Azim Premji is one of the best-known business leaders from India. He is closely linked with Wipro, a company that grew from a small vegetable oil business into a global technology company.
His business journey is interesting because he did not start with a technology company. Wipro entered the technology business much later. Azim Premji played a major role in changing the company and building it into a large global business.
Early Life
Azim Premji was born on July 24, 1945, in Bombay, now known as Mumbai.
His father, M. H. Hasham Premji, was a businessman. He ran a company called Western India Vegetable Products.
Azim Premji went to school in Mumbai and later moved to the United States for higher education. He studied engineering at Stanford University.
His life changed when his father died in 1966.
At that time, Azim Premji was only 21 years old. He had to return to India and take responsibility for the family business.
Taking Over the Family Business
When Premji returned to India, the company was mainly making and selling vegetable oil.
The company was known as Western India Vegetable Products. The name was later shortened to Wipro.
Premji was young when he took charge. He had to learn how to manage a business while also making important decisions about its future.
Instead of keeping the company limited to one product, he started looking for new business opportunities.
This decision later became very important for Wipro.
Moving Into New Businesses
During the 1970s, Wipro started entering different industries.
The company moved into areas such as consumer products, lighting and electrical products.
Premji believed that the company needed to grow beyond its original business.
One of the biggest changes came when Wipro entered the technology industry.
At that time, India’s computer industry was still very small. Computers were not common in homes and offices like they are today.
Premji saw that technology could become a major industry in the future.
Entering the Technology Business
Wipro entered the computer business in the early 1980s.
The company started making computers and other technology products in India.
This was a major change for a company that had started with vegetable oil.
Wipro later moved from making computer hardware to providing software and technology services.
This change helped the company find a much larger market outside India.
Growth of Wipro
As demand for software and technology services increased around the world, Wipro also grew.
The company started working with customers in different countries.
Wipro provided services related to software, information technology, consulting and business operations.
The company slowly built a large team of technology professionals.
Its international business became an important part of its growth.
Over the years, Wipro became one of India’s major IT companies.
Focus on Technology Services
Wipro’s business changed a lot from the time Premji first took over.
The company moved away from being mainly a consumer products business and became known around the world for technology services.
It worked with companies from different industries, including banking, healthcare, retail and manufacturing.
Technology became the main part of Wipro’s business.
This transformation is one of the biggest parts of Azim Premji’s business journey.
Challenges Along the Way
Building Wipro was not always easy.
The technology industry changes very quickly. Companies have to keep learning and investing in new technology.
Wipro also had to compete with other large Indian and international IT companies.
Economic slowdowns and changes in global technology demand affected the company from time to time.
Premji and his team had to keep changing the business as the technology market changed.
Azim Premji’s Leadership
Premji became known for being careful with money and business decisions.
He focused on building the company for the long term instead of looking only at short-term results.
He also placed importance on professional management.
Wipro grew into a company with operations and customers across many countries.
Premji’s leadership helped guide the company through this long transformation.
Azim Premji and Philanthropy
Azim Premji is also known for his work in education and philanthropy.
In 2001, he started the Azim Premji Foundation.
The foundation works mainly in areas such as school education and improving the quality of education in India.
He has donated a large part of his wealth to charitable and social causes.
The Azim Premji University was also established as part of this wider focus on education and social development.
Stepping Back From Wipro
Azim Premji gradually stepped back from the daily management of Wipro.
In 2019, he retired as executive chairman of Wipro.
His son, Rishad Premji, later became executive chairman of the company.
Even after stepping back from the company’s daily operations, Azim Premji continued to be an important figure in the Wipro story and remained active in philanthropy.
What Makes His Business Journey Different
Azim Premji’s journey stands out because of how much the original business changed.
He started with a company that was mainly known for vegetable oil. He then moved into consumer products and later technology.
The biggest change was his decision to enter the IT industry when it was still developing in India.
Wipro’s growth shows how a company can change its direction when the market creates new opportunities.
Conclusion
Azim Premji’s business journey started with a family company that had nothing to do with software.
After taking charge at a young age, he slowly changed the company’s direction.
Wipro moved from vegetable oil and consumer products into computers, software and global technology services.
Under his leadership, Wipro became one of India’s major technology companies.
His journey also shows that a business does not always have to remain in the same industry where it started. With the right changes, a company can build a completely new future.
