Nandan Nilekani to stay Infosys chairman as long as needed; Kiran Mazumdar Shaw to lead CEO search

BANGALORE: Nandan Nilekani said he would stay on as Infosys non-executive chairman as long as was necessary and that his primary goal was bringing in a new CEO, stabilizing the company and putting it on a high-growth trajectory.

Nilekani added that Kiran Mazumdar Shaw would head the search for a CEO.

“I am sure we will have a wide pool of internal and external candidates. We will also look at Infosys alumni who have done well for themselves in the external world,” Nilekani said on a conference call with analysts. The call had over 600 participants.

Nilekani, who is one of the founders of Infosys, said he would represent all the shareholders of Infosys and would not just be looking out for the promoters’ interests.

“I would like to think of myself as more than just a founder. I have done significant things in the world after leaving Infosys. I am committed to serving all the shareholders and stakeholders in a holistic manner,” he said.

Nilekani added that while he would look into areas where corporate governance may have failed, he wanted to spend most of his time on Infosys’ future. He said investors would have to wait until October to get more details about the company’s strategy but that a committee would be set up to explore all the initiatives former CEO Vishal Sikka had put in place.

“We have a committee of directors. We have Pravin who is the interim CEO and Deepak Padaki who is the head of strategy. We will form a small group to set the strategic alignment of the company,” Nilekani said.