NR Narayana Murthy's choice for Infosys co-chair says 'happy to help'

Marti Subrahmanyam, a former Infosys board member who is N R Narayana Murthy's choice to become the co-chairman of the company , has thrown his hat into the ring by saying he is willing to “help“ the company “if called upon to do so“.

A professor of finance at New York's Stern School of Business, Subrahmanyam served on the board of Infosys between 1998 and 2011 as an independent director.

“I remain a well-wisher of the company but do not have any specific views about the affairs of the company , simply because I do not have any access to information about what is going on today . I am always happy to help with my counsel if called upon to do so,“ Subrahmanyam told TOI on Friday .

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Infosys founder-chairman Murthy has been vocal about his displeasure with the board over various governance-related issues, including high severance packages for some executives and a steep pay hike for CEO Vishal Sikka. Subrahmanyam, an alumni of IIT-Madras and IIM Ahmedabad, described Infosys as the “first Indian multinational company to be globally respected“, adding that the company was a trailblazer in many respects, setting high standards for value creation for all its stakeholders--shareholders, employees, customers and the broader community .

He, however, said he has had very little contact with the company after he left the board six years ago. “Infosys, as a bellwether of the industry , has an important role to play , and I am hopeful that its future will remain bright,“ he said.

Subrahmanyam's comments came a day after Murthy proposed to recreate the now abolished post of co-chairman to steer the company out of its governance-related crisis.

Sources say the founders are willing to settle for a new co-chairman if the removal of R Seshasayee is not an option right now. Seshasayee, at the moment, enjoys the confidence of the board, and the company on Thursday backed him fully .