IIT doctorate for Premji
Our
Convergence Bureau
17 November 2003
Mumbai: Wipro chairman Azim Premji, a doyen of information age, has been conferred with the honoris causa degree of doctor of engineering by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee.
S K Joshi, chairman, board of governors, IIT Roorkee, conferred the honour on Premji in the presence of Indian President A P J Abdul Kalam. Premji, in fact, has a distinguished predecessor in Kalam who was conferred the degree of doctor of engineering (honoris causa) by IIT-Roorkee when Kalam was the scientific adviser to the ministry of defence.
In the citation on Premji, IIT Roorkee said: "Wipro''s growth continues to be driven by its core values. Premji firmly believes that ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things and takes personal interest in developing teams and leaders. He invests significant time as a faculty in Wipro''s leadership development programmes.
"Premji established Azim Premji Foundation, a non-profit organisation with a vision of influencing the life of millions of children in India by facilitating the universalisation of elementary education. The financial resources for this programme have been personally contributed by Premji."
By honouring Premji with the doctorate, the IIT has recognised the innovative and entrepreneurial skills of Premji and his emphasis on adherence to core values while enlarging the core strength of Wipro.