Jaithirth "Jerry" Rao is an Indian businessman and entrepreneur. He is the founder and former CEO of the software company Mphasis. He is the founder of Value and Budget Housing Corporation (VBHC) (now known as VBHC Value Homes Pvt. Ltd.), an affordable housing venture which he founded in 2008
Official website
. He was also a founder and director of Home First Finance Company, a Housing Finance company focused on providing housing finance to first time home buyers. He was also a member of the editorial advisory board of the '' Swarajya'' magazine. In 1998, Rao started Mphasis Corporation, a software company based in California, which subsequently merged with BFL Software in 2000. MphasiS rapidly rose to be one of the top 10 IT/BPO companies in India. In 2008, EDS acquired a majority stake in MphasiS. Mr. Rao stayed on as non-executive chairman of MphasiS and for some time as advisor to EDS. Rao held several positions in

Citibank Citibank, N. A. (N. A. stands for " National Association") is the primary U.S. banking subsidiary of financial services multinational Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, and later became First National City ...

prior to his founding MphasiS in 1998. In a banking career of over 20 years, he served with Citi and its parent Citicorp in various capacities in Asia, Europe, South America, and North America. He was Head of the Development Division of Citicorp and Chairman and CEO of Transaction Technologies Inc., based in California.

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Rao is an alumnus of

Loyola College, Chennai Loyola College is a private Catholic higher education institution run by the Society of Jesus in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It was founded in 1925 by the French Jesuit priest, Francis Bertram, along with other European Jesuits. It is an auto ...

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad) is the world's number 1 business school, located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The school has been accorded the status of an Institute of National Importance by Ministry of Human Resource ...

and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. He has also been given a Distinguished Alumnus Award from Loyola College, IIM Ahmedabad and the University of Chicago. His many areas of interest include sustainable construction technology, I.T. strategy, customer relationship management (CRM) and e-commerce – a subject on which he has testified before the US Congress. He teaches at

IIM Ahmedabad Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad) is the world's number 1 business school, located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The school has been accorded the status of an Institute of National Importance by Ministry of Human Resource ...

IIT Bombay The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay or IITB) is a public research university and technical institute in Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is considered as one of the best engineering universities in India and is top ranked ...

and at LIBA, Chennai. He has been Entrepreneur-in-Residence at

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

. Rao has been on the boards of various companies. He has been on the Board of Trustees of Nasscom Foundation, Sujaya Foundation and India Foundation for the Arts

Personal life

He takes interest in mentoring and advising technology and social enterprises. Rao is married and lives with his family in Mumbai, India.

Selected writings

Rao is a regular writer and speaker. Rao has published a volume of poetry (Gemini II published by Penguin India) and a book of essays (Notes from an Indian Conservative published by Rupa). He used to write a regular opinion column for the Indian Express and occasional columns for Seminar, Economic Times, India International Centre Quarterly and Mint.

Books

* ''GEMINI II (1995)'' * ''Notes From An Indian Conservative'' (2012) *''The Indian Conservative: A History of Indian Right-Wing Thought'' (2019) *''Economist Gandhi: The Roots And The Relevance Of The Political Economy Of The Mahatma (2021)''

Honors

Rao is a recipient of several distinguished business and government recognitions. He has been the Chairman of India's National Association of Software and Service Companies –

NASSCOM The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) is an Indian non-governmental trade association and advocacy group, focused mainly on the technology industry of India. Established in 1988, NASSCOM is a non-profit organis ...

. He was named the Ernst & Young 'Entrepreneur of the Year 2004' for the New York region along with MphasiS Vice Chairman Jeroen Tas, which followed his being similarly awarded in India for the year 2001 previously. In 2005, the Government of the Indian state of Karnataka honored him with the Rajyotsava Award.

References

External links

VBHC Official Website

Home First Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, Jerry Living people Businesspeople from Bangalore University of Chicago alumni Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad alumni Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad faculty Recipients of the Rajyotsava Award 2005 1952 births