In what has become a regular ritual at the second ranked India-based IT services firm, Infosys has announced a changing of the guard that once again sees the founding top team move up a level.
From 21st August, COO SD Shibulal takes over as CEO and MD, while current CEO, ‘Kris’ Gopolakrishnan is elevated to the peerage as executive co-chairman. Senior founder, current chairman and ‘chief mentor’, NR Narayana Murthy, undertakes living beatification to chairman emeritus, with independent director, KV Kamath, assuming the chair – the first ‘outsider’ to do so.
Shibulal’s promotion exhausts the list of Infosys’ seven original founders still with the company to have their turn as CEO - which is probably why Infosys has yet to announce who will be promoted to COO, the well-trodden path to the top job. So now Infosys must look to the new guard to shape its future leadership.
Infosys has also reorganised its entire business (see Infosys – at the tipping point?) in what at first blush appears to be a similar structure to that of Wipro (see Wipro reverts to an India-centric world), a move I referred to at the time as ‘truly bonkers’. I have just spoken to BG Srinivas who, besides heading up one of Infosys’ new ‘super-verticals’, also has responsibility for Europe. As best as I understand it, the three key European country markets (UK, France and Germany) retain country management and local P&Ls. I believe this is different for Wipro but I have more digging to do and will write more about the European operations of the India-based majors in OffshoreViews.