Early Life and Education
Sarojini Damodaran Shibulal, known as S.D. Shibulal, was born in Alappuzha, Kerala, India, on March 1, 1955. Growing up, his parents emphasized the importance of education. He attended T. D. High School in Alappuzha and graduated from S. D. College there. He earned a Master of Science in Physics from Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, and later, a Master of Science in Computer Science from Boston University in 1987.
Rise to Success
Shibulal's career began in 1979 as a software engineer at Patni Computer Systems. In 1981, he co-founded Infosys Consultants Pvt Ltd. with six others, including N.R. Narayana Murthy and Nandan Nilekani. He played a crucial role in Infosys' growth, focusing on project management and client relations in North America. He was instrumental in developing the Global Delivery Model, which became a standard for outsourced IT services. Shibulal served as the Chief Operating Officer from 2007 to 2011 and then as CEO and Managing Director from 2011 to 2014. During his tenure as CEO, he introduced the Infosys 3.0 strategy to propel the company into its next phase of evolution.
Key Business Strategies
Shibulal's strategic focus on the Global Delivery Model was pivotal, optimizing software development by distributing work across geographies, reducing costs, and improving efficiency. As CEO, he emphasized strengthening strategic partnerships and increasing client relevance, evolving the business model to drive company growth. After leaving Infosys, he co-founded Axilor Ventures, a business incubator, with Senapathy Gopalakrishnan, to support early-stage startups.
Philanthropy
Together with his wife Kumari, Shibulal established the Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives (SFPI) in 1998. SFPI focuses on education, healthcare, and social welfare, with the primary goal of breaking the cycle of poverty. The Vidyadhan scholarship program has impacted over 17,000 students across 22 states and UTs so far through 63,000 scholarships.
