New Delhi, Dec 2 (PTI) Salil S Parekh, the new CEO ofInfosys, is described as a soft-spoken yet determined man bythose who know him.
And, they said, these skills will certainly come handywhen he takes over the top role at India's second largest ITcompany that is recovering from a year-long acrimony betweenthe previous management and the founders, led by NR NarayanaMurthy.
Parekh, 53, was chosen from over two dozen candidates ina search that lasted about three months and covered a widecanvas of names within Infosys as well as alumni and externalaspirants.
He is slated to take over on January 2, 2018 for a periodof five years, according to a statement by Infosys.
Parekh had joined Capgemini in 2000 after the consultingdivision of Ernst and Young was acquired by the French ITservices company. He occupied various leadership positions inthe Group.
Parekh played a pivotal role in building Capgemini'soperations in India and then, in Capgemini's acquisition ofiGate in 2015.
He holds a Masters degree in Computer Science andMechanical Engineering from Cornell University, and aBachelors degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the IIT,Bombay.
People who know him describe him as a turnaround managerwith expertise in mergers and acquisitions.
Nandan Nilekani, Non-executive Chairman of Infosys, saidParekh has a strong track record of executing businessturnarounds and managing very successful acquisitions and isthe right person to lead the company at a time oftransformation.
Nasscom President R Chandrashekhar said Parekh is wellentrenched in the industry and has international experience aswell as a good understanding of Indian ecosystem.
He further expressed the hope that the appointment wouldbring the curtains down on the challenges within Infosys,which is a key player in the Indian IT industry.
With over two decades of experience, Parekh is also asound choice as he holds a great understanding of tech trendsof yesterday, today and tomorrow, said Chief Analyst, Founderand CEO Sanchit Vir Gogia.
The appointment also had the Twitter buzzing. Infosys andParekh were in the top 10 list in India hours following theannouncement was made.
Parekh is the second outsider -- after Vishal Sikka -- tobe made Infosys CEO.
The Bengaluru-based company would also be betting heavilyon Parekh's expertise in financial services and his experiencewith in North America and European markets, which account forover 80 per cent of Infosys' revenue.
According to industry watchers, Parekh has his task cutout. A major challenge for him would involve maintainingpeace between the founders and the management, they saidadding that Parekh's performance would also depend on the howmuch independence he gets in decision making.
Besides, Parekh will have to push further the innovationagenda in areas like cloud, blockchain and analytics given theincreasing automation across industries, rapid pace oftechnology change and increasing visa scrutiny in key markets,they said. PTI SR MBISA.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.