Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji reveals what he looks for in a candidate, and it's not only talent

Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji on Wednesday while speaking with Business Today's Aabha Bakaya at Nasscom Technology & Leadership Forum 2023 revealed his hiring formula.

Premji, upon being asked how he works toward making his tech company diverse and inclusive, said that his perception towards hiring changed after a conversation with one of his board members.

"I was telling a board member that whenever I hire a candidate, I try to look for a commonality, something familiar if I can bond with this person post-work over a drink," he said, "That was before the conversation with this said board member."

However, Premji said that the board member told him he was doing it wrong. "He said I should instead be looking for a candidate that can challenge my ideas, bring in new perspectives and that's how we have made Wipro diverse now," he explained.

The Wipro chairman also said that building a culture in an organisation is not a journey but a destination. Premji emphasized that interpersonal relationships at the workplace are important and one of the reasons the virtual work model worked back in 2020 is because, he believes, the colleagues already knew each other. However, now that freshers are joining it is difficult to cultivate a relationship virtually with new people.

"No matter how advanced tech gets, it will never be able to help and build the relationships that can be built in person," Premji added.

He also said that though the future of work is hybrid, he is a big promoter of working from office.

Premji described his leadership style as empathetic. He said, "One of my favourite stories from work was at the time of the lockdown and work from home I heard about a boss who would call his employees for 15 minutes a week without agenda, just to hear them out. I think that's the kind of leader one must be, empathetic.

Watch: Key elements of high-performing work culture by Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji