Young turks to be at helm in IT companies..
The face of the software industry as we know it today may be quite different a year or so hence as the top leadership at many of the billion and multi-million-dollar firms are set to change or in some cases, has already changed.
By N Shivapriya, TNN |
MUMBAI: The face of the software industry as we know it today may be quite different a year or so hence as the top leadership at many of the billion and multi-million-dollar firms are set to change or in some cases, has already changed.
At India���s number one software exporting firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), S Ramadorai is expected to step down as CEO & MD, when his contract ends in August 2009. N Chandrasekaran, currently the COO at TCS, is expected to take over from Ramadorai.
At Nasdaq-listed Cognizant Technology Solutions, N Lakshmi Narayanan, who was part of the founding team, has already relinquished his position as CEO to the 38-year-old Francisco D���Souza . Leadership changes are also imminent at Mindtree Consulting where the reigning boss Ashok Soota is now 65 years old.
In Wipro, head honcho Azim Premji has taken a step towards devolving some of his responsibilities by elevating Suresh Vaswani and Girish Paranjpe as joint-CEOs .
The new chieftains are younger than their predecessors , which also puts them closer to the average age of employees in the software sector. It could also signal a possible cultural shift in the way these companies are run. ���With younger CEOs coming in, there could be more emphasis on a performance-based culture,��� says Emmay CEO HR Madhu Bhojwani.
���The new breed of CEOs will have faster ways doing things. They will take on responsibilities for cost-savings , their risk and growth appetite will be far higher,��� adds R Suresh of executive search firm Stanton Chase. Mr Vaswani, for instance, was responsible for infrastructure management where Wipro has done its most ambitious buyout to date of the US-based Infocrossing.
���So far, Indian software companies have thrived because of their cost advantage and their ability to deliver technology. The new breed of chief executives will need a different set of skills. They will need to understand business operations of their clients���become insiders.
They should be able to network with their clients, play golf with them, watch a movie... In the next four to five years, we will start seeing a more youngish crop of CEOs who will make this happen,��� according to Mr Suresh.
Patni Computer Systems, where contentious issue of leadership ultimately derailed a potential stake sale, is also likely to see some changes at the top as founder, chairman and CEO, Narendra Patni���s term comes to an end this year. Midsize firm Mastek, which posted one of its best set of numbers in recent times in the March 2008 quarter, has already seen a re-shuffle at the top with founder Ashank Desai moving to a mentoring role and new executives like CFO R Desikan being inducted from outside.
In Satyam, all eyes are on Ram Mynampati, who has been with the firm for nearly a decade and was elevated to the role of COO in 2000. After the founder promoters , B Ramalinga Raju and B Rama Raju, he is next senior most person in the hierarchy.
YOUNG & BRIGHT
Cognizant���s N Lakshmi Narayanan has already given up his position as CEO to 38-year-old F D���Souza.
In Wipro, head honcho Azim Premji has taken a step by elevating Suresh Vaswani and Girish Paranjpe as joint CEOs.
Mastek���s founder Ashank Desai has already moved to a mentoring role.
At India���s number one software exporting firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), S Ramadorai is expected to step down as CEO & MD, when his contract ends in August 2009. N Chandrasekaran, currently the COO at TCS, is expected to take over from Ramadorai.
At Nasdaq-listed Cognizant Technology Solutions, N Lakshmi Narayanan, who was part of the founding team, has already relinquished his position as CEO to the 38-year-old Francisco D���Souza . Leadership changes are also imminent at Mindtree Consulting where the reigning boss Ashok Soota is now 65 years old.
In Wipro, head honcho Azim Premji has taken a step towards devolving some of his responsibilities by elevating Suresh Vaswani and Girish Paranjpe as joint-CEOs .
The new chieftains are younger than their predecessors , which also puts them closer to the average age of employees in the software sector. It could also signal a possible cultural shift in the way these companies are run. ���With younger CEOs coming in, there could be more emphasis on a performance-based culture,��� says Emmay CEO HR Madhu Bhojwani.
���The new breed of CEOs will have faster ways doing things. They will take on responsibilities for cost-savings , their risk and growth appetite will be far higher,��� adds R Suresh of executive search firm Stanton Chase. Mr Vaswani, for instance, was responsible for infrastructure management where Wipro has done its most ambitious buyout to date of the US-based Infocrossing.
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���So far, Indian software companies have thrived because of their cost advantage and their ability to deliver technology. The new breed of chief executives will need a different set of skills. They will need to understand business operations of their clients���become insiders.
They should be able to network with their clients, play golf with them, watch a movie... In the next four to five years, we will start seeing a more youngish crop of CEOs who will make this happen,��� according to Mr Suresh.
Patni Computer Systems, where contentious issue of leadership ultimately derailed a potential stake sale, is also likely to see some changes at the top as founder, chairman and CEO, Narendra Patni���s term comes to an end this year. Midsize firm Mastek, which posted one of its best set of numbers in recent times in the March 2008 quarter, has already seen a re-shuffle at the top with founder Ashank Desai moving to a mentoring role and new executives like CFO R Desikan being inducted from outside.
In Satyam, all eyes are on Ram Mynampati, who has been with the firm for nearly a decade and was elevated to the role of COO in 2000. After the founder promoters , B Ramalinga Raju and B Rama Raju, he is next senior most person in the hierarchy.
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TCS��� COO Chandrasekaran is expected to take over from CEO and MD Ramadorai. Cognizant���s N Lakshmi Narayanan has already given up his position as CEO to 38-year-old F D���Souza.
In Wipro, head honcho Azim Premji has taken a step by elevating Suresh Vaswani and Girish Paranjpe as joint CEOs.
Mastek���s founder Ashank Desai has already moved to a mentoring role.
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