The business world mourns the loss of an iconic figure with the passing of Vineet Nayyar at the age of 85. Nayyar had an illustrious career spanning both the public and private sectors, making significant contributions in various leadership roles.
Having begun his career with the Indian Administrative Services, Nayyar went on to spend over a decade at the World Bank in senior management positions focused on energy, infrastructure and finance across East Asia and the Pacific region. He was the founding chairman of state-run natural gas major GAIL India Limited, steering the company during its formative years.
In the corporate sector, Nayyar served as Managing Director of HCL Corporation and later as Vice Chairman of IT giant HCL Technologies. He also founded IT services firm HCL Perot Systems. Over the years, Nayyar held board positions with various prominent companies.
Tech Mahindra acquired crisis-hit Satyam Computers in 2009 under Nayyar’s guidance. He also took on the challenging task of steering debt-laden infrastructure financier IL&FS as Vice Chairman and Managing Director during its financial turmoil in 2018, before resigning in 2020 due to health reasons.
Tributes have poured in for the visionary leader, with Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra thanking Nayyar for committing the latter years of his illustrious career towards the organization. Nayyar played a vital role in strengthening India’s technology landscape and left an indelible mark with his exceptional leadership abilities and crisis management skills. He will be deeply missed by the corporate sector and all those who were inspired by his journey.
