SHIV NADAR (310th on the Forbes list)
The now-rather low profile Shiv Nadar is the brain behind the HCL group, which is rated as one of the biggest companies in the Indian IT industry.
Shiv Nadar along with friends like Arjun Malhotra who now runs TechSpan, started HCL from a small flat in Delhi in 1976.
An electrical engineer from Coimbatore, he had worked with Cooper Engineering as a systems analyst and as a senior management trainee at DCM before starting HCL.
As founder and key architect of the company, Nadar was among the first to work out the onsite-offshore model, realizing the limitations of the offshore business model. He spearheaded strategic alliances, joint ventures and acquisitions during 1995-97, the period during which HCL laid the foundation for its growth.
In 1996, Nadar's clout in the industry was such that when Microsoft chief Bill Gates visited India he met with Nadar soon after his breakfast with the prime minister.
In December 1999, the company successfully completed an IPO and raised Rs 823 crore (Rs 8.23 billion).
Apart from HCL technologies, Nadar has two other major investments: NIIT and HCL Infosystems. However, he stepped down as chairman from both these companies and has delegated responsibilities to Rajendra Pawar in NIIT and Ajay Chowdhry in HCL.
However, in the last three years, Nadar has almost completely stepped out of the limelight and is never seen at the IT industry's conferences or events.
With a fortune of $1.8 billion, the 58-year-old Nadar bags the 310th spot on the Forbes list.