Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of India-based multinational IT services and consulting firm HCLTech, has consistently leveraged her leadership influence to drive meaningful impact.
By Nichola Marie

Chairperson, HCLTech; Trustee, Shiv Nadar Foundation; Founder & Trustee, The Habitats Trust – Roshni Nadar Malhotra counts herself lucky to have two inspiring, strong and ambitious role models in her parents. “I have in my father, Shiv Nadar, a resilient and hardworking leader who built up HCL. In Kiran Nadar, my mother, I saw an individual who harnessed her unique talents and interests,” she shares, adding, “I have picked up most of my formative values from them.”

Equipped by her father to come into a position of responsibility and learn the required skills from the time she stepped in, in 2008, she reveals, “What I have learnt over the last 15 years is that it’s not so much the technology; it’s more about managing people and their spectrum of emotions. That to me has been the biggest focus along with building the business,” she shared in an interview.

Finding Her Place
Taking on the HCL’s Chairperson role from her father in July 2020, Roshni is responsible for all strategic decisions for the $12 billion technology company. Building an agile, employee-centred organisation, she is also focussing on launching a programme at the Shiv Nadar University for young female professionals to create future leaders, professionals and board members in India, focusing on the average age of 45 to 55. “We need to build a workforce of women who think of themselves for a longer runway and playing various roles professionally. Just like Shiv took a chance on me, I need to take chances on these women too.”

Giving Back
She is also Trustee of the Shiv Nadar Foundation, which has invested $1.2 billion in nation-building institutions and driving transformational leadership. Additionally, she is the Chairperson and driving force behind VidyaGyan, a leadership academy for meritorious rural students in Uttar Pradesh, and has been working towards nurturing future leaders from rural India who can be catalysts of change.

Passionate about wildlife and conservation, Nadar Malhotra established The Habitats Trust in 2018. It works towards protecting India’s natural habitats and its indigenous species.
Her take on her achievements: “The best is yet to come.”