Exits at Mindtree a healthy trend: Experts

It might be a healthier trend for co-founders to gradually move aside and allow the company to be run by professionals who could bring fresh ideas

The exits of several Mindtree co-founders, who once held significant positions at the city-based information technology (IT) services company, might be a sign the company is moving to the next level.

Several experts believe amid the fast-evolving technology landscape, it is healthy for co-founders to gradually move aside and allow the company to be run by professionals who might bring fresh ideas and spearhead changes more rapidly.

“The founding team is probably the best to do what is to be done at the initial stage. But once a company reaches a certain stage and size, if it has to be taken seriously by clients and the market, the founders have to bring in professionals, too,” says C K Guruprasad, principal (global technology and services practice) Heidrick & Struggles, a global executive search firm.

Since its inception in 1999, Mindtree has seen the exits of four of its 10 founder members, including former executive chairman Ashok Soota and Anjan Lahiri, who headed the IT services business. Recently, the company said Janakiraman Srinivasan, co-founder, president and chief technology officer, would leave the company next month. It is learnt Srinivasan will lead a start-up in the cloud space, incubated at Mindtree.

While the reasons for the exit of the co founders — Kalyan Banerjee, Ashok Soota and Anjan Lahiri — haven’t been clearly stated clearly, it is widely believed most of these were triggered by to differences in opinion.

“Differences are inevitable when you are building a company for the future,” said Subroto Bagchi, co-founder and chairman of Mindtree.

“As leaders, we must express opinions on choices. If there are thinking men in the room, there will be, and must be, more than one opinion.” After resigning in January 2011, Soota set up Happiest Minds Technologies, another IT venture. While Lahiri joined Sasken Communication Technologies as chief executive.
MEN WHO MATTER

Founding team:   

• S Janakiraman – Quit to lead a startup in cloud space
• Ashok Soota – Started Happiest Minds Technologies where he is Executive Chairman now
• Kalyan Banerjee – Working as Pro Vice Chancellor at Centurion University
• Anjan Lahiri – Joined Sasken as CEO

Still around:

• Subroto Bagchi - Chairman
• Krishnakumar Natarajan – CEO & MD
• Rostow Ravanan – CFO
• Parthasarathy NS – President & COO
• Kamran Ozair - Executive VP
• Scott Staples – President Americas

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