Retained every leader Infosys wanted to retain: NRN Murthy

BANGALORE: With about a dozen top-level executives leaving the company in the past one year, Infosys executive chairman NR Narayana Murthy, who is stepping down this week, today said all leaders whom the firm wanted to hold on to have been retained.

The city-based firm today undertook a major shake-up bringing in for the first time an outsider, Vishal Sikka, as CEO and announcing that mentor N R Narayana Murthy and his son Rohan will step down four years ahead of their tenure.

Sikka, 47, who was previously executive board member of German IT firm SAP, will replace S D Shibulal, one of the seven engineers who founded Infosys in 1981, from August 1.

"Every leader that we wanted to retain has been retained," Murthy said here.

He added that "some" who have left the company have gone on to head other firms.

In February, Murthy had told analysts: "One of my tasks was to ensure that the identified people who were receiving very high salaries but were not contributing as much as we wanted, were either given opportunities where they can add value to the firm or they could seek opportunities elsewhere."

Since his return, Infosys had seen resignations from 11 top-level executives including CFO V Balakrishnan, global manufacturing head Ashok Vemuri and President BG Srinivas.

Earlier this month, its global head of strategic sales, marketing and alliances Prasad Thrikutam resigned from the job marking the 11th senior management executive exit.

Srinivas, considered a front runner for the CEO position, quit in May 2014, whereas Balakrishnan, another CEO contender and Lodestone Head, had quit in December last year to pursue political aspirations.

Vemuri left last year to head the US-based outsourcing services firm IGATE as CEO.