Industry peers, former colleagues and IT honchos reacted positively to Saturday morning's unexpected announcement about the return of Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy to an executive position.
In a statement to the media, Som Mittal , President, NASSCOM, said that he welcomed Mr. Murthy in his new role.
“His guidance and strategic insights to Infosys as well as for the industry would be valuable as the industry focuses on its next phase of evolution and growth.
“We look forward to work more closely with him in his role as Executive Chairman, Infosys to address industry challenges and build new opportunities.”
Act of courage
On the other hand, Mindtree Chairman Subroto Bagchi termed the return of N.R. Narayana Murthy as Executive Chairman of Infosys as “an act of great courage.”
Speaking to The Hindu from London, he said, “Infosys will emerge stronger than before as NRN returns.”
Referring to the challenging environment faced by the industry as well as Infosys, he said, “Pygmies were making wise comments” when “the company [Infosys] was hurting.”
“With the giant back, hopefully now they will mind their own business,” Mr. Bagchi remarked.
“Infosys,” he said, “must succeed because it is a national institution and not just a company.” NRN's [Mr. Murthy] courage and conviction will help Infosys break through the clouds.”
Other former colleagues and rivals in the industry pointed out the importance of Mr. Murthy’s return to Infosys’ employees and investors.
Former Infosys Board member Mohandas Pai said that this was “great news” for employees, clients and investors.
“Infosys needs a strong leader who can inspire people and take them to great heights.
“There needs to be greater focus on sales and the sales force needs to be recharged. Infosys has the potential to be number one again under his leadership.”
Positive signal
Biocon Managing Director Kiran Majumdar Shaw said it was a “very positive signal for the entire IT sector.” “Infosys has always been perceived as a leader and when it shows decline it is a cause of concern. Who else other than Mr. Murthy would be the right person to do this?”
