S Ramadorai, chief executive officer and managing director of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has been associated with the company for the past 30 years. Joining TCS as a trainee engineer, he took over as CEO in 1996 and has been instrumental in building TCS to a $3.02-billion global software and services company with a talent base of over 68,000 associates, a geographical reach of 35 countries and an enviable client list which includes six of the top ten Fortune companies. He has now set his sights on ensuring that TCS is among the global top ten software companies. On October 6, 2006, TCS was recognised by Economic Times as the company of the year, a fitting tribute to its increasing global presence.

Ramadorai's vision is evident through the active role he played in establishing Offshore Development Centres (ODCs) in India to provide high-end quality solutions to major corporations. With a view to remain abreast with changing technologies at all times, he has set up Technology Excellence Centres in India that have acquired knowledge, expertise and equipment in specialised technology areas.

His key initiatives include a relentless pursuit of excellence in quality. In August 2004, TCS became the world's first organisation to achieve an integrated enterprise-wide Maturity Level 5 on both Capability Maturity model and People Capability Maturity model — frameworks conceptualised by the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University to benchmark and appraise the software and people management processes of an organisation.

Ramadorai continues to maintain strong links with the world of academia. He is a member of the corporate advisory board, Marshall School of Business (USC) as well as other boards of reputed Indian academic institutions. Among his other distinctions, he is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Indian National Academy of Engineering.

He firmly believes that learning is a continual process which does not end with formal education. With this in mind, he has striven to make TCS a learning-oriented organisation, conducive to developing one's full potential. TCS spends six per cent of its annual turnover on training and development and has invested in a world-class training centre at Thiruvananthapuram. Additionally, each year, every TCSer has the opportunity to undergo 20 days of training.

Ramadorai has received various awards and recognition from national and international bodies. He was:

• Awarded the Padma Bhushan in January 2006 for his commitment and dedication to the IT industry
• Recognised as the sixth most influential IT leader in the world by Computer Business Review in July 2006
• Conferred with doctor of sciences degree (honoris causa) by Sastra University in 2006
• Awarded the UK Trade and Investment Special Recognition Award in September 2005 by prime minister Blair for TCS' exemplary contribution to India-UK economic ties
• Recognised as the "IT Man of the year" for 2004 by Dataquest
• Recognised as the 'Businessman of the Year 2004' by Business India
• Named the fifth most influential person in IT in 2004 by Computer Business Review
• Recognised by the Indo American Chamber of Commerce with an award for promoting Indo-US business excellence in September 2004
• Conferred a doctorate (honoris causa) by Anna University
• Honoured with the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in 2003
• Received CNBC Asia Pacific's prestigious 'Asia Business Leader of the Year' award in 2002
• Honoured with the position of 'IT Advisor to Qingdao City', People's Republic of China

As chairman of the National Association of Software Companies (NASSCOM), Ramadorai extends his support to the Indian IT Industry. He is also increasingly being recognised as a leader of global standing.

As an individual deeply committed to the house of Tatas, Ramadorai holds chairmanships and directorships of other Group companies. He is also on the board of directors of premier companies such as Hindustan Lever and Nicholas Piramal India.

His academic credentials include a bachelor's degree in physics from Delhi University, India, a bachelor of engineering degree in electronics and telecommunications from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, and a master's degree in computer science from the University of California (UCLA), USA. In 1993, Ramadorai attended the Sloan School of Management's highly rated Senior Executive Development Program.