Replace Venkatesan, Roopa Kudva in Infosys board, says ex CFO Balakrishnan

It is all the more important to restructure the board and fill it with people of high integrity and stature, says Balakrishnan

As Salil Parekh took charge as CEO at Infosys, a former top company official has sought restructuring of the Board by replacing ex-co-chairman Ravi Venkatesan and ex-Audit Committee Chairperson Roopa Kudva.

"Nandan (Nilekani, the company's Chairman) should also complete the board restructuring quickly including replacing the earlier co-chairman and audit committee chairman thereby providing a clean slate board for him (Parekh) to peform to his full capability without any distractions," former CFO, V Balakrishnan said.

Last month also, he had sought the discontinuance of Venkatesan and Kudva after Infosys filed a settlement plea with the Sebi on alleged corporate governance lapses relating to severance payment to its former CFO Rajiv Bansal.

"...It is all the more important to restructure the board and fill it with people of high integrity and stature," Balakrishnan had said.

On opportunities and challenges for Parekh, Balakrishnan on Wednesday said he had a great opportunity to transform Infosys as he comes with a great pedigree and right background.

"His background as a services man with global consulting expertise fits him well for the job. He should make sure that he does not commit the same mistakes of the past management and stick to the core value systems which Infosys is known for which includes 'under promise and over deliver'," he told PTI.

The obvious challenge for Parekh is the changing technologies and commoditisation of traditional services which is an overall industry issue anyway, Balakrishnan said.