Meet Roshni Nadar, One Of World's Most Powerful Women

Roshni Nadar Malhotra, the chairperson of HCL Technologies, was ranked as the 60th most powerful woman in the world in 2023 by Forbes. She has maintained her title as one of the richest women in India, running a company worth over Rs 3 lakh crores. Her net worth is close to Rs 84,330 crore, according to the latest disclosed data in the Kotak Private Banking- Hurun Leading Wealthy Women List 2021.

According to the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List (2019), she was declared "the richest woman in India" with a net worth of Rs. 36800 crores last year. In 2020, she again topped the list of the richest women in India with a net worth of Rs. 54850 crores. In 2019, she ranked 54th on Forbes' list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women. Also, in 2020, she again ranked at 55th position on Forbes' list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women.

Who is Roshni Nadar Malhotra?

Roshni Nadar Malhotra is the Chairperson of HCL Technologies. She is also the CEO of HCL Corporation. She is responsible for all strategic decisions for the $9.9 billion technology company.

She is also a trustee of the Shiv Nadar Foundation, which is focused on education and has established some of India's top colleges and schools. Since its establishment, the foundation has spent $1.1 billion on organisations that foster national development and transformative leadership. The foundation also runs Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering in Chennai.

As per the reports, she is also the founder and trustee of The Habitats Trust, a foundation working towards protecting habitats and their indigenous species. As part of its mission, the foundation aims to protect India's natural habitats and indigenous species, by partnering with multiple stakeholders and cooperating with them at every level, to create and conserve sustainable ecosystems.

In addition, Roshni is the founder and leader of VidyaGyan, a leadership academy for economically underprivileged, meritorious rural students from Uttar Pradesh.

Early Life

She is the daughter of Shiv Nadar who founded HCL in the mid-1970s and the company became a central player in India's rise as an IT hub in 1976.

Roshni was brought up in Delhi where she attended Vasant Valley School. She graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in the US with a major in Communication and a focus on Radio/TV/Film. Before joining HCL, Malhotra worked as a news producer and earned her Master's in Business Administration (MBA) having a focus on Social Enterprise Management and Strategy from the Kellogg School of Management.

In October 2008, Roshni returned from the US and joined HCL Corporation before becoming an executive director and CEO. In July 2009, she was promoted to executive director and CEO of HCL Corporation within a year of joining the company. In July 2020, she was promoted to the Chairperson of HCL after her father stepped down from the position.

In 2018, Roshni produced a children’s film, Halkaa that was directed by the National Awardee Nila Madhab Panda. The movie is based on the unique journey of a slum child battling the issue of open defecation. Since 2019, she has also been producing a TV series for Animal Planet or Discovery Channel based on the most endangered species in India - On The Brink.

She also enjoys travelling, yoga, and classical music. She married Shikhar Malhotra who is the vice chairman of HCL Healthcare in 2010 and they have two sons.