Mr. Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro Ltd. was honoured with the ‘Swiss Ambassador’s Award for inspirational and socially responsible leadership’ on December 03, 2014 in a ceremony in Mumbai that was attended by leading industry leaders and eminent personalities.

The award recognizes his commitment to values, with the firm belief that success in business eventually but inevitably follows.

Swiss Ambassador to India, Dr. Linus von Castelmur, referring to Mr. Azim Premji as one of the beacons of India’s corporate world, emphasized that the Wipro chairman has maintained values such as tolerance, honesty, modesty, ethical and social responsible behavior while reaching entrepreneurial heights.

Delivering the laudatory speech, Mr. Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman & Managing Director, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. said, “Azim has always had a frugal lifestyle. Some of the greatest persons in business over the last fifty years are those who were driven by the passion of development in a totally selfless way. Azim stands tall among them, shunning personal recognition. This deep commitment to the development of India led him to be a leader in philanthropy so that he could use his considerable wealth to do good for those many millions of Indians who lacked opportunity in education.”

Switzerland, with its deep rooted entrepreneurship culture and accent on forging long term relationships, holds special significance for Wipro. A leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, Wipro started operations in Switzerland fifteen years ago and today counts over 60% of the Swiss-headquartered blue chip companies as its customers and partners. Over 4,000 Wipro employees — both onsite & offshore — work on Swiss-based customer accounts. About 400 employees are based in Switzerland. The company continues to make strategic investments in Switzerland and sees growth opportunities particularly in two key areas: business centric innovation and industrialized service delivery. The company has been gradually expanding its footprint in the market by localizing capabilities across technology and processes, increased customer-focused solutions, strategic partnerships and by leveraging the global delivery model. Wipro’s offices in Switzerland are located at Zurich, Basel and Geneva.

Mr. Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro Ltd in his acceptance speech said, “It’s an honor to receive the Swiss Ambassador’s award. I feel strongly that corporations have their own responsibility to society and individuals have their own responsibility. We must do good work in the area of corporate social responsibility and those of us, who are privileged to have acquired wealth, also must engage with personal philanthropy.”

Swiss Ambassador’s Award recognizes individuals who have contributed to the promotion of Indo-Swiss bilateral relations or have stood out for their exceptional role in the society and industry. The award was constituted in the year 2010 and has since been conferred on noted producer-director Mr. Yash Chopra; Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman-Emeritus of Tata Sons; CMD of Glenmark Generics Limited, Mr. Glenn Saldanha and Mr. R.V. Kanoria, CMD, Kanoria Chemicals & Industries Ltd.

Swiss Ambassador’s Award has been made possible with the support of:
Switzerland Global Enterprise, Nestlé India Ltd., Clariant Chemicals (India) Ltd., Novartis India Ltd. and Switzerland Tourism.

Address by Ambassador Dr. Linus von Castelmur

Laudatory Speech by Mr. Jamshyd N. Godrej, Chairman & Managing Director, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd.

Acceptance speech by Mr. Azim H. Premji, Chairman Wipro Ltd.

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