Bangalore, November 29, 2013: Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, Founder & Chairman, Wadhwani Foundation was awarded the Distinguished ‘Non–Resident Philanthropist’ award at the prestigious Forbes India Philanthropy Awards 2013. The grand event was held in the city today to recognize the contribution of individuals and companies with an excellent track record in philanthropy or related non-‐profit activity in India -‐providing time, resources, skill deployment & expertise to create model sustainable institutions and inspire others towards understanding the need and purpose of giving back to society.
Dr. Romesh Wadhwani is also the Chairman and CEO of Symphony Technology Group (STG) headquartered at Palo Alto -‐ a strategic private equity firm investing and being a transformation partner in building great software, internet and technology –enabled services companies. Symphony’s approach is to create value in its portfolio companies by enabling organic growth through innovation. With this transformation-‐centric approach, Symphony has grown over 10 years to a group of 12 companies with a combined revenue of $ 2.5 billion and over 15,000 employees globally. Featuring in the Forbes 400 list, Dr Wadhwani has pledged to donate the majority of his wealth to philanthropic initiatives.
Expressing gratitude at receiving the award, Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, Chairman and Founder, Wadhwani Foundation said, “It is a privilege to receive this prestigious award from Forbes India. I have always believed that high impact philanthropy can change the face of India. Having the privilege of receiving the best education and entrepreneurial career opportunities, it is my obligation to give back to the community. The mission of the Wadhwani Foundation is to accelerate job creation and economic development in India and other emerging countries. This award reflects the passion and dedication of my colleagues at Wadhwani Foundation who support and enable this vision every day through our major initiatives, including the National Entrepreneurship Network, Skill Development Network and the Opportunities Network for the Disabled with the objective of creating and filling millions of jobs”.
Adds Wadhwani, “Entrepreneurship is by far the most important driver of economic development in any economy and by creating a whole new generation of potential entrepreneurs in India through the National Entrepreneurship initiative , we strive to create thousands of new companies and millions of new jobs”.
Dr. Wadhwani features among the distinguished luminaries/ companiesthat received this award under different categories, like Narayan Hridalaya (Good Company award),Bajaj family (philanthropic family), Nandan Nilekani (Outstanding Philanthropist), Amit Chandra of Bain Capital (Emerging Philanthropic Leader) and Swati/Ramesh of Janagraha (Cross-‐over Leader).
These awards are a result of a stringent evaluation process conducted by an independent, eminent jury comprising of Anu Aga (Thermax), Jayant Sinha (Omidyaar Foundation), Ravi Venkatesan (Social Venture Partners), Shaheen Mistry (TeachFor India) and Raghav Bahl (Network 18).
Sobre a Fundação Wadhwani:
Founded in 2003 by Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, an IIT-‐Bombay alumnus with an M.S and Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University and an IT entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, California. Romesh is the Founder-‐ Chairman of the $3 billion Symphony Technology Group. The Wadhwani Foundation is a not-for-profit organization focusing on high impact, niche activities leading to accelerated economic development. Its mission is to help individuals achieve their full potential, regardless of their background.
A Fundação, que não investe em oportunidades de negócios com fins lucrativos, trabalha atualmente na Índia em cinco iniciativas específicas:
•NEN: Com a ajuda de sua Rede Nacional de Empreendedorismo (NEN), a Fundação facilitou a criação de mais de 700 empresas no ano fiscal de 2012-2013. Mais de 500 institutos trabalham com a NEN e atingem mais de 500.000 alunos todos os anos. 100.000 alunos participam da Célula do Empreendedor da Fundação Wadhwani no campus todos os anos
•SDN : Por meio da Skill Development Network (SDN), a Fundação treinou 5.000 alunos em Haryana. Este ano, a meta é ampliar as operações para 250 escolas e atingir 40.000 alunos em vários estados. A estrutura nacional para VTE e 200 pilotos de CC foram aprovados pelo Gabinete
•ODN: A Opportunity Network for Disabled treinou e colocou 7.000 pessoas com deficiência em empregos corporativos.
Mais de 100 empresas e 500 gerentes de RH e de negócios foram sensibilizados. Várias organizações governamentais, treinamento corporativo e instrutores particulares foram mobilizados para recrutar e treinar pessoas com deficiência para atingir a meta estabelecida de 100.000
•RIN: A Rede de Pesquisa e Inovação foi iniciada em 2009 no IIT Mumbai. Em 2012, foi seguida pelo Centro de Pesquisa ShantaWadhwani no NCBS. Nesses dois centros, mais de 40 pesquisadores e mais de 150 bolsistas de doutorado e pós-doutorado estão envolvidos em pesquisas específicas sobre câncer, doenças cardíacas e neurais
-Índia - Política dos EUA: A Fundação Wadhwani estabeleceu cátedras paralelas encarregadas de se concentrar no aprimoramento das relações bilaterais entre a Índia e os EUA, tanto no Centro de Estudos Estratégicos e Internacionais (CSIS), em Washington DC, quanto no Conselho Indiano de Pesquisa sobre Relações Econômicas Internacionais (ICRIER), em Nova Délhi
About Forbes India Philanthropy Awards
The awards were launched in 2012 to applaud and recognize the efforts of individuals/companies who have given time, money, skill and expertise to create model institutions & inspire others.
Larger Purpose:
• Create role models of active philanthropy among wealthy businessmen and entrepreneurs
• Recognise serious attempts at creating sustainable models of giving
• Involve the larger business community in understanding the need and purpose of giving back to society
