Rajendra Singh Pawar Biography 
Mr. Rajendra S Pawar is the Chairman and Co-Founder of the NIIT Group which encompasses two businesses - NIIT Limited, the leading Global Talent Development Corporation and NIIT Technologies Limited, the software and services arm. NIIT Limited has played a key role in the growth of the Indian IT sector, by creating skilled manpower to drive its momentum. Having revolutionized the IT Training industry, Mr. Pawar is now involved in establishing an innovative model in Higher Education. He is deeply engaged in shaping the not-for-profit NIIT University, which has been set up in Neemrana, Rajasthan with the vision of being the leading centre of innovation and learning in emerging areas of the Knowledge Society.
As the Chairman of India’s IT industry body- National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) in 2011-12, Mr. Pawar has led several ICT industry initiatives, giving voice to the sector’s aspirations and goals. Earlier as President of MAIT (Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology) during 1990-92, Mr. Pawar integrated its activities into those of other leading industry associations in India. MAIT played a significant part in shaping the IT policies of the Government of India during this formative phase.
Acknowledging his contribution to the IT industry in India, Mr. Pawar has been awarded the country’s prestigious civilian honour, Padma Bhushan by the President of India in 2011.
Mr. Pawar is a member on the Prime Minister’s National Council on Skill Development and has served on the Prime Minister’s National Task Force (1998) commissioned to develop India into an IT Superpower. An advisor to the Hunan Province of China, he has also been a member of PIAC (Presidential International Advisory Council) of the Government of South Africa for IT. As a founding member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum, Mr. Pawar is deeply engaged in addressing issues of global significance.
Global Business Intelligence firm, Ernst & Young conferred on Mr. Pawar, its prestigious “Master Entrepreneur of the Year” award, in 1999. He has also been named the “IT Man of the Year” by IT industry journal, Dataquest. Mr. Pawar has been awarded ‘The Global India Splendor Award’ on the occasion of 60th year of India’s independence, for his work on developing human resource potential. He has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award of IIT Delhi in 1995 and the Madhav Award from The Scindia School. A Fellow of the Computer Society of India and the Institution of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineers, Mr. Pawar was awarded an Honorary Doctoral Degree by the Rajiv Gandhi Technical University (MP) in 2005. More recently, Mr. Pawar has been honored with the prestigious Nayudamma Award 2012, for his continued contribution to the IT industry in India.
Known for promoting industry-academia alliances, Mr. Pawar has been working closely with the country’s well-known educational institutions. He is on the Board of Governors of IIT Delhi, as well as on the Board of- IIM Bangalore, IIM Udaipur, the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, The Scindia School and SMVD University of Jammu & Kashmir. Mr. Pawar is a member of the University Court of Delhi University, and has served on the board of IGNOU.
Born in Jammu on March 6, 1951, Mr. Pawar studied at The Scindia School in Gwalior and then graduated with a BTech in Electronics from IIT Delhi in 1972. He is an avid reader, writer and a music buff.
Published: N/A
Updated: March 07, 2015
