Subroto Bagchi

Subroto Bagchi is a distinguished Indian entrepreneur and co-founder of Mindtree, an acclaimed global IT services company. Under his leadership, Mindtree grew into a $1 billion company (Fiscal 19) with over 20,000 employees globally. Initially serving as the Chief Operating Officer, he was appointed Vice-Chairman in 2010 and assumed the role of Chairman on April 1, 2012, a position he held until January 2016. During his tenure, Mindtree became one of India's most admired software companies, contributing significantly to projects like the AADHAR platform. By 2021, Mindtree's revenues exceeded $1 billion, with a global workforce of 23,000 and a market cap of $10 billion.

Subroto pursued his education in political science at Utkal University before starting his professional journey as a clerk in the Industries Department of the Government of Odisha in 1976. After a year, he transitioned to a management trainee position at DCM, where he worked for five years before entering the burgeoning computer industry in 1981.

Subroto's career in the IT sector spanned nearly two decades, during which he held various roles in sales, marketing, and operations at numerous computer companies. His longest tenure was at Wipro, where he rose to the position of Chief Executive of Wipro's Global R&D and later served as Corporate Vice-President, Mission Quality, working directly with Chairman Azim Premji. In 1998, Subroto left Wipro to join Lucent Technologies, but within a year, he co-founded Mindtree along with nine other visionaries in 1999.

In May 2016, Subroto took on a new challenge at the invitation of Odisha's Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, becoming the full-time Chairman of the Odisha Skill Development Authority. In this role, he aimed to create employable skills for 1.5 million youth by 2024, focusing primarily on school dropouts.

Subroto's efforts have transformed skill development in Odisha, making it aspirational and aligning various government initiatives under the 'Skilled-in-Odisha' brand. Notably, he forged a partnership with the Singapore Government to train over 215 ITI teachers and officials from Odisha, significantly enhancing the state's skill development programs.

Under his guidance, Odisha became the best-performing state in short-term, employment-linked skill development programs like DDU-GKY for three consecutive years. Subroto also pioneered the 'Nano-Unicorn' program, which supports skilled youth in starting small businesses, thereby fostering entrepreneurship and innovation. His leadership culminated in Odisha's historic achievement of winning its first gold medal at the World Skills Competition in Russia.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as the Government’s Chief Spokesperson, coordinating the state's response to the crisis. He also actively supports entrepreneurship development, industrial investment, and leadership development within the government.