75th Anniversary Book

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In 2020, we at Wipro proudly celebrated seventy-five glorious years since our inception. In this time, we’ve come a long way — from a family-run vegetable oil manufacturer to a diversified global business and technology consulting leader.

Today, the Wipro brand is an embodiment of customer-centric excellence, drive for sustainability and outstanding corporate citizenship. Our innovative solutions, lasting partnerships and commitment to our communities have helped us become one of the largest, most trusted IT services companies in the world, with more than 250,000 employees in over 66 countries. And our lasting values, the Spirit of Wipro, continue to guide our actions, fuel our passion for customers and drive positive change in our world.

Thank you to all the customers, partners, employees, and well-wishers who have made the past seventy-five years of growth and success possible. We look forward to many years of building a more resilient future together with you.

Azim H. Premji
Founder Chairman

As the heart and mind that guided Wipro for fifty-three of its seventy-five years, Azim Premji grew Wipro into the global IT giant it is today, and transferred a majority of the ownership of the company to the Azim Premji Foundation, a philanthropy that works to serve some of the most disadvantaged populations in the world. Hear from our Founder Chairman on how his family’s values and tradition of giving back, inspired him in business and philanthropy.

75 Years – A Story of Transformation

Older than independent India, Wipro took its first breath in the aftermath of World War II in 1945. From a traditional, family-run business, it grew into a professional, diversified, global corporation, revered the world over for its integrity and purpose.

1945 - 1965

At only twenty-one, Mohamedhusain Hasham Premji took over his late father’s grain trade and expanded into manufacturing. His first project was an oil mill in the Indian heartland - Western India Vegetable Products.

Mohamedhusain’s wife, Dr Gulbanoo Premji, did not shy away from challenges, either. She took over as the Chairperson of Western India Vegetable Products, and worked to set up the Children’s Orthopaedic Hospital in Bombay. Later, she helped set up a cerebral palsy unit.

1966 - 1978

After the untimely death of Mohamedhusain at age 51, his son, Azim H. Premji was called home from college at Stanford to take over the management of the family business. Premji would move the business to a brand-oriented company, leaving behind its legacy as a commodity-based vegetable oil-maker.

Western India Vegetable Products was on the rise, moving from its cramped offices to a new building in the heart of Bombay. Soon afterwards, the company formally registered itself as Wipro. No longer would it be limited by its name.

1979 - 1990

In August 1979, Wipro recruited its first members of the Infotech division. Two months later, Wipro applied for a license to develop, manufacture and market minicomputers.

By 1989, Wipro had become a diversified manufacturer of computer systems, consumer products and industrial equipment, but as the 90s opened up, so did another transformation in Wipro’s story.

1991 - 2005

As the technology market grew around the world, Wipro dove deeply into IT services and partnerships with leading technology companies. In 1996, Wipro shifted its base to Bangalore, where our Headquarters remain today.

In 2000, Wipro grows to a one billion-dollar company and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

2006 onwards

The growth and transformation of Wipro continued into the new millennium with major acquisitions, investments, and technological innovations. On July 31, 2019, Premji retired as the Executive Chairman of Wipro Limited.

‘Leading Wipro from 1966 till now has been the greatest privilege of my life. It has been an extraordinary journey — growing from being a small vegetable oil company to the diverse global business that we are today. It is the deep commitment and hard work of Wiproites across generations that has helped shape the organization of today,’ he wrote in his last letter.

In 2019, Rishad succeeded the senior Premji as the Chairman of Wipro Limited.

In July 2020, Thierry Delaporte took the reins as CEO. ‘It’s the best brand in the industry,’ says Delaporte. ‘People are constructive, they’re positive, they love their company. I’m the luckiest because I’m working with people who have placed the interests of Wipro Limited before their own interests. These are incredible values.’

1977

1998

2017

1945

The Story of Wipro celebrates seventy-five years of an exceptional entrepreneurial journey.

This commemorative volume is the first authoritative account of how the company went from being a family-run manufacturing business to a professional corporation, now owned by a philanthropic foundation.

A byword for values-driven business, Wipro’s story documents its ability to change with the times and move forward with this sense of responsibility.