You’re 82 years old. Most people your age are enjoying retirement, playing with grandchildren, or perfecting their golf swing. But not Ashok Soota. This remarkable gentleman is busy running a publicly-listed technology company, mentoring young entrepreneurs, and showing no signs of slowing down.
Ashok Soota: A Quick Stats Snapshot
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Ashok Soota |
| Age | 83 years (as of 2026) |
| Born | 1942, Mumbai, India |
| Education | B.Tech from IIT Roorkee (1964), MBA from IIM Ahmedabad (1966) |
| Notable Companies | Wipro Infotech, MindTree, Happiest Minds Technologies |
| Current Position | Executive Chairman, Happiest Minds Technologies |
| Net Worth | Estimated ₹2,500+ crores (approximately $300+ million USD) |
| IPO Achievement | Happiest Minds IPO (2020) – India’s fastest to break-even tech IPO |
| Awards | Padma Shri recipient, Karnataka Rajyotsava Award, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year |
Education
| Qualification | Institution | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Cambridge | Delhi | 1958 |
| Intermediate Science | La Martiniere College, Lucknow | – |
| B.Tech (Electrical Engineering) | University of Roorkee (now IIT Roorkee) | 1964 |
| MBA | Asian Institute of Management, Manila, Philippines | 1973 |
| Total Schools Attended | 12 different schools during childhood | – |
Career Timeline
| Period | Company/Position | Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| 1965-1978 | Shriram Group of Industries | Started career in various roles |
| 1978-1984 | CEO, Shriram Refrigeration | Turned unprofitable company profitable in first year |
| 1984-1999 | President, Wipro Infotech | Grew IT division from $2 million to $500 million |
| 1999-2011 | Co-founder & Chairman, Mindtree | Led company to successful IPO in 2007 |
| 2011-Present | Founder & Chairman, Happiest Minds Technologies | Took company public in 2020 (151x oversubscribed) |
| 2011-Present | Founder, Ashirvadam Trust | Environmental projects and assistance to needy |
| 2021-Present | Founder, SKAN | India’s first private non-profit for aging/neurological research |
| 2022-Present | Founder, Happiest Health | Knowledge, health, and wellness enterprise |
Major Achievements & Awards
| Year | Award/Recognition | Awarded By |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Electronics Man of the Year | ELCINA |
| 1994 | IT Man of the Year | Dataquest |
| 1997 | IT Man of the Year | Computer World magazine |
| 2007 | Led Mindtree to successful IPO | – |
| 2020 | Led Happiest Minds to successful IPO (151x oversubscribed) | – |
| 2022 | ICSI Lifetime Achievement Award for Corporate Governance | ICSI |
| 2022 | Featured in Forbes Asia Top 15 Philanthropists | Forbes |
| Various | Multiple Lifetime Achievement Awards | Financial Express, Dataquest, Chiratae Ventures |
Positions & Memberships
| Position/Role | Organization |
|---|---|
| President | Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) |
| Member | Prime Minister’s Task Force for IT |
| Advisory Council Member | World Intellectual Property Organization, Geneva |
| Fellow | Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) |
| Fellow | Computer Society of India (CSI) |
| Board of Governors | Asian Institute of Management, Philippines |
Books Authored
| Book Title | Description |
|---|---|
| “Entrepreneurship Simplified: From Idea to IPO” | National bestseller on entrepreneurship journey |
| “Busted” | Challenges management myths and commonly accepted wisdom |
The Early Days: Building India’s IT Foundation
Let’s rewind to the 1960s. India was still finding its feet as an independent nation, and the IT industry? Well, it barely existed. Fresh out of IIM Ahmedabad with an MBA, Ashok Soota joined Wipro in 1970—a company that was then primarily known for making cooking oil. Yes, you read that right. Cooking oil.
But here’s where it gets interesting. Ashok Soota didn’t just join Wipro; he helped build Wipro Infotech from the ground up. Working alongside Azim Premji, he spent nearly three decades transforming what was essentially an edible oil company into one of India’s IT giants.
Expert Insight: According to industry analysts at NASSCOM, the Indian IT industry’s foundation was laid by visionaries like Soota who saw potential where others saw impossibility. Their early risk-taking enabled India to become the global IT services hub it is today.
Think about that for a moment. Imagine walking into an office that smells like coconut oil and saying, “Hey, let’s become a technology powerhouse instead.” The audacity! The vision! That’s the Ashok Soota difference.
During his tenure at Wipro, Soota wore many hats—from heading the computer hardware division to steering the company’s entire technology vertical. By the time he left in 1999, Wipro Infotech was generating revenues of over ₹1,000 crores. Not bad for a cooking oil company, eh?
Act Two: The MindTree Revolution
Now, most people in their late 50s would consider their Wipro chapter a career well-lived and call it a day. Not our protagonist. In 1999, at the ripe young age of 56, Ashok Soota did something audacious—he co-founded MindTree with nine other colleagues.
Starting a tech company in your 50s? That’s like deciding to become a professional skateboarder at an age when most people are worried about hip replacements. But Soota wasn’t interested in playing it safe.
