India’s second largest software services exporter Infosys is once again facing a churn at the top level. The simmering tension between the old guard, comprising founder chairman N.R. Narayana Murthy and other founders, and the new management, led by SAP veteran Vishal Sikka, has once again come to a boil.
In the latest development, executive vice president Ritika Suri has resigned, reports Mint newspaper. She was in charge the company’s corporate development and merger and acquisitions and was hand-picked by Sikka from SAP. She reportedly put in her papers last week and is serving out her notice period.
Suri led the contentious acquisition of Israeli automation technology firm Panaya Ltd, which was at the center of a whistleblower letter and a later investigation. Her departure comes less than a month after an investigation carried out by a US-based law firm cleared the management of any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy has said his biggest regret in life was his decision to leave the company in 2014 — after his second stint — and hand over the reins to a non-founder management and board.
“Well, you know a lot of my founder colleagues told me not to leave Infosys in 2014 and to stay a few years. Generally, I find that I am a very emotional person. A lot of my decisions are based on idealism. Probably, I should have listened to them,” Murthy told CNBC-TV18 news channel.
In June 2013, Murthy came out from retirement of two years to take charge as S.D. Shibulal, a co-founder and then chief executive officer, was struggling to manage the company in an uncertain environment. He remained for nearly a year, after which a global search was launched for a CEO and Sikka was chosen.