FC Kohli, doyen of IT industry and first CEO of TCS, dies

Faqir Chand Kohli, fondly called the father of India’s IT industry, died on Thursday at the age of 96. Born on March 19, 1924, Kohli was the first chief executive officer (CEO) of Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS), India’s largest IT services company.

As a pioneer of India’s IT revolution, Kohli laid the foundation for the country’s IT-ITeS services industry, which has since grown to $191 billion.

As chairman of Nasscom in 1994-95, Kohli led the industry and Nasscom to build global partnerships in key markets, showcase the opportunity for IT services from India and build a culture of collaboration among industry members.