In honor of the father of our distinguished alumnus Dr. Ganesh Natarajan (B.E. Mechanical, Class of 1978, BIT Mesra), BIT Mesra is pleased to announce the establishment of the G. Natarajan Chair Professor in Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Dr. Ganesh is a visionary leader in the corporate and social sector, and a true alumnus of excellence. This milestone is made possible by a generous contribution from Dr. Natarajan’s family to support excellence in scholarly pursuits in Artificial Intelligence.
This is a proud milestone for Department of Computer Science and Engineering, BIT Mesra and BITMAA, a legacy we are honored to share with our fraternity.
Our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Ganesh Natarajan for his visionary contribution.
Dr. Ganesh Natarajan is Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of 5F World, GTT Data Solutions Ltd. and Lighthouse Communities Foundation. He is also Chairman of Honeywell Automation India and EPPS and an independent Board member of Hinduja Global Solutions, SBI Payments, SBI DFHI, 1Crowd and Foundation to Educate Girls Globally. He is also a GP/ Global Partner in Cornerstone Ventures and Arise Ventures and an active investor through 5F World and the Indian Angel Network.
Ganesh has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from BIT 
Mesra, Ranchi, a Masters’ in Industrial Engineering from IIM Mumbai, PhD from IIT Bombay and Advanced Management from Harvard Business School. He has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award of BIT Mesra, IIT Bombay and IIM Mumbai. Harvard Business School has written and teaches two case studies on Dr. Ganesh Natarajan and his success through Vision Communities and Innovation.
Ganesh has a track record of success in intrapreneurship / entrepreneurship, scaling APTECH from 4 to 400 crores, Zensar from 300 to 3000 crores and GTT from start-up to two rounds of funding to private equity to a listing on the BSE main bourse in eleven years. EY recognised Ganesh for exceptional entrepreneurship in 2004.
Here Dr. Natarajan Speaks
Awards and recognitions
- Named the 'CEO of the Year' by the Asia Pacific HR Conference in 1999.
- Recognised as the CEO of the Decade – Knowledge Award, by Wisitex Foundation in 2000.
- Received the Asia HRD Congress Award for contributions to the organisation through HR in 2005.
- Finalist at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneurs of the Year Award, 2005.
- Gold Medallist in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering, IIT Bombay
Past positions
- Chairperson - The Outsourcing Forum of the Confederation of Indian Industries in Western India.
- Member - Executive Council of NASSCOM, India’s premier IT and BPO Association.
- Vice - Chairman and Global CEO - Zensar Technologies Ltd.
- Chairman - NASSCOM Innovation Forum (2005-07).
Special Memories from Dr. Natrajan: I truly enjoyed the interactions with my PhD guide Dr. Anand Patwardhan and attending pre-PhD classes of Dr. Karuna Jain and Dr: M.G. Koregaonkar. It was a welcome break from a CEO existence into the world of academics and research.