PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Global business leader N.R. Narayana Murthy, considered to be one of the fathers of India’s information technology revolution, will deliver a Stephen A. Ogden Jr. ’60 Memorial Lecture on International Affairs on Monday, March 1, 2010, at 5:30 p.m. in MacMillan Hall, Starr Auditorium, 167 Thayer St. His lecture, titled “Global Economic Future and the Role of Indian IT,” is free and open to the public. Murthy will discuss India’s national strides, its powerful new international position, and the role technology has played.

N.R. Narayana Murthy is the founder and chairman of Infosys Technologies Ltd., a global software consulting company headquartered in Bangalore, India. He is widely considered one of the most powerful and influential CEOs in the world. Murthy founded Infosys in 1981, and under his leadership it was listed on NASDAQ in 1999. Murthy designed and implemented the global delivery model that became the foundation for the huge success of information technology services outsourcing in India. He has led corporate governance initiatives in India and is an IT advisor to several Asian countries.

“Narayana Murthy is a new kind of business leader and has become an iconic public figure in India,” said Ashutosh Varshney, professor of political science. “Starting small, he has risen phenomenally in a highly competitive global field. He represents a rare blend of vision, courage, leadership, commitment and integrity, and has become an inspiration to many in India and abroad.”

The Economist ranked Murthy in 2005 among the 10 most admired global business leaders. He topped the Economic Times list of India’s most powerful CEOs for three consecutive years, from 2004 to 2006. He has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan — India’s second highest civilian award, given for exceptional service to the nation — by the government of India, the Legion d’honneur by the government of France, and the CBE by the British government. He is the first Indian winner of Ernst and Young’s World Entrepreneur of the Year award and the Max Schmidheiny Liberty prize, and has appeared in rankings of top business leaders and innovators published by India Today, Business Standard, Forbes, BusinessWeek, Time, CNN, Fortune, and Financial Times. He is the author of A Better India: A Better World, published by Penguin Books India in 2009.

Murthy was one of nine new foreign associates elected this month by the National Academy of Engineering. He was cited for his contributions to the development of global information technology services.

On the occasion of Brown’s Year of India program, this event is sponsored by the 82nd Stephen A. Ogden Jr. ’60 Memorial Lecture on International Affairs.

Stephen A. Ogden Jr. ’60 Memorial Lecture

Since 1965, the Ogden Lectureship has presented the University and its neighboring communities with authoritative and timely addresses about international affairs. The lectureship was established in memory of Stephen A. Ogden Jr., a member of the Brown Class of 1960, who died in 1963 from injuries he suffered in a car accident during his junior year. His family created the series as a tribute to Ogden’s interest in advancing international peace and understanding.

Dozens of heads of state, diplomats, and observers of the international scene have participated in the series, including Queen Noor of Jordan, former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, President of Brazil Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, media innovator Ted Turner, astronaut Sen. John Glenn, economist Paul Volcker, Bolivian President Evo Morales, and Romano Prodi, former prime minister of Italy.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Office of University Events at (401) 863-2474.