Sanjiv Sidhu Inducted into CEAT Hall of Fame

Sanjiv Sidhu, 1988 founder of i2 Technologies in Dallas, Texas, and 1982 graduate of OSU with a MS degree in Chemical Engineering was inducted into the College of Engineering Architecture and Technology Hall of Fame, October 27, 2006.    Since 1954, 80 CEAT graduates, who have made exemplary career contributions, have been inducted “for their fidelity to the nation, state, and profession.”    The citation describes i2 Technologies as “the world’s top provider of software for managing company supply chains, the cornerstone of business-to-business exchanges and electronic marketplaces.”   Sanjiv, the visionary for the company, recognized the business need and was able to create the optimization software that served the purpose.

Mr. Sidhu’s MS project advisor was former ChE professor Dr. Mayis Seapan, now working at the Dupont Research Center in Wilmington, Delaware.   Mayis writes, “Yes, Sanjiv Sidhu was a tall and thin young man … very bright and quite independent in his approach.  He came with a well rounded education and did an excellent job on his report.  His father was the director of Organic Chemistry Division of the Hyderabad Research Center.” 

When Fortune Magazine recognized the success of i2 Technologies, they called Mayis, who recalls, “One day I came home and my wife said that someone from Fortune magazine had called and wanted to talk to you.   I said they must be trying to sell a subscription.  She said, ‘No, they want to interview you.’   I said I have nothing to interest the Fortune magazine.   Next day a reporter called me at the office and gave the surprising good news that Sanjiv had made their list of top 400 successful business leaders. …  As you can imagine, I was quite pleased and happy to hear about his success.” 

While the business statistics are about multi millions, Sanjiv is about modesty, a passion to contribute, and generosity.   His message to the audience was “believe and follow your passion”, and his success permits him to serve as an evangelist for the “Seven Principles of an Agile Enterprise”, and provide i2’s e-commerce products to humanitarian organizations to manage their supplies.

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