Between consistently ranking at the top of India’s wealthiest women lists and holding the title of the first woman to lead a listed IT company in the country – Roshni Nadar Malhotra has truly established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the world of business. Here’s all about her.
Roshni Nadar Malhotra is more than the legacy built by her father – HCL founder and successful businessman Shiv Nadar. She leads The Habitats Trust, which protects India’s natural habitats and indigenous species, is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at the MIT School of Engineering, and has produced a children’s film. She’s also a trustee of the Shiv Nadar Foundation, which addresses the socio-economic divide in India through education. These factors – along with a host of other achievements – have placed her amidst the world’s most powerful and wealthy women. And the heart of it all is a passion for content, philanthropy, and learning through diverse experience.
Roshni Nadar Malhotra’s net worth
A report by Hindustan Times places her net worth at a whooping INR 84,330 crore. This, as per numerous reports can primarily be attributed to her role in the INR 97,047 crore HCL corporation – where she’s in charge of providing strategic guidance as well as her position as Chairperson of HCL Technologies, which boasts a market capitalisation of INR 3,28,973 crore.
She is passionate about media and content
She studied in Vasant Valley School in New Delhi before earning her degree in Communication (Radio/TV/Film/Journalism) from Northwestern University. She then interned at CNBC and CNN – working with Sky News in London right after. In an interview with Business Today, she noted that while she’s quite passionate about the media industry, her father convinced her to be well-versed with business as well. “He said that even if your dream is to have a media empire, you would still need to know the ins and outs of the business. So, please go and attend business school,” she noted, referring to legendary business Shiv Nadar. This led to an MBA from Kellogg School of Management.
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A year into her initiation into HCL, she rose to the rank of executive director and CEO, taking over the reins from her father for the chairperson title soon after. Along the way, she’s maintained her position as the chairperson of VidyaGyan, an academy for economically underprivileged, meritorious students from Uttar Pradesh and led the Shiv Nagar Foundation – which invested about INR 9,046 crore in building educational institutions that aim to transform the socio-economic climate of India. She’s also a passionate conservationist – working towards conserving ecosystems through strategic collaborations via The Habitats Trust. She also serves on the board of directors of US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), while being an independent director on the board of HDFC Asset Management Company.
That said, throughout the course of her career, her passion for media is palpable. “I still love content!,” she states before adding, “I have actually been producing TV shows for Animal Planet and National Geographic. Couple of years ago, I even produced a very small children’s film. So, whenever I get time, I keep my mind and hands and feet in content and media.”
She has several accolades to her name
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Roshni Nadar Malhotra was recognised by Forbes as one of the world’s 100 most powerful women in 2021. She was also featured in Forbes’ ‘25 Most Powerful Businesswomen in Asia’ list. That aside she was also given the Lewis Institute Community Changemaker Award by Babson College (2017) and was dubbed the Indian Business Leader of the Year (2019) by independent think tank Horasis.
All images: Courtesy HCL/Shiv Nadar Foundation
Eshita is a food, alcohol, travel, and entertainment writer who spends her days thinking of the next big trend to write about. She’s a communication graduate with bylines in Conde Nast Traveller India, GQ India, Deccan Herald, and Girls Buzz. When not at work, you’re likely to find her hunting for a good read or charting out the perfect itinerary for a solo trip across Asia.
