Nilekani, Akula in Time 100 list

NEW YORK: Infosys president Nandan Nilekani and NRI entrepreneur Vikram Akula have figured in Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people who shaped the world.

The list also included Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, Iranian leader Mohmoud Ahmadinejad, US President George W Bush, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabo, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Pope Benedict among others.

Describing Nilekani, who founded Infosys with NR Narayana Murty, as a "great explainer," Time said, "he has a unique ability not simply to programme software but also to explain how that programme fits into the emerging trends in computing business and how that transformation will affect global politics and economics."

He was one of the Indian engineer-entrepreneurs most responsible for creating the new reality that has produced a new image about India as a country of "brainy" people and "software engineers," the magazine said.