Premji 11th in Financial Times list of billionaires
By Our Corporate Bureau | 15 Nov 2004
New
Delhi: Wipro chairman Azim Premji has been ranked
11th in the Financial Times (FT) list of the top
25 dollar-billionaires. The FT special report on the super-rich
has listed nearly 600 dollar-billionaires around the globe
and has named the top 25 "who are changing the way
people live".
Jack Welch, former chief executive of GE, says Premji "does business straight, eyeball to eyeball". FT estimates Premji''s net worth at $6.7 billion, and says he has done much to change the structure of international business and ultimately affect people''s lives by winning in the global IT market.
Some call him the Indian Bill Gates. Premji is modest and reticent, not a belligerent business leader. The comparisons with Gates don''t end at software: Premji''s charitable foundation works with Gates''. Premji''s does more work on education in poor rural areas, giving $5 million a year, while Gates has made health a priority," FT notes.
Microsoft''s Bill Gates heads the list, with an estimated net worth of $46.6 billion. Also included are media mogul, Rupert Murdoch; Soros Fund Management chief, George Soros; Italy''s Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi and Intel Chairman Emeritus, Gordon Moore.
