Kris takes charge as Infosys CEO

S Gopalakrishnan, one of the co-founders of Infosys Technologies, on Friday took over as the CEO of India's second largest IT services company.

His appointment as the CEO was approved by the shareholders at the 26th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the company here.

Gopalakrishnan, who is also known as Kris succeeds Nandan M Nilekani, another co-founder, who has been elevated as co-chairman after completing five years at the helm. The meeting also approved the appointment of another co-founder S D Shibulal as the COO.

Infosys Chairman and Chief Mentor N R Narayana Murthy had a word of advice to the team. "These transitions reinforce the efficacy of our long-term succession planning. Our success depends on our ability to manage rapid growth. We have the vital ingredients to manage growth. These, along with our strong value system, will continue to accelerate our growth."

The company recorded a net profit of Rs 3,856 crore last fiscal, a growth of 56.9 per cent over the previous year. Its turnover stood at Rs 13,893 crore, a growth of 45.9 per cent over the previous fiscal.

"Our customer-centric approach and nurturing global client relationships strengthen our performance. Managing risk is an inherent part of our corporate strategy. Geographical diversification into Asia and Europe has been a cornerstone of this mitigation strategy," Murthy added.

He pointed out that Infosys continues to an employer of choice. The company's software operations received over 13 lakh applications and made approximately 36,700 offers of employment.

"We continue to invest in physical and technological infrastructure. Our Global Education Centre at Mysore is among the largest corporate training facilities. The phase 2 of this facility will be completed in December. On completion, it will have about 2 million square feet of space and provide residential and classroom capacity for 13,500 trainees," he said.