Nandan Nilekani

Nandan Nilekani’s impact on India’s digital transformation is vast and deeply personal. Best known for co-founding Infosys and leading the creation of Aadhaar as the founding chairman of UIDAI, Nilekani’s work has fundamentally reshaped how over a billion Indians access identity and services. From building global software systems to spearheading the EkStep Foundation, an initiative that uses technology to improve early learning, his vision seamlessly blends innovation with inclusion.

In 2023, he was appointed co-chair of the G20 Task Force on digital public infrastructure, further solidifying his role as a global voice on technology for development. In 2014, he won The Economist Social and Economic Innovation Award for his leadership of India’s Unique Identification initiative (Aadhaar).

An IIT Bombay alumnus, he’s received the Joseph Schumpeter Prize in 2005, the Padma Bhushan in 2006, and several global honours. He’s also the author of ‘Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century’ and the co-author of ‘Rebooting India: Realising a Billion Aspirations’ and ‘The Art of Bitfulness: Keeping Calm in the Digital World’. For Nilekani, AI is not just about intelligence; it is also about a contribution to the infrastructure.