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Published 08:26 IST, November 15th 2024

Who is Bharat Desai, The TCS Techie Who Has A Net Worth Of Rs 13,500 Crore

The 71 year old former TATA Consultancy Service (TCS) employee has exhibited commendable entrepreneurial spirit across the decades, which led to his success

Reported by: Urvi Shrivastav
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Bharat Desai
Bharat Desai: The Tech Visionary Behind Syntel with a Net Worth of Rs 13,500 Crore | Image: Republic Media

Indian origin Billionaire Bharat Desai is the founder of IT company Syntel, and currently has a net worth of around Rs 13,501 Cr, or $1.6 Billion. The 71 year old  former TATA Consultancy Service ( TCS ) employee has exhibited commendable entrepreneurial spirit across the decades, which led to his success.

Who Is Bharat Desai?

Bharat Desai was born in Kenya in November 1952. The Gujrati Indian origin Syntel Chairman, spent his childhood in Mombasa and Ahmedabad. Desai later joined IIT Bombay completed his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, and got an MBA in finance from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business. He migrated to the US as a programmer for TATA in 1976, where he met his wife Neerja Sethi. 

The Syntel Story

In 1980 the couple took the leap of faith and started IT consulting and outsourcing company Syntel with an initial investment of $2000 or Rs. 1.6 Lakhs. They started the firm in their small apartment in Troy, Michigan. In the first year, Syntel generated just $30,000 in sales. However, with Desai's strong vision and entrepreneurial spirit, the couple expanded their business across US, Europe, and Asia.  Desai's dedication paid off and in 2018, Atos SE, a French IT firm acquired Syntel for $3.4 Billion. At the time Syntel was already making $900 million in sales. All was not well between the two companies, and Atos accused Desai of hiding liabilities ahead of mergers and sued him,. The case was dismissed in 2023, Forbes reported. Forbes also recognised Syntel multiple times as one of the Best 200 Small Companies in America", which is a testament to their success in a competitive IT industry.

Desai currently lives in Fisher Island, Florida with his wife and two children. He is also a board member of several educational institutions, including Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Also Read: Reliance-Disney Merger: Interesting Facts - Numbers, Leadership Team, Other Details | Republic Business
 

Updated 11:26 IST, November 15th 2024