Will try to conform to Infy culture: Sikka

Vishal Sikka, the CEO-designate of Infosys, has assured employees that he will do his utmost to fit in with the culture of the IT services company.

In a town hall address, Sikka drew applause from employees when he said that he would ensure that the transition was smooth.

He is learnt to have said that rather than the system changing at this point, he would try to conform with the Infosys culture. Sikka is also learnt to have assured employees that they would not have to worry about any job losses.

Murthy’s message Earlier, in an e-mail introducing Sikka to the staff, outgoing Executive Chairman NR Narayana Murthy said the CEO-designate was an extraordinary individual, who had both vision and lofty goals.

He said Sikka would inducted as Managing Director and CEO on June 14 and that he would take over from SD Shibulal from August 1. Listing his achievements, Murthy said Sikka was until recently a board member of SAP AG, driving innovation globally, including the breakthrough product SAP Hana. He was also the brain behind the concept ‘timeless software’, which essentially promotes the renewal of products without disruption to the customer environment.

To partner with him, UB Pravin Rao has been chosen as the company’s chief operating officer. Rao has an impeccable track record across various portfolios, Murthy said.

Mission almost accomplished Murthy said that when he took over the chairman of the company, he had been assigned two tasks: to build a strong foundation of growth and to assist the board in finding the next CEO.

He pointed out that while the second part of his mission is complete, the first one is largely accomplished and “I leave behind a stronger and better-equipped Infosys for Vishal”.

“With this conviction, I step down as executive chairman and will continue as non-executive chairman of the board till October 2014, when KV Kamath will take over this position from me,” Murthy wrote in his mail.

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