Don’t be distracted by gossip about Infosys: Sikka to workers

Bengaluru: Amid reports of tension between Infosys founders and its management, CEO Vishal Sikka has asked employees not to get distracted by speculations that question the company’s commitment to “governance, integrity and values”.

He asked them to keep a “sharp focus” on executing the company’s strategy, which is bolstered by its services like Mana, Skava, Edge, Panaya and cloud services.

“…let us keep a sharp focus on the execution of our strategy. Let us not get distracted by media speculation that is designed to stir up gossip or rehash old rumours or speculate on the unknowns, around visas, or anything that questions our commitment to governance, integrity and values, in order to generate headlines and create, in the words of The Wire, Eardrum Buzz,” Sikka said in an internal mail.

“There is no second-guessing our deep commitment, passion and dedication to transforming this great company, even within the unprecedented new context that we find ourselves in. We are doing this. We will do this. Together!,” he said.

There have been reports of simmering differences between the CEO and its founders over issues like pay hike given to Sikka and severance package of two former senior executives.
Infosys has, however, defended itself saying all decisions were made “in the overall interest of the company” and that it has made “full disclosures” on all developments.

Infosys founders, along with their family members, owned 12.75 per cent in the company at the end of December 2016, as per the data available on the BSE.

The buzz grew louder when Infosys’ former chief financial officer TV Mohandas Pai said the board should give a detailed answer and not take shelter under “bland” statement that decisions were taken in the interest of the company.

Sikka said Infosys’ revenue growth, which previously underperformed the industry growth by 50 per cent about 2 years ago, is now in line with overall industry growth.

“…we have held margins through operational efficiency improvements and automation benefits. Our cash flow generation continues to be amongst the strongest in the industry. And in a key sign of a thriving enterprise, our new software and services have seen tremendous growth,” he told employees.

Infosys’ strategy is focussed on delivering higher value services and bringing the latest advances in technology into work.

“…we create unprecedented value for clients, employees, shareholders, and the larger global ecosystem in which we operate — including delivering value as one of the largest and most respected companies in India,” he said.