Our aim is to set some kind of benchmark and standards for transparency and governance in private philanthropy.
I am privileged to have the kind of platform I do and the kind of support I do. A lot of women in this country don't have that.
The success of SSN in South India inspired us to create an institution in North India.
Of course I have my father guiding me, and I have people who I have actually grown up with and who advise me.
Along with my dad, my mother's pretty high up there. She's a star! Her interests are so diverse - she's an art collector and a sports enthusiast.
To make a difference, you have to have large aspirations.
Schools like Doon or Lawrence in Sanawar didn't decide to create leaders when they started. Look at their alumni list today, and you have a former prime minister, Olympic gold medallist, army generals, cabinet ministers, and leaders in different spheres. Some kind of training started at the school level itself that helped create leaders.
Exposing children to nature, especially at an early age, keeps them grounded.
My mother and father are exceptionally proud Indians. They always wanted to contribute, to give back philanthropically, especially in the field of education.
Media really excited me. As an undergrad, I majored in radio, television, and film and did internships with CNBC and CNN. My first job was at Sky News in London.
Having such high-profile parents could be intimidating, but really, they've let me do my own thing and evolve as a person. When I changed my major from economics to film, they were cool about it.
The important thing for my father bringing me on the board of HCL Technologies was to expose me to our largest asset, which is HCL Technologies.
When we look at really good high-performing companies abroad, they are always at the back of an extremely high-performing board, and that is something which is very lacking in this country.
I am the CEO of HCL Corporation, and, of course, a large part of my time does get spent in HCL Corporation, whether it is in actively managing our investments or perhaps even the governance and accountability and really seeing the strategic direction forward for HCL Corporation.
HCL and Wipro are largely controlled by one family, so a strife with the board is not possible.
I am not interested in the technology business, at least not in getting hands-on.
Philanthropy is all about sharing. If there's an opportunity to collaborate, we will. Collaborating just for finance is pointless. It has to be like a business collaboration.
It was only when I started handling Treasury Operations that I realised all of a sudden just how much wealth we have. That is a huge responsibility, so I decided to get on with it and learn how to manage it, because I am a single child and have no siblings to share the responsibility with.
My day starts with my son and finishes with my son, and in between, I get to do everything else.
I graduated from Kellogg. I studied social enterprise.
