¡®Father Of Indian IT Industry¡¯: The Untold Story Of TCS¡¯ First CEO & Co-Founder FC Kohli

Just like the prestigious Tata Group, India¡¯s largest IT firm, TCS (Tata Consultancy Services), needs no introduction. But not many are aware of who founded this IT giant and who its first ever CEO was. That¡¯s why the story of Faqir Chand Kohli remains untold to many till date.

The Story Of FC Kohli

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Born on March 19, 1924, F.C. Kohli was the co-founder (along with JRD Tata) and the first CEO of TCS. Initially, he had joined the Tata Group by entering Tata Electric Companies in 1951. He became its director in 1970. He was also associated with other companies within the Tata Group, including Tata Consulting Engineers and Tata Elxsi, and had been President of Indian Information Technology (IT) Services Advocacy Body NASSCOM in 1995¨C96.

He was also a recipient of India's third-highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan, in 2002 for his contributions to the Indian software industry. He is referred to as the "Father of the Indian IT Industry", for his contributions to the establishment and growth of the Indian IT industry.

On November 26, 2020, he died at the age of 96.

Early Life

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Faqir Chand Kohli was born in Peshawar, British India (present day Pakistan), on March 19, 1924, into a Hindkowan Hindu Khatri family. He grew up in Peshawar and went on to complete BA and BSc (Honours) from the Government College for Men, Lahore, at the University of the Punjab, Lahore, where he was a university gold medalist.

After his father's death during his final year in college, he applied for and was selected for the Indian Navy. However, while waiting to be commissioned, he applied for, and won a scholarship to Queen's University, Canada, where he went on to complete his BSc (Honours) in Electrical Engineering in 1948. He then worked for a year at Canadian General Electric Company and subsequently did his MS in Electrical Engineering from MIT in 1950. He then joined Tata Electric Companies in 1951.

Also Read: List Of Tata Group Chairmen

Setting Up TCS In 1968-1969

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FC Kohli helped set up the Tata Consultancy Services, at the request of J. R. D. Tata, the group chairman in 1968-69. He went on to become the company's first CEO and also serve as its deputy chairman. Kohli led the company for the next three decades before stepping down as the CEO in 1996.

Since he stepped down from the role of TCS CEO, the IT giant has been led by Subramaniam Ramadorai from 1996¨C2009, Natarajan Chandrasekaran from 2009¨C2017, and Rajesh Gopinathan from 2017¨C2023. Gopinathan resigned from his post as TCS CEO earlier this month, and K Krithivasan, CEO Designate, will take over later this year.

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