As had been widely mooted in the Indian media, Ashok Vemuri, who resigned from Infosys a couple of weeks ago as Head of Americas and Global Head of Manufacturing & Engineering, has joined iGate as president and CEO, filling the gap left by the less than glorious exit of Phaneesh Murthy in May (see here).
The departure of Vemuri – who was also on the Infosys board – was widely expected once returning founding CEO, Narayanan Murthy’s plans to rejig the Infosys top team started to become clear (see Infosys goes back for its future). These included appointing his son as ‘executive assistant’ and later, according to press reports, as a company vice president.
The rumour mill is also rife with stories that 22-year Infosys veteran V. Balakrishnan (‘Bala’), currently Head of Infosys BPO, Finacle (the company’s banking products group), India Business Unit and Chairman of Infosys’ recently acquired SAP consultancy, Lodestone (and in his spare time …) is likely to take over as CEO – a role essentially neutered by Murthy’s re-accession – from the very much sidelined SD Shibulal. Vemuri, needless to say, had aspirations to the Infosys top job but clearly this was not going to happen on Murthy’s watch.
The Infosys leadership saga has more twists and turns than an episode of Dynasty. It’s just so sad to see the Infosys board packing the executive top team with old-timers while all the smart, energetic talent looks for pastures new.