Infosys chairman Narayan Murty pitches for oldest founder

The chairman of India’s second-largest IT services firm Infosys Technologies, N R Narayana Murthy will sport the designation of chairman emeritus. It is a position which Infoscions and the senior management team have decided to confer on the person who co-founded the company with six others almost 29 years ago.

After August 2011, he will be having no role and will be called the chairman emeritus at least that’s what they have decided. He will be be having this office. Other than that, he won’t have have any role nor he will be on the board.

The longest-serving CEO of Infosys Technologies (Narayana Murthy had a tenure of 21 years as the CEO and MD), who retired from the company (from any kind of executive role) in 2006, is still very particular about his office timings.

Even though age has caught up with him (he does not reach office at 6.30 am as he used to do earlier), he still ensures that he is in his chamber daily by 8.30-8.45 am.

He actually retired from his company in 2006 when he turned 60. So, now, he doesn’t need to swipe when he comes in. Neither he has any employee number nor he gets any salary. Still, he come. From 2011, he won’t even do that. But, he also makes it clear about his availability for suggestions whenever the company needs it.

In its almost 29 years of existence, Infosys, the company founded by first generation entrepreneurs, has seen three CEOs, including Murthy, Nilekani and Kris Gopalakrishnan, who were all from the founding team. While Murthy has held the office of CEO and MD for 21 years, Nilekani took up the mantle in 2002 at the age of 49.

Murthy says that after him, the company realised that all other co-founders were of the same age and it’s only fair that they got some opportunities, unless someone is not interested or not well.

However, Murthy is categorical that the CEO’s position should be held by someone who has the chance of serving the company at least for a period of five years. Besides, it also depends on whether the person concerned is keen for the position or not, says Murthy taking the example of N S Raghavan who did not want to occupy the position.