You all might know about Tata Consultancy Services, India’s one of the largest software IT company. Faqir Chand Kohli was the founder and first chief executive officer of the TCS. Faqir Chand Kohli was a remarkable business person ad entrepreneur. He was associated with many important business interventions in Indian like companies within Tata Group including Tata Power Company and Tata Elxsi and also with bodies like NASSCOM. Due to his remarkable contribution, Kohli is popularly referred to as the “Father of the Indian IT Industry”, for his contributions to the establishment and growth of the Indian IT sector.
Also Read: Know Everything About Indian IT Giant TCS
ABOUT EARLY LIFE OF FAQIR CHAND KOHLI
Kohli was born on 19 March 1924 in the city of Peshawar ( present-day Pakistan). He received his early education in his home town from Khalsa Middle School and National High School. For further higher studies he took admission into Gov’t College for Men, Lahore at University of the Punjab, Lahore and acquired a BA and BSc (Honors) degree from there. Kohli also got selected for a commissioned post in Indian Navy but he decided not to join and went MIT university in 1950 and acquired an MS degree in Electrical Engineering. During his courses at MIT, Kohli worked at Canadian General Electric Company. Kohli also went to receive training in power system operations at Ebasco International Corporation, New York.
CAREER OF FAQIR CHAND KOHLI WITH TATA GROUP
While completing his degree Kohli was working for Canadian General Electric Company. After completion, his course at MIT Kohli returned to India in 1951 and joined Tata Electric Company. At Tata Electric Company Kohli was instrumental in setting up of load dispatching system to manage systems operations. He was promoted to the post of general superintendent in 1963, deputy general manager in 1967, and finally the director of the company. While his service at Tata Electric Company Kohli was the pioneer of employing a computer system to control the power lines between Mumbai and Pune, making it the third utility company in the world to install such a system.
Faqir Chand Kohli was instrumental in the establishment of Tata Consultancy Services along with J. R. D. Tata in 1969. He was appointed as the company’s first CEO and deputy chairman. Kohli served a leadership role in TCS for nearly three decades (til 1996) and made it India’s biggest software and IT services company.
Other than TCS Kohi has served at important positions in various Tata Grop ventures including Tata Sons, Tata Industries, Tata Unisys, Tata Electric Company, Tata Honeywell, Tata Technologies Singapore, Tata Elxsi India, and WTI Advanced Technologies.
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FAQIR CHAND KOHLI’S CAREER OUTSIDE TATA GROUP
Faqir hand Kohli due to his excellent leadership ad entrepreneurship skill had a huge career. Kohli has served at the post of director on the board of Airline Software Development Consultancy India, Airline Financial Support Services India, Abacus Distribution Systems, and Triveni Engineering Works. He was appointed as the president and chairman of NASSCOM in 1995 and 1996 which is Indian IT services advocacy body.
Kohli also had a major role in the promotion of technical education in India. He was associated with Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur where he played major role faculty selection and recruitment. He served as the chairman of the Board of Governors of the College of Engineering, Pune.
Kohli had an engagement with the various professional organisation throughout the country. He had an association with Computer Society of India, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers New York, the Institution of Electrical Engineers, the Indian National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Management Consultants of India. Kohli was appointed as chairman of the Southeast Asia Regional Computer Conference, in Singapore in 1976. He had served as the chairman of the Computer Society of India.
Also Read: Know Everything About Indian IT Giant TCS
AWARDS AND HONOURS
Kohli due to his contribution to the Indian IT industry was referred to as the “Father of the Indian IT Industry”, and due to his this contribution Indian government honoured him with India’s third-highest civilian honour the Padma Bhushan.
Various national and international institutions have awarded him with honorary degree some of them are Shiv Nadar University, University of Waterloo, Robert Gordon University in Scotland, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, Jadavpur University, Queen’s University and the University of Roorkee.
Kohli was honoured with Dadabhai Naoroji Memorial Award in the year 2000. The Economic Times had awarded him with a Lifetime achievement award in 2002. All India Management Association (AIMA), had awarded him with a Lifetime achievement award in 2017.
