Infosys brings fresh blood to apex strategising body

Company inducts 12 new members to Executive Council

Infosys, the country’s second largest information technology services company, expanded its Executive Council (EC) on Thursday, with the induction of 12 new members.

The move is seen as bringing younger blood to its senior leadership. This seems the biggest expansion of the council, formed in 2001, till date. It is responsible for key operational and strategic decisions.

“We have strengthened our EC to help us drive focus on key growth areas,” stated Infosys.

This is the second round of inductions into the EC since the return of co-founder N R Narayana Murthy into the company as executive chairman in June. In August, three new members were added to the EC, taking it to 19.

Among others, Infosys has inducted 26-year company veteran Dheeshjith V G to the EC. He is currently senior vice-president (sr VP) for growth markets at Infosys. Other additions include Eric Paternoster who is the chief executive officer (CEO) and president of Infosys Public Services, a subsidiary focused on healthcare and the public sector in the US and Canada; Ganesh Gopalakrishnan, sr VP-information systems; Gautam Thakkar, CEO and managing director (MD) of Infosys BPO; Haragopal Mangipudi, sr VP – Finacle Business.

Jackie Korhonen, country head of Australia and New Zealand; Manish Tandon, sr VP - life sciences, and Muralikrishna K, sr VP, computers & communications division, have also been taken into the expanded EC. The other seniors who have been inducted are Ravi Kumar S (sr VP-insurance); Ronald Hafner (CEO, Infosys Lodestone); Sanjay Jalona (sr VP-manufacturing) and Subu Goparaju (sr VP, Infosys Labs).

Some observers feel by inducting new members into the EC, Infosys is gradually building a pipeline of leaders to groom them for top jobs. Some others said Infosys has taken this step to curtail the loss of top-level management.

"The company had become more bureaucratic than anything, and Narayana Murthy is now trying to get people from within the company to bring new ideas. Besides, they have been losing people, and especially on the sales side," said Kris Lakshmikanth, CEO and MD of Headhunters India, an executive search firm.  

Over the past few months, Infosys has lost various top officials, including Ashok Vemuri, who was tipped to be in the running for becoming the company’s next CEO when S D Shibulal retired in 2015.

Some others believe by adding people to the EC, Infosys is broadening its base for a new CEO. And, that it is attempting to elevate young blood to the senior leadership.