Canon vs Wipro: Founders, CEOs and History
Canon was founded in 1937 by Takeshi Mitarai, Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida and is led by Fujio Mitarai. Wipro was founded in 1945 by Mohamed Hasham Premji and is led by Srini Pallia.
Company facts
Founders
Canon
Takeshi Mitarai
Takeshi Mitarai supported the camera laboratory that Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida and Takeo Maeda opened in 1933, and became president of its successor, Precision Optical Industry, Co., Ltd., in 1942.
Goro Yoshida
Yoshida took apart a Leica Model II and, as he later recalled, was angered to find it was built from brass, aluminium, iron and rubber yet sold for 420 yen.
Saburo Uchida
Saburo Uchida (1899-1982) co-founded the Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory with Goro Yoshida, his brother-in-law, and Takeo Maeda in November 1933.
Takeo Maeda
Takeo Maeda (1909-1977) was the youngest of the founding group. A former subordinate of Saburo Uchida, he joined Uchida and Goro Yoshida in opening the Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory in Roppongi in November 1933 and worked on the Kwanon prototype and…
Wipro
Mohamed Hasham Premji
Mohamed Hasham Premji incorporated Western India Vegetable Products Limited in Amalner, Maharashtra in 1945 to produce vegetable oil.
CEOs and their tenures
Canon
- Takeshi Mitarai1942–1974
President
An obstetrician who backed the 1933 camera laboratory, he became president of Precision Optical Industry in 1942 and led the company as it became Canon Camera Co. in 1947, listed in Tokyo in 1949 and opened sales offices in New York and Geneva in the 1950s.
Source - Ryuzaburo Kaku1977–1989
President, later Chairman
As President, he aggressively challenged Xerox's monopoly in the copier market by introducing affordable, personal laser printers and copiers.
Source - Fujio Mitarai1995–present
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Born in 1935 and a nephew of Takeshi Mitarai, he joined Canon in 1961, ran Canon U.S.A. as president from 1979 to 1989 and became president of Canon Inc. in 1995.
Source - Tsuneji Uchida2006–2012
President and Chief Operating Officer
During his tenure as President, he maintained strong profitability through strict cost-cutting measures despite the brutal collapse of the digital compact camera market.
Source - Masaya Maeda2016–2020
President and Chief Operating Officer
He led the Image Communication Products group during the height of the DSLR era, cementing Canon's position as the global market leader in interchangeable lens cameras.
Source - Kazuto Ogawa2026–present
President and Chief Operating Officer
Joined Canon in 1981 and led Canon Singapore (2005), Canon Canada (2008) and Canon U.S.A. as President and COO (2018).
Source
Wipro
- Abidali Neemuchwala2016–2020
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
He led the Appirio purchase and a push into digital services. He stepped down in 2020 and Thierry Delaporte succeeded him.
Source - Rishad Premji2019–present
Executive Chairman
As Executive Chairman, he enforced a strict return-to-office mandate and publicly cracked down on employee moonlighting, prioritizing utilization rates over aggressive headcount growth.
Source - Thierry Delaporte2020–2024
CEO and Managing Director
He decentralized Wipro's operating model into four massive strategic market units, though he struggled to match the organic growth rates of rivals like TCS and Infosys before stepping down.
Source - Srini Pallia2024–present
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Leads Wipro's push for large deals, consulting-led selling, and AI-enabled delivery.
Source
Timeline: Canon and Wipro side by side
1933Canon
Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory opens
Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida and Takeo Maeda open a camera laboratory in a Roppongi apartment in Tokyo to build a Japanese 35mm camera that could rival the Leica.
1934Canon
Kwanon prototype
Yoshida builds the Kwanon, Japan's first 35mm focal-plane-shutter camera prototype, named after the Buddhist goddess of mercy. It never goes on sale.
1936Canon
Hansa Canon goes on sale
The lab's first commercial camera, the Hansa Canon, uses a Nikkor lens and rangefinder supplied by Nippon Kogaku, the predecessor of Nikon. The 'Canon' trademark had been filed in 1935.
1937Canon
Precision Optical Industry incorporated
The business is incorporated on August 10, 1937 as Precision Optical Industry, Co., Ltd. Takeshi Mitarai becomes president in 1942.
1945Wipro
Incorporated as Western India Vegetable Products
Mohamed Hasham Premji sets up a vegetable oil business in Amalner, Maharashtra.
1949Canon
Tokyo Stock Exchange listing
Canon Camera Co. (renamed in 1947) lists on the Tokyo Stock Exchange when postwar trading resumes, and opens a New York branch in 1955.
1964Canon
Canola 130 calculator
Canon moves beyond cameras with the Canola 130 desktop electronic calculator, followed in 1970 by Japan's first plain-paper copier, the NP-1100, and its first semiconductor lithography tool, the PPC-1.
