Roshni Nadar Malhotra began her career as a news producer and became Chairperson of HCL Technologies in 2020. In 2025 she ranked No. 3 on the Hurun India Rich List, India’s richest woman.
The Story:
After graduating from Northwestern University in 2003, Roshni Nadar worked as a news producer at Sky News in London.
She earned an MBA at Kellogg, joined the board of HCL Corporation in 2008, and became its CEO in April 2009, aged 27.
In 2013 she joined the HCL Technologies board, and in October 2018 she became vice-chairperson.
On July 17, 2020, she became Chairperson, succeeding her father, Shiv Nadar, and became the first woman to chair a listed Indian IT company.
In 2025 she was reported to have received 47% of her father’s stake in the promoter entities. Hurun ranked her No. 3 in India, with ₹2.84 lakh crore with family. HCLTech’s FY2026 revenue was about ₹1.41 lakh crore.
Business Insight:
Her path shows staged succession: board seat, holding-company CEO, listed-company board, vice-chair, chair. Each step gave her time to earn credibility before taking control.
The FundForge Take:
Inheritance gets you a seat. Credibility takes a decade. Roshni Nadar Malhotra spent that decade learning the business step by step, which is why her chairmanship was an evolution, not a headline.
