. He continued to guide Wipro’s strategy through its growth from $500 million in revenue to over $8 billion before his retirement in July 2019. His son Rishad Premji, a Harvard Business School graduate who previously worked at Bain & Company and GE Capital, took over as Executive Chairman.

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Education

Azim Premji attended St. Mary’s School in Mumbai before enrolling at Stanford University in California to study Electrical Engineering. In 1966, at just 21 years old, he was forced to leave Stanford and return to India following the sudden death of his father, Muhammed Hashem Premji. He took over the family’s vegetable oil business immediately. Years later, Premji completed his degree through a correspondence program at Stanford, earning his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.

Azim Premji Wiki – Age, Family, & More

Azim Hashim Premji (age 80, as of February 2026) was born on July 24, 1945, into a Gujarati Muslim family in Mumbai (then Bombay), India. His father, Muhammed Hashem Premji, was a prominent businessman known as the “Rice King of Burma.” According to accounts, when India and Pakistan were created in 1947, Muhammad Ali Jinnah personally invited the elder Premji to move to Pakistan, but Muhammed Hashem Premji chose to stay in India.

Azim Premji is married to Yasmeen Premji. They have two sons — Rishad Premji (currently Executive Chairman of Wipro) and Tariq Premji. Yasmeen Premji is a novelist and writer who worked for Inside Outside, an architecture and design magazine, for 15 years. The family is based in Bangalore (Bengaluru), Karnataka, India.

Notable Achievements & Recognitions

• Padma Vibhushan (2011) – India’s second-highest civilian award, for his contributions to trade and commerce
• Padma Bhushan (2005) – India’s third-highest civilian award
• Giving Pledge (2013) – First Indian to sign the Bill Gates & Warren Buffett pledge to give away the majority of his wealth
• $29+ Billion Donated – India’s greatest philanthropist; endowed the Azim Premji Foundation with Wipro shares worth over $29 billion
• TIME100 Philanthropy (2025) – Named to the TIME list of the world’s most influential philanthropists
• Honorary Doctorates – Received from Wesleyan University, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, and Mysore University
• Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy (2017) – One of the world’s most prestigious philanthropy awards

Premji founded the Azim Premji Foundation in 2001, focused on improving public school education in rural and disadvantaged areas of India. The Foundation works with over 350,000 schools across seven Indian states. He also established the Azim Premji University in Bangalore, which focuses on education and human development. Through Premji Invest, his family office managing over $10 billion, he has also made significant investments in artificial intelligence companies, deploying over $1 billion in AI ventures.

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About Wipro Limited

Wipro Limited is an Indian multinational technology company headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Originally incorporated on December 29, 1945, as Western Indian Vegetable Products Limited (a cooking oil manufacturer), the company was transformed by Azim Premji into one of India’s “Big Six” IT services firms. Today, Wipro provides information technology, consulting, and business process services to clients across six continents in 65+ countries.

Wipro trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol WIT and on the National Stock Exchange of India as WIPRO. The company employs over 230,000 people from 146 nationalities worldwide. The current leadership includes Rishad Premji as Executive Chairman and Srini Pallia as CEO & Managing Director (since April 2024).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is Azim Premji still the CEO of Wipro?

No, Azim Premji retired as Executive Chairman & Managing Director of Wipro on July 30, 2019, after leading the company for 53 years. He now serves as Founder Chairman in a non-executive capacity. His son Rishad Premji is the current Executive Chairman, and Srini Pallia was appointed CEO & Managing Director in April 2024.

What is Azim Premji’s net worth in 2026?

As of 2026, Azim Premji’s net worth is estimated at approximately $11–12 billion USD, according to Forbes and Bloomberg. Most of his wealth is derived from his family’s ~62% stake in Wipro Limited. However, it is worth noting that Premji has donated over $29 billion to charity, primarily through the Azim Premji Foundation, making his lifetime earnings far greater.

What was Azim Premji’s salary as Wipro Chairman?

During his tenure as Executive Chairman, Azim Premji was famously modest in his compensation. In his final full year (FY2019), his base salary was approximately $970,000 (Rs 7.9 crore). He was known for declining bonuses and commissions. In his current non-executive role, he receives only sitting fees of approximately $122,000 per year.

What is Azim Premji’s email address?

Azim Premji’s business email address at Wipro is [email protected]. For inquiries related to his philanthropic work, you can contact the Azim Premji Foundation. For Wipro press inquiries, visit wipro.com/contact-wipro.

How did Azim Premji build Wipro?

Azim Premji took over Western Indian Vegetable Products Ltd. (later Wipro) in 1966 at age 21, when it was a small cooking oil company with $2 million in revenue. He diversified into consumer products (soap, light bulbs, baby care) in the 1970s, then entered the IT hardware market in the 1980s. In the 1990s, he pivoted to IT services and software, riding the global outsourcing wave to build Wipro into a $10+ billion technology company with over 230,000 employees across 65 countries.

Is Wipro a profitable company?

Yes, Wipro is profitable. In FY2025 (ended March 31, 2025), the company reported net income of $1.54 billion, an 18.9% increase year-over-year. Revenue was $10.4 billion with IT services operating margins of 17.1%. Large deal bookings totaled $5.4 billion, up 17.5% year-over-year, under current CEO Srini Pallia’s leadership.

Article last updated:February 2026March 2, 2026