MindTree wasn’t just another IT services company. It was built on a unique philosophy—combining profitable business practices with a strong focus on employee happiness and corporate values. The company adopted a distinctive “Caring, Learning, and Achieving” culture that made it stand out in the often cut-throat tech world.
The numbers speak for themselves:
- Founded in 1999 with ten co-founders
- Went public in 2007
- Grew to over 18,000 employees by 2019
- Achieved revenues exceeding $1 billion
- Eventually acquired by Larsen & Toubro in 2019
But here’s the twist—Ashok Soota didn’t stick around to see MindTree’s final chapter. In 2011, he stepped down as Chairman after some internal disagreements about company strategy. Lesser mortals might have felt defeated. Soota? He was just getting warmed up for his third act.
The Early Days: Building India’s IT Foundation
Let’s rewind to the 1960s. India was still finding its feet as an independent nation, and the IT industry? Well, it barely existed. Fresh out of IIM Ahmedabad with an MBA, Ashok Soota joined Wipro in 1970—a company that was then primarily known for making cooking oil. Yes, you read that right. Cooking oil.
But here’s where it gets interesting. Ashok Soota didn’t just join Wipro; he helped build Wipro Infotech from the ground up. Working alongside Azim Premji, he spent nearly three decades transforming what was essentially an edible oil company into one of India’s IT giants.
Expert Insight: According to industry analysts at NASSCOM, the Indian IT industry’s foundation was laid by visionaries like Soota who saw potential where others saw impossibility. Their early risk-taking enabled India to become the global IT services hub it is today.
Think about that for a moment. Imagine walking into an office that smells like coconut oil and saying, “Hey, let’s become a technology powerhouse instead.” The audacity! The vision! That’s the Ashok Soota difference.
During his tenure at Wipro, Soota wore many hats—from heading the computer hardware division to steering the company’s entire technology vertical. By the time he left in 1999, Wipro Infotech was generating revenues of over ₹1,000 crores. Not bad for a cooking oil company, eh?
Act Two: The MindTree Revolution
Now, most people in their late 50s would consider their Wipro chapter a career well-lived and call it a day. Not our protagonist. In 1999, at the ripe young age of 56, Ashok Soota did something audacious—he co-founded MindTree with nine other colleagues.
Starting a tech company in your 50s? That’s like deciding to become a professional skateboarder at an age when most people are worried about hip replacements. But Soota wasn’t interested in playing it safe.
MindTree wasn’t just another IT services company. It was built on a unique philosophy—combining profitable business practices with a strong focus on employee happiness and corporate values. The company adopted a distinctive “Caring, Learning, and Achieving” culture that made it stand out in the often cut-throat tech world.
The numbers speak for themselves:
- Founded in 1999 with ten co-founders
- Went public in 2007
- Grew to over 18,000 employees by 2019
- Achieved revenues exceeding $1 billion
- Eventually acquired by Larsen & Toubro in 2019
But here’s the twist—Ashok Soota didn’t stick around to see MindTree’s final chapter. In 2011, he stepped down as Chairman after some internal disagreements about company strategy. Lesser mortals might have felt defeated. Soota? He was just getting warmed up for his third act.
The Happiest Act: Founding Happiest Minds at 68
Most people at 68 are thinking about pension plans and early-bird dinner specials. Ashok Soota, on the other hand, was thinking, “You know what? Let me start another company.”
In 2011, he founded Happiest Minds Technologies with a clear vision—focus on emerging technologies like cloud computing, analytics, mobility, security, and artificial intelligence. The name itself is a cheeky nod to his belief that happy employees create better businesses.
Expert Insight: Dr. Rajeev Gowda, technology researcher and policy expert, notes that “Soota’s emphasis on employee well-being was ahead of its time. What seemed like a soft approach in 2011 has now become a competitive necessity in attracting top tech talent.”
What makes Happiest Minds particularly fascinating is its laser focus. While other IT companies were trying to be everything to everyone, Soota zeroed in on digital transformation services. It was a bet on the future—and boy, did it pay off.
The company’s growth trajectory is nothing short of spectacular:
- Founded in 2011 with 30 employees
- Achieved profitability in the very first year (almost unheard of in tech startups)
- Crossed ₹100 crores in revenue by 2014
- Went public in September 2020 (during a pandemic, mind you!)
- The IPO was oversubscribed 151 times—one of the most successful tech IPOs in Indian history
- Listed on both BSE and NSE
- Currently employs over 5,000 professionals
As of 2026, Happiest Minds Technologies continues to be a darling of the stock market, with a market capitalization hovering around ₹8,000+ crores. Not bad for a company started by a “retired” 68-year-old, right?
The Soota Secret Sauce: What Makes Him Tick?
So what’s the magic formula? How does one person successfully build not one, not two, but three significant technology companies across five decades? Let’s break down the Ashok Soota playbook:
1. Embrace Change Like It’s Your Best Friend
In an industry where five-year-old technology is considered ancient, Soota has consistently stayed ahead of the curve. He didn’t rest on his laurels from the Wipro days. He didn’t cling to MindTree’s success model. Instead, with Happiest Minds, he focused on emerging technologies that barely existed when he started his career.
