Shiv was hard on me, Ambi uncle was supportive: HCLTech chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra

HCLTech chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra

Roshni Nadar Malhotra, the chairperson of HCLTech, said while the founder of the company and her father Shiv Nadar was demanding, his friend and the co-founder of Redington India, R Srinivasan was supportive and empathetic.

Reflecting on her journey leading the IT services and consulting company, Malhotra shared that apart from her parents, and her life partner Shikhar Malhotra, Redington’s Srinivasan, who sits on HCL’s board, has been a great mentor for her.

“Shiv for making me feel uncomfortable at all times and Ambi uncle (Srinivasan) for keeping me comfortable at all times, the Yin and Yang,” said Malhotra, during the Moneycontrol's India Family Business Awards 2022 on August 19, when asked about the persons who influenced her the most.

The HCL chairperson also said that her mother, Kiran Nadar, a national bridge player, a philanthropist, and an art collector, has also had a huge influence on her life. Malhotra said that with her mother being the “crazy Punjabi” in the family, she has an influence of both North and South of India in her. Malhotra shared that her mother is the oldest person representing India in the Asian games in the coming week as the captain of the open team.

Similarly for Malhotra, her husband and the CEO and vice chairman of HCL Healthcare, Shikhar Malhotra has also been a support and the duo currently manage the family office together as its next generation.

Journey at HCL

According to her, the journey at HCL has brought her many learnings. She said that she was already made the CEO of an HCLTech holding company at the age of 28.

“I had no siblings so it was just swimming in the deep ocean, trial by fire, and going for it. That was 2008 and now it is 2023. There's been a lot of learnings along the way,” said Malhotra.

According to Malhotra, when she joined the company after completing her MBA in 2008, her father asked her to spend time at the holding company and gain an understanding of the management.

"I started working in finance. Not until I came onto the board at HCLtech was I ever in a situation where I actually had Shiv as my reporting manager,” said Malhotra.

In 2013, Malhotra was appointed to the board of directors of HCLTech. She later replaced her father as chairperson of the $12 billion tech giant in July 2020. Malhotra holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.

Also Read: HCL's Roshni Nadar says she had never used an Excel sheet before pursuing her MBA

Malhotra mentioned that the succession planning for her father likely began before she was involved in the company. She believes that he was already considering stepping away from the CEO role, long before he did so, and was searching within HCL for a suitable successor.

“By 2020, I was appointed the chairperson of HCL Technologies, by which time, I, being on the board, had already seen three CEO transitions and two CFO transitions,” she said.

Malhotra, the first woman to lead a listed IT company in India, has been ranked as the richest woman in Delhi-NCR and across India by the recent Kotak Private Banking Hurun Leading Wealthy Women List. The list estimates her net worth to be Rs 84,330 crore.

Before joining HCL Technologies, Malhotra was passionate about the media industry. She holds a degree in communication from Northwestern University. Malhotra also interned with some news channels in London, according to reports.

“Shiv knew that I would become financially independent, but his focus was to make me financially literate. That was a reason why I pivoted from film and media to go to a business school,” Malhotra added.

The HCLTech chairperson said she appreciates being able to make her own choice in her education and having a job outside, as she could learn the ethics and discipline of working.

“For an alternative to everyday at HCL, there were also different institutions that were getting built up, that one could be a part of and be much more entrepreneurial with,” she said.