Sikka logs into Infosys as new CEO

Bangalore, Aug 1 (IANS) Vishal Sikka on Friday took over as chief executive of Indian IT bellwether Infosys, two days after the iconic company’s investors unanimously approved his appointment to the top job and as a whole-time director on its board at an extraordinary general meeting here.

"I am really looking forward to serving as the CEO of Infosys, one of the most iconic companies we know. To lead Infosys is nothing less than a privilege and an opportunity of a lifetime," the 47-year-old Sikka said in an e-mail to his over 1.6-lakh employees the world over.

Noting that the transition from the $8.3-billion global software major being led by its illustrious co-founders to a non-founder chief executive would sweep across every company in the industry, Sikka said it was a great opportunity to lead the company as software reshaped the world around.

"The task before us is to lay out the way forward. We must get better at everything that we do without disrupting the foundation that has got us where we are. We must then quickly augment this by going after software opportunities with clients – to create next-generation, intelligent solutions," the former SAP executive board member asserted.

Outlining his agenda for steering the bellwether from troubled times, including its less than industry growth rate, Sikka said the company would work with the start-up community and reinforce its focus on intellectual property (IP), products and platforms to drive new scale and new economics.

"Our founders built a company like none other in the world and we are going to stay true to their values and vision. We are going to continue to foster their great ideas and ideals, be obsessive about our performance so we can delight our clients and be really proud of what we do together," Sikka observed.

Stressing on improving every employee’s ability to learn and identify opportunities of the future to build a sustainable business, Sikka said the most efficient way to march ahead was to collectively chart out the best course and move as a one cohesive unit, learning and teaching one another.

"I will personally drive this agenda. With the generous support I have from the board, the executive team and you, this journey is going to be awesome for us all,a Sikka added.