Vishal Sikka quits as Infosys MD & CEO citing “personal attacks”

Vishal Sikka, MD and CEO, Infosys, has put in his papers. ‘Moving on’ is what he has written on his Twitter feed about an hour ago today (August 18, 2017). 

In a letter to the bourses, Infosys informed that Sikka’s resignation had been accepted and also that he had been appointed Executive Vice-Chairman for a smooth transition in leadership. The letter further stated that UB Pravin Rao had been appointed as the interim Managing Director and CEO. Rao is currently COO with overall strategic and operational responsibility for the entire portfolio of Infosys’ offerings. 

The letter added, “The succession plan for appointment of a new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer has been operationalised by the Board and a search for the same has been commenced.” 

Meanwhile, in his blog post Sikka reproduced that mail he had sent to Infosys employees, where he had stated: “For days, indeed weeks, this decision has weighed on me. I have wrestled the pros and cons, the issues and the counterbalancing arguments. But now, after much thought, and considering the environment of the last few quarters, I am clear in my decision. It is clear to me that despite our successes over the last three years, and the powerful seeds of innovation that we have sown, I cannot carry out my job as CEO and continue to create value, while also constantly defending against unrelenting, baseless/malicious and increasingly personal attacks.” 

He further wrote, “I was, and remain, passionate about the massive transformation opportunity for this company and industry, but we all need to allow the company to move beyond the noise and distractions... after much contemplation I have decided to leave because the distractions, the very public noise around us, have created an untenable atmosphere.”