Nandan Nilekani
Infosys co-founder and architect of Aadhaar
- Age
- 71 yrs
- Birthday in 218 days
- Works listed
- 2
- Book
- Honours
- 1
- Most recent 2006
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Nandan Nilekani is a co-founder and the non-executive chairman of Infosys. As founding chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, he led the creation of Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometric identity system, and has been a key architect of India’s digital public infrastructure.
Biography
Infosys
After graduating in electrical engineering from IIT Bombay in 1978, Nilekani joined Patni Computer Systems under N. R. Narayana Murthy, and in 1981 co-founded Infosys with Murthy and five others. He served as its chief executive from 2002 to 2007 as the company became a global IT services leader.
Aadhaar and India Stack
In 2009 he left Infosys to become the first chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, with cabinet rank. Under him Aadhaar enrolled hundreds of millions of people, laying the foundation for the digital payments and identity infrastructure often called India Stack. He returned as Infosys chairman in 2017 after a governance crisis.
He wrote Imagining India (2008) and, with his wife Rohini, is a major philanthropist. He received the Padma Bhushan in 2006.
Politics and public service
Nilekani contested the 2014 general election from Bangalore South as a Congress candidate but lost. He has continued to shape India’s digital public infrastructure — Aadhaar, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) ecosystem and open digital networks — through iSPIRT and advisory roles, and chaired committees on digital payments and the GST Network.
Philanthropy
With his wife Rohini, a writer and philanthropist, he has given generously to education and civil society. They founded EkStep, an open learning platform, and signed the Giving Pledge in 2017.
Legacy
Nilekani is widely seen as a key architect of India’s digital public infrastructure — Aadhaar identity, UPI payments and open data networks — which governments and the World Bank have cited as a model for other countries. Time named him among the 100 most influential people in 2006 and again in 2009.
Timeline
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1955
Born in Bangalore (Bengaluru), Karnataka
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1981
Co-founds Infosys
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2002
CEO of Infosys
Until 2007.
-
2006
Padma Bhushan
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2009
First chairman of UIDAI
Leads the creation of Aadhaar.
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2014
Contests Bangalore South for the Congress
Loses.
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2015
Rebooting India
Co-written with Viral Shah.
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2017
Returns as chairman of Infosys
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2017
Signs the Giving Pledge with Rohini Nilekani
Notable works
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2008
Imagining India Book
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2015
Rebooting India Book
With Viral Shah.
Awards and honours
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Padma Bhushan
2006
Did you know?
-
1
Aadhaar enrolled hundreds of millions of people within a few years under his leadership.
-
2
He held cabinet rank as UIDAI chairman.
-
3
He and his wife Rohini have signed the Giving Pledge.
Gallery
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Nandan Nilekani?
Nandan Nilekani is a co-founder and the non-executive chairman of Infosys. As founding chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, he led the creation of Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometric identity system, and has been a key architect of India’s digital public infrastructure.
How old is Nandan Nilekani?
Nandan Nilekani is 71 years old, born on 2 June 1955 in Bangalore (Bengaluru), Karnataka.
Where is Nandan Nilekani from?
Nandan Nilekani was born in Bangalore (Bengaluru), Karnataka.
What is Nandan Nilekani known for?
Nandan Nilekani is best known for Co-founding Infosys; leading the creation of Aadhaar as first chairman of UIDAI.
What awards has Nandan Nilekani received?
Notable honours include Padma Bhushan (2006).
Who is Nandan Nilekani married to?
Spouse: Rohini Nilekani (writer, philanthropist).
References
- Nandan Nilekani — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Nandan Nilekani — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Official website. www.nandannilekani.in. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
- Nandan Nilekani (Q1391255) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editors; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal
- First published 26 October 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Nandan Nilekani.” TrackFame, last updated 27 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/nandan-nilekani
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