Meet IIT alumnus, who is richer than Infosys' Narayana Murthy, he is...

One of Bengaluru's richest, Senapathy "Kris" Gopalakrishnan has topped the Hurun India Rich List 2024. According to the report, Gopalakrishnan, who founded Infosys along with N.R. Narayana Murthy, now enjoys a net worth of ₹38,500 crore. This catapults him past his co-founder, Narayana Murthy, who holds wealth worth ₹36,600 crore. Gopalakrishnan ranks fourth on the list for Bengaluru while Murthy finds himself in fifth position.

Kris Gopalakrishnan was born in 1955. Kris Gopalakrishnan has had a phenomenal career spanning more than four decades. He is one of the six visionaries who co-founded Infosys with N. R. Narayana Murthy, K. Dinesh, Nandan Nilekani, N. S. Raghavan, and S. D. Shibulal. Kris Gopalakrishnan has played a key role in Infosys during its formative years, managing technical operations and client relationships—key components of the eventual success.

After spending time in the United States, Gopalakrishnan came back to India in 1994 to lead the senior levels at Infosys. In that same year, he was named Deputy Managing Director. His rise went up further and he became CEO and Managing Director of Infosys, succeeding Nandan Nilekani in 2004. His tenure with Infosys had brought great results in terms of growth. Afterward, he continued as Vice Chairman until his decision to quit all corporate assignments in 2014.

In addition to his professional accolades, Gopalakrishnan has substantial interest in philanthropy and education. His spouse Sudha shares this interest and has a trust with her named Pratiksha Trust that deals with brain research issues.

Gopalakrishnan also holds important positions in academia. He is a member of the Board of Governors for IIT-Madras and Chairman of the Board of Governors at IIT-Bangalore. He is also a trustee of the Chennai Mathematical Institute, which speaks to his commitment to excellence in education.

Gopalakrishnan is a double postgraduate in physics and computer science from IIT-Madras. The entry of this global tech leader into the world of technology was serendipitous, given that his aspiration was initially to become a doctor. Two marks short of making it to the government medical college, Gopalakrishnan took to the world of technology instead. The rest is history.

Gopalakrishnan today serves as Chairman of Axilor Ventures, the leading incubator that has nurtured innovative startups such as EnKash, GoodHome, and Kaagaz.

Humblest of beginnings to his becoming the beacon for India's technology sector, Kris Gopalakrishnan epitomizes resolution, innovation, and philanthropy and goes down in the annals of history where one may remember technology and education.