Business
Completing his schooling at T.D. High School, Alappuzha, Shibulal pursued an M.Sc. in Physics from the University of Kerala. His quest for knowledge led him to the US, where he earned an M.S. in Computer Science from Boston University
Updated : Jul 26, 2024, 06:09 AM IST
In the world of technology, few stories are as captivating as that of S D Shibulal. With a net worth soaring to ₹17,587 crores, Shibulal’s journey from a small-town boy to a tech mogul is extraordinary.
Born on March 1, 1955, in Kerala, S D Shibulal’s early life was shaped by his father Damodaran, an ayurvedic doctor, and his mother Sarojini, a government employee. Completing his schooling at T.D. High School, Alappuzha, Shibulal pursued an M.Sc. in Physics from the University of Kerala. His quest for knowledge led him to the US, where he earned an M.S. in Computer Science from Boston University.
Shibulal’s remarkable career began in 1981 when he co-founded Infosys Consultants Pvt Ltd alongside N. R. Narayana Murthy, Nandan Nilekani, N. S. Raghavan, S. Gopalakrishnan, K. Dinesh, and Ashok Arora. This venture would later transform into Infosys, a global IT giant. Shibulal played a crucial role in the company, serving as its Chief Operating Officer in 2007 and then as CEO and Managing Director from 2011 to 2014.
After a five-year stint at Sun Microsystems in the 1990s, Shibulal returned to Infosys in 1997 to lead its Internet Consultancy practice. His leadership was instrumental in steering Infosys towards unprecedented growth. In 2014, Shibulal decided to step down from his CEO and MD roles, passing the torch to Dr. Vishal Sikka.
Post-Infosys, Shibulal co-founded Axilor Ventures in 2014 with Senapathy Gopalakrishnan, aiming to nurture young entrepreneurs. Despite stepping away from Infosys, Shibulal’s impact on the tech industry endures, with his legacy and innovative spirit continuing to influence the tech landscape.