Premji conferred with France's Chevalier award

November 28, 2018 17:21

IT czar and philanthropist Azim Premji was bestowed with the highest French civilian distinction Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) on Wednesday.

Premji, who is the chairman of Bengaluru-headquartered IT major Wipro, received the distinction from the Ambassador of France to India Alexandre Ziegler in Bengaluru, Wipro said.

"The award was bestowed on Azim Premji for his outstanding contribution to developing the information technology industry in India, his economic outreach in France, and his laudable contribution to society as a philanthropist through the Azim Premji Foundation and Azim Premji University," Ziegler said.

In his acceptance speech, Premji said, "I am extremely honoured by the award bestowed on me. The vibrancy of the French democracy and its diversity is an inspiration to all across the world."

The Legion d'Honneur (Legion of Honour), instituted in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, is the highest civilian award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipients.

Some of the past Indian recipients of the prestigious award include renowned scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee C N R Rao, later Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan, actor Kamal Haasan, Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee and superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

Wipro said its association with France spans over 15 years and the company enjoys a close relationship with several French organisations.

Nearly 65 per cent of Wipro's employees in France are locals.

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