Tech entrepreneur Jay Chaudhry, founder, and CEO of cloud security giant Zscaler, #85 on the Forbes 400 list, and a proud alumnus of the class of 1980, will speak as Chief Guest at the 9th Convocation of IIT (BHU), Varanasi.
The ceremony, which is being webcast live, begins at 9:30 a.m. Indian Standard Time (IST) on Monday, Feb. 8. In the U.S., this is Sunday, Feb. 7 at 8:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST)/11:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).
There will be a traditional academic procession on campus (incorporating social distance), Director’s Report, conferral of degrees, remarks by the Chairman of the Senate, presentation of medals and awards by the Dean of Academic Affairs, and an address by the Chairman of the Board of Governors.
** Chaudhry will be introduced at approximately 10:50 a.m. (IST) Feb. 8, or 9:20 p.m. (PST) Feb. 7/12:20 a.m. (EST) Feb. 8. To join the website, go to iitbhu.ac.in/webcast **
A proud IIT (BHU) alumnus, Chaudhry was honored to be invited to speak at this auspicious occasion for his alma mater and graciously accepted the opportunity to share words of encouragement with the graduates and issue a message of inspiration – and a challenge, to lead, and to give back.
Chaudhry came from a small farm in rural Himachal Pradesh, India. Now he has a corner office in San Jose, Silicon Valley, CA, USA, and a profile on the Forbes 400 list. Education was his springboard to a different life. He earned a B.Tech. degree in Electronics Engineering from IIT (BHU), Varanasi, India then Master’s degrees in Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Marketing in the United States.
Chaudhry subsequently built five successful start-up tech companies. Four were acquired in lucrative deals: SecureIT by VeriSign, CoreHarbor by AT&T, CipherTrust by Secure Computing, and AirDefense by Morola. The fifth, Zscaler, which he created with IIT (BHU) classmate K. Kailash, went public in March 2018 (NASDAQ: ZS) and has since grown its market cap to over $28 billion.
Chaudhry’s speaking engagement is supported by the IIT (BHU) Global Alumni Association and the IIT (BHU) Foundation, in close collaboration with IIT (BHU), Varanasi.
About the IIT (BHU) Global Alumni Association
The IIT (BHU) Global Alumni Association (IBGAA) represents all alumni of IIT (BHU), including BENCO, MINMET, and TECNO, all over the world. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered in the U.S. with a global presence via geographic chapters that serve as regional rallying points. IBGAA is involved in various activities to help strengthen the social and formal networking among its more than 10,000 members of the global IIT (BHU) family.
About the IIT (BHU) Foundation
The IIT (BHU) Foundation was created by several dedicated alumni for the purpose of raising funds for the university to help realize its vision for the next 100 years and position IIT (BHU) as a leading academic institution in India. The foundation is a U.S.-based registered nonprofit which can accept donations on behalf of IIT (BHU). The Board of Directors oversees the distribution of funds to IIT (BHU) and monitors their use for projects in the Centenary Plan. The board works in close coordination with IIT (BHU) and the Alumni Association, with the intent to raise awareness and engagement among alumni.