1966Wipro
Azim Premji takes over
After his father's death, 21-year-old Azim Premji leaves Stanford to run the company.
1969Canon
Renamed Canon Inc.
Canon Camera Co. changes its name to Canon Inc. to reflect a product range that now spans business machines as well as cameras.
1987Canon
EOS system launches
Canon launches the EOS 650 and the all-electronic EF lens mount, the base of its autofocus SLR and later digital SLR lines.
1995Canon
Fujio Mitarai becomes president
Fujio Mitarai takes over as president, exits personal computers and other loss-making lines, and in 1996 starts the Excellent Global Corporation Plan.
2000Wipro
NYSE listing
Wipro lists American Depositary Shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker WIT.
2003Canon
Start of No. 1 camera share run
Canon takes the No. 1 share of the global interchangeable-lens digital camera market, a position it has held every year through 2025.
2007Wipro
Acquired Infocrossing
Wipro Limited acquired Infocrossing for $600 million.
2013Wipro
Non-IT businesses demerged
Consumer care, lighting, and infrastructure engineering businesses move to the unlisted Wipro Enterprises.
2016Canon
Toshiba Medical acquisition
Canon completes the ¥665.5 billion (about $5.9 billion) purchase of Toshiba Medical Systems in December 2016, later renamed Canon Medical Systems.
2016Wipro
Appirio Acquired
Wipro bought the cloud services company Appirio in 2016 for about $500 million.
2018Canon
EOS R mirrorless system
Canon launches the full-frame EOS R mirrorless system and RF lens mount.
2019Wipro
Rishad Premji becomes Executive Chairman
Azim Premji retires from the executive role and his son Rishad Premji takes over as chairman.
2021Wipro
Capco acquisition completed
Wipro completes its $1.45 billion acquisition of financial services consultancy Capco.
2022Wipro
Acquired Rizing
Wipro Limited acquired Rizing for $540 million.
2023Canon
Nanoimprint lithography launch
Canon releases the FPA-1200NZ2C nanoimprint lithography system in October 2023, able to pattern 14 nm lines, and delists its ADRs from the New York Stock Exchange in March.
2024Canon
First NIL shipment and medical impairment
Canon ships its first nanoimprint system to the Texas Institute for Electronics on September 26, 2024, and books a ~$1.11 billion (¥165.1 billion) goodwill impairment on its medical business for the year.
2024Wipro
Srini Pallia named CEO
Srini Pallia succeeds Thierry Delaporte as CEO and Managing Director in April 2024.
2025Canon
Record net sales of ~$31 billion (¥4,624.7 billion)
Canon reports record 2025 net sales of ~$31 billion (¥4,624.7 billion) and net income attributable to Canon Inc. of ~$2.23 billion (¥332.1 billion).
2026Canon
Phase VII plan and new president
Canon unveils its 2026-2030 Phase VII plan, merges Canon Medical's operations into Canon Inc. on April 1, and appoints Kazuto Ogawa President and COO on March 27 while Fujio Mitarai stays Chairman and CEO.
2026Wipro
Rs 150 billion buyback approved
Alongside FY2026 results in April 2026, the board approves a Rs 150 billion share buyback.
Acquisitions
Canon
- Canon Electronics (minority shares)2026Undisclosed
- Redlen Technologies2021$335M
- BriefCam2018Undisclosed
- Kite2017Undisclosed
- Toshiba Medical Systems2016$5.9B
- Axis Communications2015$2.8B
Wipro
- Harman Digital Transformation Solutions2025$375M
- Rizing2022$540M
- Capco2021$1.4B
- Appirio2016$500M
- Infocrossing2007$600M
Questions about Canon vs Wipro
Who is the CEO of Canon Inc. and Wipro Limited?
Canon Inc. is led by Fujio Mitarai and Wipro Limited is led by Srini Pallia. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Canon Inc. founded vs Wipro Limited?
Canon Inc. was founded in 1937 — 8 years before Wipro Limited, which was founded in 1945. Canon Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Wipro Limited.
How many employees does Canon Inc. have compared to Wipro Limited?
Canon Inc. employs approximately 165,547 people, while Wipro Limited employs approximately 228,000. Wipro Limited has the larger workforce at 228,000 employees, compared to Canon Inc.'s 165,547. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Canon Inc. and Wipro Limited headquartered?
Canon Inc. is headquartered in Japan and Wipro Limited is headquartered in India. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Canon Inc. and Wipro Limited?
Canon Inc. was founded by Takeshi Mitarai, Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida, Takeo Maeda. Wipro Limited was founded by Mohamed Hasham Premji.
Which company has a longer operating history — Canon Inc. or Wipro Limited?
Canon Inc. has been operating for approximately 89 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Wipro Limited has been in operation for around 81 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Canon vs Wipro overview