Rajesh Gopinathan, the outgoing CEO and MD of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), on Tuesday wrote an emotional note to employees, expressing gratitude towards them as he prepares to step down from his position on May 31. He also welcomed K Krithivasan who is set to succeed him to take charge of India’s largest IT services firm.
“This week marks the culmination of my two-decade long journey with TCS. I will step down from my role as CEO & MD on 31 May, 2023. It has been an absolute privilege to lead our company in the last six years, which have been a period of tremendous growth and transformation for all of us,” Gopinathan wrote in an email to TCS employees.
While mentioning his 22 years in the company in his email, Gopinathan said that the company's best days are ahead. “I wish Krithi the very best as he takes over the TCS baton and charts the way forward to our $50 billion aspiration. I am confident that TCS' best years are ahead, and I look forward to cheering all of you and your continued success from outside,” he said.
After stepping down from his position as CEO, Gopinathan will continue to remain with the company till September 16, 2023 for transition.
In his letter to the employees, the outgoing CEO mentioned that they have set the benchmark in terms of financial performance in the industry and that it was TCS’ focus on “operational rigor, strategic transformation, innovation, and profitable growth has helped TCS grow revenues from $17.5 billion in March 2017 to $27.9 billion in March 2023.”
While speaking about the TCS market capitalisation, Gopinathan added that it has reached from $74 billion to $143 billion.
Gopinathan also talked about the structural transition and branding exercise the company had undertaken in his tenure. “Most importantly, we went through a process of self-discovery and greater awareness of the wealth of contextual knowledge we possess and the value of work we do for our customers. Awareness, articulation and amplification of the value we deliver is going to be critical for our success in the years ahead.”
He also mentioned about the company's redefinition of the service portfolio and market positioning, newer capabilities and services, and surged engagement with clients.
“We also undertook an ambitious redefinition of TCS' service portfolio and market positioning by introducing the Business 4.0 and Growth & Transformation frameworks to integrate our technology services offerings with greater focus on business value delivered," he said.
"Awareness, articulation and amplification of the value we deliver is going to be critical for our success in the years ahead...In a world of Al and automation, our ability to continuously enhance and leverage contextual knowledge is what will differentiate us and position us as the partners of choice for our customers," he added.
Gopinathan also highlighted the company’s focus on Agile, Automation and cloud, as it looks to make the most out of the growing cloud opportunities to become the top global partner of all three leading cloud providers. “Combining this with increasing investments and focus on our field sales teams helped us expand our customer base across markets and increase the number of customers, contributing more than $100 million in annual revenue from 35 to 60,” he said.
Gopinathan took over as TCS CEO in February 2017 after N Chandrasekaran was appointed Chairman of Tata Sons. Before that, Gopinathan worked as the CFO of the company while Chandrasekaran was CEO.
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