Infosys set to create position of chief technology officer for Navin Budhiraja
Budhiraja, who had previously worked with Sikka in SAP and who joined Infosys recently is designated as a senior vice president.
By Shilpa Phadnis, TNN | Updated:
BANGALORE: Infosys may have its first ever chief technology officer ( CTO) in Navin Budhiraja, former chief architect of SAP's SuccessFactors.
The matter is still under discussion, but the debate suggests that Infosys, under its new CEO Vishal Sikka, wants to move more aggressively towards the new digital technology imperatives — social, mobile, analytics and cloud — that are altering the way traditional IT services are delivered.
Budhiraja, who had previously worked with Sikka in SAP and who joined Infosys recently (TOI was the first to report this development), is designated as a senior vice president. Sources told TOI that the management is contemplating giving him the functional designation of a CTO, but are considering the repercussions it could have on some of the senior management.
Asked if Budhiraja would be designated as CTO, Infosys said, "We don't comment on speculation."
A CTO typically has responsibility for all technology policy and related matters such as research and development (R&D).
The creation of a CTO's office puts the spotlight on Infosys' ambitious roadmap to redefine the existing IT services landscape using artificial intelligence, automation and natural language processing (NLP) and engaging with the startup ecosystem to differentiate its product offerings.
"Sikka is building a strong core team focused on solving critical customer challenges leveraging technologies, not merely focused on technology for technology's sake. Sikka wants to excite customers and the Infosys team. This means raising the bar in terms of what Infosys' clients and Infoscions have come to expect. If Infosys is to offer competitive advantage to its clients, it must lead with technology solutions that raise the bar," said Dave Gardner, founder of US-based Gardner & Associates Consulting.
Budhiraja, who has spent over two decades in the technology industry, was most recently a consultant in Riverwood Capital, a US-based private equity firm targeting middle market technology firms. Prior to that he led the transition of the SuccessFactors platform to support multiple other technology platforms. SAP acquired SuccessFactors, a cloud-based business software provider, in a deal valued at $3.4 billion in 2011. Budhiraja, an IIT-Kanpur and Cornell University alumnus, was the co-founder of technology startup Coral Tree and was the CTO of CubeTree that was subsequently acquired by SuccessFactors.
Sikka articulated the company's strategy of renewing the core business and innovating into new businesses at Oracle Open World in San Francisco last week.
The matter is still under discussion, but the debate suggests that Infosys, under its new CEO Vishal Sikka, wants to move more aggressively towards the new digital technology imperatives — social, mobile, analytics and cloud — that are altering the way traditional IT services are delivered.
Budhiraja, who had previously worked with Sikka in SAP and who joined Infosys recently (TOI was the first to report this development), is designated as a senior vice president. Sources told TOI that the management is contemplating giving him the functional designation of a CTO, but are considering the repercussions it could have on some of the senior management.
Asked if Budhiraja would be designated as CTO, Infosys said, "We don't comment on speculation."
A CTO typically has responsibility for all technology policy and related matters such as research and development (R&D).
The creation of a CTO's office puts the spotlight on Infosys' ambitious roadmap to redefine the existing IT services landscape using artificial intelligence, automation and natural language processing (NLP) and engaging with the startup ecosystem to differentiate its product offerings.
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"Sikka is building a strong core team focused on solving critical customer challenges leveraging technologies, not merely focused on technology for technology's sake. Sikka wants to excite customers and the Infosys team. This means raising the bar in terms of what Infosys' clients and Infoscions have come to expect. If Infosys is to offer competitive advantage to its clients, it must lead with technology solutions that raise the bar," said Dave Gardner, founder of US-based Gardner & Associates Consulting.
Budhiraja, who has spent over two decades in the technology industry, was most recently a consultant in Riverwood Capital, a US-based private equity firm targeting middle market technology firms. Prior to that he led the transition of the SuccessFactors platform to support multiple other technology platforms. SAP acquired SuccessFactors, a cloud-based business software provider, in a deal valued at $3.4 billion in 2011. Budhiraja, an IIT-Kanpur and Cornell University alumnus, was the co-founder of technology startup Coral Tree and was the CTO of CubeTree that was subsequently acquired by SuccessFactors.
Sikka articulated the company's strategy of renewing the core business and innovating into new businesses at Oracle Open World in San Francisco last week.
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