Dr. Ajai Chowdhry is a visionary pioneer who co-founded HCL in 1976 with five others, with a dream of using the microprocessor and changing the world. He spearheaded HCL’s expansion into Singapore in 1980, and created a successful business spanning ASEAN, China, and Hong Kong. In 1995, Ajai took over HCL Infosystems and was instrumental in turning it into a leader in hardware products, systems integration, and mobile telephony.
Under his leadership over the next 15 years, it grew to become a Rs. 12,000 crore (US $1.6 billion) organization.
He has played a leading role in the establishment of the electronics industry in India. In 2009, he chaired a task force created by Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY), which made ground-breaking recommendations regarding the country's electronics import bill. These recommendations formed the foundation of the Electronics Policy. He is the Chairman of the Mission Governing Board of the National Quantum Mission of India and has been nominated by MEITY as a member of the Advisory Board of the India Semiconductor Mission. Regarded as the ‘father of Indian hardware’, Ajai has been a relentless advocate of self-sufficiency in electronics. In keeping with this vision, he co-founded EPIC Foundation in 2021, a not-for-profit, with the aim to make India a Product Nation in electronics.
He holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Jabalpur Engineering College. He has attended the Executive Program at the School of Business Administration at University of Michigan, US. He has also been awarded Honoris Causa (DSc) by IIT Roorkee, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing, Jabalpur, and the University of Engineering & Management, Kolkata. He is also the recipient of the Padma Bhushan Award.