Nandan Nilekani, who has been appointed as the non-executive chairman of Infosys, described his return to the company he co-founded as public service. “I was invited to become the chairman and this was the unanimous decision of the board. The founders and Murthy (Naryana Murthy) also had asked me to consider this position, along with a large number of institutional shareholders. I'm here representing 100 per cent of shareholders and the full board, employees and other stakeholders.”
He said since he assumed charge, he met with board members individually with the senior management, and had an investor call where some 600 investors participated, and had recorded a message for employees. He said his strength lies in consensus building, which he said he demonstrated even in the building of Aadhaar, a complex national technology project that involved several governmental agencies and two very different governments.
“I have a record of doing things in different environments and doing it successfully. My goal is to build consensus, bring stability, and take this company forward on its rightful journey of achieving its goals and aspirations,” he said. Nilekani said his tenure wasn't defined and he would stay for as along as he deemed necessary. While he addressed media questions on a light tone, when asked about charges against Murthy, and whether the new board would accept his demand for a full disclosure of investigation reports related to the Panaya acquisition, Nilekani began to appear testy. He concluded all questions with a simple answer- “Everything is hunky dory”.
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw to lead Infy CEO search
Nilekani said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw will lead the search of the new chief executive as head of the nominations and remunerations committee, whose responsibility will also include search for new board members. Infosys board, which till a few days ago had 11 members, saw a dramatic churn when four of its members, including erstwhile non-executive chairman R Seshasayee and executive vice chairman Vishal Sikka resigned with immediate effect after Nilekani joined. Co-chairman Ravi Venkatesan also stepped down though he remained as an independent director while others survived.