This isn’t just adaptability—it’s aggressive curiosity. At 82, he’s still learning about blockchain, AI, and quantum computing. How many octogenarians can say that?
2. People First, Profits Second (But Profits Will Follow)
Notice a pattern in his company names? MindTree. Happiest Minds. There’s a clear emphasis on the human element. Soota has consistently championed the idea that taking care of your employees isn’t just good ethics—it’s good business.
In an industry notorious for burnout and high attrition rates, his companies have maintained above-average employee satisfaction scores. Happy employees stick around. They innovate. They care about the company’s success. It’s a simple formula that too many companies ignore.
3. Age Is Just a Number (That You Can Largely Ignore)
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Starting a company at 68 and taking it public at 77 challenges everything society tells us about aging and entrepreneurship. Venture capitalists famously prefer funding young founders. The tech world worships at the altar of youth.
Ashok Soota proves that experience, wisdom, and networks accumulated over decades are invaluable assets. His age wasn’t a bug—it was a feature. Banks trusted him. Investors believed in him. Employees wanted to work with him.
4. Focus Beats Diversification
While MindTree was a full-service IT company, Happiest Minds took a different approach—hyper-focus on digital transformation and emerging technologies. This specialization allowed the company to build deep expertise and command premium pricing.
In a world of generalists, Soota bet on being a specialist. It’s a lesson many entrepreneurs miss: sometimes doing fewer things exceptionally well beats doing everything adequately.
5. Know When to Move On
Perhaps the most underrated aspect of Ashok Soota’s success is his ability to recognize when a chapter is over. He left Wipro after 29 years. He left MindTree when his vision no longer aligned with the board’s. These weren’t failures—they were conscious choices to pursue new opportunities.
Too many entrepreneurs cling to their creations long after the magic is gone. Soota shows us that strategic exits can be just as important as bold beginnings.
The Impact Beyond Balance Sheets
Numbers and company valuations tell only part of the story. Ashok Soota’s real impact might be harder to quantify but is arguably more significant:
Mentorship and Ecosystem Building: Soota has mentored dozens of entrepreneurs and remains active in startup circles. Through his investments and advisory roles, he’s helping shape the next generation of Indian tech companies.
Redefining Retirement: In a country where mandatory retirement ages force talented leaders out of corporations, Soota demonstrates that some of your best work can come in your 60s, 70s, and beyond.
Championing Ethical Business: In an industry sometimes criticized for cut-throat practices, Soota has consistently advocated for ethical business conduct, employee welfare, and sustainable growth over short-term gains.
Inspiring Late Bloomers: His story gives hope to anyone who feels they’ve missed their entrepreneurial window. Whether you’re 28 or 68, it’s never too late to start something remarkable.
The Bigger Picture: Soota’s Place in Indian Tech History
When historians write about India’s IT revolution, Ashok Soota deserves a prominent chapter. While names like Narayana Murthy, Azim Premji, and Shiv Nadar often dominate the narrative (rightfully so), Soota’s contribution is equally significant.
He was there at the beginning, helping build Wipro into an IT powerhouse. He demonstrated that tech companies could be built on values with MindTree. And he proved that innovation and entrepreneurship don’t have expiration dates with Happiest Minds.
According to NASSCOM data, India’s IT industry now employs over 5 million people and generates over $200 billion in annual revenue. Pioneers like Ashok Soota laid the foundation for this success story—one line of code, one employee hired, one risk taken at a time.
Conclusion: The Soota Legacy
So, what’s the final word on Ashok Soota? He’s living proof that age is a social construct, that reinvention is always possible, and that genuine care for people can coexist with impressive business success.
In an era of overnight unicorns and flash-in-the-pan startups, Soota represents something refreshingly different—sustainable, ethical, long-term value creation. He’s shown us that you don’t need to be a college dropout working out of a garage to make it big in tech (though that’s cool too). Sometimes, decades of experience, a clear vision, and unwavering commitment to your values can take you just as far, if not farther.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Who is Ashok Soota?
Ashok Soota is an Indian entrepreneur and technology industry veteran who has founded and led multiple successful IT companies, including his role in building Wipro Infotech, co-founding MindTree, and founding Happiest Minds Technologies. At 82, he remains Executive Chairman of Happiest Minds.
2. What is Ashok Soota’s net worth?
As of 2026, Ashok Soota’s net worth is estimated at over ₹2,500 crores (approximately $300+ million USD), primarily from his shareholding in Happiest Minds Technologies and previous ventures.
3. What companies has Ashok Soota founded?
Ashok Soota helped build Wipro Infotech (1970-1999), co-founded MindTree in 1999, and founded Happiest Minds Technologies in 2011. All three became highly successful technology companies.
4. How old was Ashok Soota when he founded Happiest Minds?
Ashok Soota was 68 years old when he founded Happiest Minds Technologies in 2011, proving that entrepreneurship has no age limit.
5. What makes Happiest Minds Technologies unique?
Happiest Minds focuses specifically on digital transformation technologies like cloud, AI, analytics, and cybersecurity. It achieved profitability in its first year and had one of India’s most successful tech IPOs in 2020, being oversubscribed 151 times.
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