In Pics: Indian leaders who have made an impact in Philanthropy

Indiaspora, a nonprofit community of global Indian leaders from diverse backgrounds and professions, released a list recognising one hundred Indian and diaspora leaders who are making a difference through their philanthropic activities across the world. The list, which is the first of its kind, was released with guidance from nine jurors and drawing from multiple sources, including reputed studies, earlier verified lists and publicly shared documents. Here we take a look at successful Indian business tycoons who made it to Indiaspora’s 2021 Philanthropy Leaders List.

Azim Premji: Azim Premji took over leadership of Wipro in the late 1960s. The company is now India's fourth-largest outsourcer by market cap. In 2020, his foundation pledged $134 million to help those affected by Coronavirus. Azimji is also one of the top philanthropic donors in India. Credit: DH Photo

Ratan Tata: In 1981 Ratan Tata became the Chairman of Tata Industries. The growth and globalisation drive of the Tata group has continued under his stewardship. He is the Chairman of the Council of Management of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, which seeks to enable, empower, and transform communities across India. Credit: PTI Photo

Gautam Adani: Gautam controls Mundra Port, India's largest private port, in his home state of Gujarat. The Adani Group's interests span infrastructure, commodities, power generation and transmission, and real estate. On 29th March 2020, Gautam Adani led Adani Foundation to announce a 100 crore donation to the PM CARES Fund. Credit: Reuters Photo

Anil Agarwal: Anil started a small scrap metal business in 1976 called Vedanta Resources. In September 2014, Anil Agarwal pledged to donate 75% of his wealth to charity. The Vedanta Foundation primary areas of focus are education & computer literacy, vocational training, women & child empowerment, and community welfare. His company was also the first Indian company to get listed in the London Stock Exchange. Credit: Twitter/AnilAgarwal_Ved

Anu Aga: Anu along with her family hold the majority stake for the listed engineering company, Thermax. The family has committed 30% of their income towards philanthropic causes. Since her retirement, Anu has been focusing on social causes and continues to be closely associated with the Thermax Foundation. Credit: www.thermaxglobal.com

Nandan Nilekani: Nandan Nilekani is the Co-founder and Chairman of the Board at Infosys Ltd. He was most recently the Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in the rank of a Cabinet Minister. Credit DH Photo

Kumar Mangalam: KM Birla is the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group. He chairs the Boards of all of the Group’s major companies in India and globally. In April 2020, Aditya Birla Group donated a huge amount to the PM CARES Fund, FICCI-Aditya Birla CSR Centre for Excellence. Credit: PTI Photo

Nita Ambani: Nita is a board member of Reliance Industries and East India Hotels. She owns the cricket franchise Mumbai Indians, which plays in the Indian Premier League. In 2020, she became the only Indian to be named in the Town and Country Magazine's list of Top Global Philanthropists, following her foundation's donation for Covid-19 relief. Credit: PTI Photo

Rahul Bajaj: Rahul is the head of the Bajaj Group. Over the years, Rahul has held prominent positions in the world of business and politics. Credit: PTI Photo

Sanjiv Goenka: Sanjiv controls the conglomerate RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group which is headquartered in Kolkata. The Goenka family has made significant donations towards healthcare and education. Credit: www.rpsg.in/

Shiv Nadar: Shiv Nadar is the founder of HCL Enterprise. Prior to this, he was part of the DCM management trainee system. Shiv Nadar runs the Shiv Nadar Foundation, which supports rural education and provides scholarships for underprivileged students to study abroad. Credit: DH Photo

Anand Mahindra: Anand Mahindra is Vice Chairman and managing director of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., which is the flagship company of the Mahindra Group. In 1996, Anand began Project “Nanhi Kali”, at the KC Mahindra Education Trust. This organisation aims to educate underprivileged girls in India through scholarships. In addition to the foundation of this project, he donated to Harvard University in 2010 to support their Humanities Center. Credit: Reuters Photo

Cyrus Pallonji Mistry: In 1991, Cyrus entered the family business, becoming director of its flagship construction company, Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Ltd. Credit: Reuters Photo

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, India's richest self-made woman, founded India's largest listed biopharmaceutical firm Biocon by revenue, in 1978, from her garage in India. Her philanthropic initiative, The Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Centre, aims to create a sustainable, affordable cancer care model. She has donated to many philanthropic initiatives in areas such as scientific research & innovation, education, healthcare, and policy research & advocacy. Credit: PTI Photo

Ajay Piramal: Ajay Piramal is one of India's leading industrialists and philanthropists, and Chairman of the Piramal Group. Piramal Group is a global business conglomerate with diverse interests in pharmaceuticals, financial services and real estate, with offices in 30 countries and its products sold in more than 100 markets. Credit: Bloomberg Photo