When a nine-foot bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled at London’s Parliament Square on Saturday, Infosys too became part of that historic moment.

India’s second largest IT services company, which has a significant presence in the UK, is a contributor and supporter of the initiative, wherein a non-Briton has been honoured in such a way. The company did not disclose the size of its contribution.

Mohit Joshi, Executive Vice-President and Head of Financial Services, Infosys, and Ranganath Mavinakere, Executive Vice-President and Head of CEO’s office and Corporate Centre, were present at the unveiling.

“Mahatma Gandhi was a visionary leader. He deeply understood the importance of freedom to be innovative and accomplish our goals using as core enabler, a tool from the context of our times.

“He encouraged Indians to weave their own cloth — using the traditional charkha and wear clothing made from this homespun fabric,” said Vishal Sikka, Infosys MD and CEO.

Tool and symbol

“The charkha became both the tool and symbol of a national revolution built on the tenets of human creativity and entrepreneurship.

“Much like computing technology today serves as the modern Indian’s charkha — amplifying individual abilities and collective capability (just as the charkha did many decades ago) — making extraordinary makers out of ordinary people, helping enterprises in the UK and the world over weave dreams into reality,” he added.

Building local presence

Of the 8,500 Infoscions who work in Europe, around 3,000 are in the UK. The UK is Infosys’ European centre of a business that has grown 10 times in as many years and contributes just under $1 billion in revenue for the company.

With established operations in Swindon and Canary Wharf, London’s financial district, Infosys’ client list includes BT, Vodafone, BP, RBS, Barclays, GSK, AstraZeneca, Unilever, Diageo, UCAS and Anglian Water.

To integrate more locals into the business, Infosys has forged strategic partnerships with Queen’s University Belfast, Cambridge and Southampton universities. It recently recruited apprentices at the end of their 18-month, on-the-job training programme, as part of its association with the UK's National Apprenticeship Scheme.

Infosys has also committed to providing apprenticeships to over 100 learners by 2017 across its offices in the UK in fields such as marketing and human resources.

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