Infosys Technologies CEO & MD S Gopalakrishnan is being widely tipped, at this juncture, to become the company?s next chairman, succeeding incumbent NR Narayana Murthy who retires next August.
Sources told FE that Gopalakrishnan has the support of the top management and is viewed as a leader who can bring consensus on important issues with ease. ?He is seen as an effective and non-imposing leader who has been able to carry forward the legacy of Narayana Murthy and Nandan Nilekani as CEO,? a source familiar with the development said.
Kris, as the CEO is called in industry circles, completed three years in office this year, a period which coincided with the worst global recession since Great Depression. He navigated Infosys through the downturn, holding on to customers and employees while maintaining profitability.
Being a conservative company, Infosys is unlikely to prefer anybody outside the company or unfamiliar with the industry for chairmanship, a couple of other industry sources said.
When contacted, an Infosys board member said an immediate decision is unlikely as the board is yet to discuss the issue. ?The chairman will retire only next August; so we have time,? he said.
However, sources told FE that the process may not take too long, and a decision is likely within the next two quarters.
Kris, along with Narayana Murthy and five others, founded Infosys in 1981. Over the last three decades, the firm has grown to become the country?s second-largest IT services exporter and the biggest technology brand. Kris has been a constant factor at the company since inception, driving various functions and is known to be adept at tracking technology across verticals.
A nominations committee at Infosys comprising ICICI Bank non-executive chairman KV Kamath, Cornell University professor Jeffrey Sean Lehman and HDFC Standard Life Insurance CEO Deepak M Satwalekar, is currently hunting for Murthy?s successor.
Other names doing the rounds include KV Kamath himself and Deepak Parekh, HDFC chairman, who played a role in rescuing scandal-hit Satyam.
If Kris gets chairmanship, COO and co-founder SD Shibulal is likely to be elevated as new CEO. Shibulal, along with former sales chief Phaneesh Murthy, has been credited for building the firm?s US business.
If Kris has a weakness, then it is the relative lack of clout at the Centre, a source said. Nandan Nilekani and Narayana Murthy were masters at leveraging their public persona. But of late, Kris has been making some conscious attempts at improving his standing in government quarters, by making frequent visits to Delhi.