Chairperson
Kiran Nadar
Chairperson, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
Trustee, Shiv Nadar Foundation
Kiran Nadar has profoundly shaped and inspired the Indian art world, becoming a pivotal force in the country's cultural landscape, with an influential vision that has increased the visibility of Indian modern and contemporary art worldwide. Through her unique vision, consistent efforts and unfailing enthusiasm, she has given India a global platform that showcases and promotes Indian art - The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), established in 2010. Her continuously expanding, diverse art collection today comprises over 15,000 plus artworks representative of all major phases of modern and contemporary Indian art, showcased at the two KNMA spaces with a combined display area of ~50,000 sq. ft. Kiran has not only established KNMA as an exhibition platform for new art forms, ensuring art’s accessibility to people, but under her guidance KNMA also drives dynamic outreach programs to nurture a museum-going culture among Indian youth.
Kiran has forged stellar collaborations with globally renowned museums including the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Tate Modern (London), Musée Des Arts Asiatiques, (Nice), Sharjah Art Foundation (Sharjah), Barbican (London) and Musée Guimet (Paris) in a short span. Kiran was the driving force behind the India Pavilion: Collaboration of Ministry of Culture, KNMA, CII and NGMA: Our time for a Future caring: at the 2019 La Biennale, the Venezia. Additionally, she also serves as an International Council member of the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA).
KNMA is set to open a new state-of-the-art building near Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. Covering 100,000 square meters, it aims to be a global cultural hub for visual arts, music, dance, and theatre. The new space will feature changing exhibitions, permanent displays, and performances, making it a versatile space for artistic expression. With its strategic location on National Highway (NH8), KNMA aims to become an international cultural destination accessible to a diverse audience.
Besides art and institution–building, Kiran is passionate about Bridge and is an acclaimed international-level Bridge player. She is one of the top Indian players of competitive Bridge and represented India at 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games, winning Bronze in the mixed team category. She has also won several laurels as a member of the “Formidables” team, leading it to victory at the Commonwealth Nations Bridge Championships 2018, bringing gold to India after 12 years. She is the driving force behind the HCL International Bridge Championship, which has been in existence for 18 years now.
Kiran is married to Shiv Nadar, Founder, HCL & Founder & Chairman, the Shiv Nadar Foundation, and shares her husband’s deep commitment towards philanthropy. She has been instrumental in helping set up the Shiv Nadar Foundation which has invested ~ US$ 1,228 million to create institutions of transformational education, nurturing India’s next-generation of leaders. Today, the Foundation’s institutions include SSN Institutions in Chennai, among the top private engineering colleges in India; the interdisciplinary Shiv Nadar University in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the recently launched Shiv Nadar University in Chennai. In the school education space, the Foundation has established VidyaGyan schools in Uttar Pradesh that provide free, world-class education to rural toppers from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and Shiv Nadar Schools in the NCR, consistently recognized among the top schools in the country. Shiksha, an innovative technology-led intervention in education by the Foundation, envisions creating a literate and empowered nation. Kiran is a member of the Rasaja Foundation which has been involved in a joint initiative with the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation to promote the education of the Dalit and Muslim girl child in some of the most backward districts in Uttar Pradesh in India.
Kiran has been consistently recognized for her contributions to Art and Philanthropy. Recently, she was honored with the prestigious Padma Shri in the Art category, which stands as one of the highest accolades for Indian civilians dedicated to making a positive impact in their respective fields. Additionally, in 2023, Kiran was bestowed with the title of "Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur" (Knight of the Legion of Honour), the highest French civilian award. This esteemed acknowledgment was granted in acknowledgment of her exceptional contributions to the field of art, her dedication to expanding access to culture on both national and international levels, and her pivotal role in fostering cultural ties between India and France. Most recently, Kiran received the HT City Legends 2024 award for her outstanding work in philanthropy.
Furthermore, Kiran's accolades include being named 'Collector of the Year 2018' at the India Today Art Awards and receiving the 'Public Art of the Year' award for her exceptional work at the India Pavilion during the Venice Biennale 2019. Notably, Kiran was also recognized globally as one of the 100 most influential individuals in the contemporary art world according to the widely respected ranking compiled by the UK-based ArtReview. Additionally, Forbes Asia Magazine recognized her as a 'hero of philanthropy' in 2010, for launching Kiran Nadar Museum of Art - India’s first philanthropic private museum of modern and contemporary art.
Kiran started her career at MCM followed by a stint at NIIT - a company that grew out of Shiv Nadar's vision for computer education in India. Kiran was responsible for shaping the NIIT brand building strategy in its formative years with Rajendra Pawar. Kiran lives in Delhi, India with her husband Shiv Nadar and enjoys time with her daughter Roshni and son-in-law Shikhar and her grandchildren Armaan and Jahaan.
