Thursday, March 28

Ravi Venkatesan Resigns as Infosys Independent Director

IT Major Infosys has announced the resignation of its independent director, Ravi Venkatesan which would mark the first board-level departure since Nandan Nilekani took over the chairmanship of the company more than eight months back.

Ravi who became Independent Director in 2011 has decided to leave the company to acquire “an exciting new role“, said the Bengaluru headquartered company in a statement.

Venkatesan in a statement said,

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.

Venkatesan has considered his Infosys tenure to be “exciting, rewarding and eventful“.

Infosys Ltd, India’s second largest IT giant had witnessed a standoff among its high profile founders led by Murthy and the previous management over issues concerning corporate governance and compensation to former executives.

The present chairman of Infosys, Nandan Nilekani thanked Ravi for his contribution to Infosys in a period of important transitions and towards a digital-first future. Describing him as an “a champion for driving social impact”, he said that the board will miss his passion for strategic insights and personal warmth but he would always remain a friend.

Earlier this year, an anonymous whistleblower had in a letter to markets regulator Sebi and US Securities and Exchanges Commission purportedly sought the resignation of independent directors, including Venkatesan, over divergent stand on Panaya. This issue had also resulted in the sudden resignation of Sikka as CEO in August last year following Salil Parekh becoming the new CEO.