Ravi Venkatesan, the business leader with diversified experience on Friday resigned as the independent director from the board of India’s second-largest It company Infosys. Being a Harvard Business School and IIT Bombay on his alma mater, Ravi Venkatesan got a bunch of opportunities to feature in the senior management in many reputable organisations such as Microsoft India, Cummins Inc and Bank of Baroda. Expertise in distinguishable skills such as cloud computing, management consulting, strategy making, change management and business intelligence, we take a brief look at the professional career of Ravi Venkatesan so far.
Among the major managerial positions, Ravi Venkatesan served as a chairman of Cummins India from 1996 to 2003 following which he became Chairman of Microsoft India (BMSI) and was in the position from 2004 to 2012. In the year 2011, Ravi Venkatesan joined the board of Infosys. In the meantime, Ravi Venkatesan served on the board of AB Volvo from 2007 to 2014.
With regard to the present portfolios of Ravi Venkatesan, he serves as the Chairman of Bank of Baroda; Member of Board of Trustees of Rockefeller Foundation; the Founder Chairman of Social Ventures Partners India and a Venture Partner in Unitus Seed Fund. According to Bloomberg, Ravi Venkatesan has a wealth of experience in corporate leadership, globalization, innovation and the private sector. Mr Venkatesan also serves as an advisor to several companies.
Interestingly, Ravi Venkatesan has also authored a book titled ‘Conquering the Chaos: Win in India, Win Everywhere’. This book was published in 2013 by Harvard Business Review Press.
Ravi Venkatesan did MBA from Harvard Business School after completing Master of Science from Purdue University. Ravi Venkatesan also holds a degree of Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay.
In the latest development, Ravi Venkatesan resigned from Infosys, which is the first board-level exit since Nandan Nilekani took over the chairmanship of Infosys. “I joined the board at a time when Infosys was beginning the complex journey of transitioning from founder-led to professional management. This was also a time of tectonic industry shifts. I am pleased that this mission has been accomplished. Infosys is strong, in good hands, and is gaining momentum,” Ravi Venkatesan said in the statement.
Following the departure of Ravi Venkatesan, Nandan Nilekani, Non-Executive Chairman, Infosys said that the board would miss his passion, strategic insights and personal warmth but he would always remain a friend.