‘No Plan B’: Nandan Nilekani says next Infosys chairman will be a non-founder

Infosys co-founder and Chairman Nandan Nilekani said that no Plan B for his eventual exit is in place currently, and that whoever takes over the reins from him will be a “non-founder”. Nilekani, however, said that he is yet to find a suitable person for the role. Nilekani, along with Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and the company’s CEO Salil Parekh were addressing the media to mark the company’s 40 years of existence. 

Talking about how the focus is to build an institution that will outlive its founders, Nilekani said, “I will be handing over to a chairman, at whatever point I exit from the scene, who will be a non-founder. Now, there is no plan B. In case you handover to someone and it doesn’t work out, there is no plan B. I cannot come back at 75 or so. I don’t think any of these guys (other founders) want to come back either.”

“How do you create institutions that outlive you? How do you create institutions that cross generations? How do you create institutions that move from an ownership model to a professional model? It’s (succession plan) not clear to me, I have not yet found a person whom I can hand over to,” he added. 

Nandan Nilekani returned to head the company in September 2017 after the exit of then Managing Director and CEO Vishal Sikka. Chairman R Seshasayee and co-chair Ravi Venkatesan had quit the company too. All of them were non-founding members. Several institutional investors had to step in and persuade Nilekani to return to helm the company. 

His earlier tenure in leading the company spanned from March 2002 to April 2007. Nilekani had taken over as CEO from Narayana Murthy, after which the reins passed on to Kris Gopalakrishnan. 

Narayana Murthy thanked Nilekani and Parekh for their contribution in accelerating the company’s growth in the last five years. “What has happened between 2017 and today is truly extraordinary. We all have been watching it with admiration and are all so proud of what these two have achieved,” he said. 

Murthy also said that he renounced his interest in the business world after turning 75 (in 2021). He is no longer with Catamaran, the venture capital fund he floated in 2016. 

(With inputs from Binu Paul)

Also read: Narayana Murthy thanks Nandan Nilekani, Salil Parekh for reviving Infosys, says he has renounced interest in the business world