Salil Parekh

Salil Parekh became CEO of Infosys in January 2018, brought in from Capgemini to restore stability after a damaging governance crisis. Co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy had publicly clashed with the board and previous management over corporate governance issues, severance packages, and acquisitions — a dispute that led to the resignation of the previous CEO and board members. Parekh's appointment was specifically intended to bring outside leadership and professional management credibility. Under Parekh, Infosys has undergone a strategic refocusing toward digital transformation services — cloud migration, AI/ML implementation, data analytics, and cybersecurity — which now represent a majority of revenue. He has shifted the company's deal pursuit strategy toward "large deals" (contracts worth $50 million or more), providing greater revenue visibility and client stickiness. Infosys operates as the second-largest Indian IT services company after TCS, with over 300,000 employees and $18+ billion in annual revenue. The company's blue-chip client base includes major global banks, insurers, retailers, and technology companies, predominantly in the United States and Europe. The AI disruption challenge is arguably even more acute for Infosys than TCS. Infosys has positioned its Topaz AI platform as a vehicle for helping clients adopt generative AI, while internally using AI to improve developer productivity and reduce the need for large project teams. Whether AI ultimately creates more demand for Infosys's services (as companies need help implementing AI) or destroys demand (as AI automates tasks currently done by Infosys engineers) remains the central strategic question. Parekh's ability to navigate this transition while maintaining the company's profitability and growth trajectory will define his ultimate legacy.