Vishal Sikka steps down as MD & CEO, Infosys

The MD and CEO of Infosys, Dr Vishal Sikka has stepped down from his position with immediate effect. At its Board meeting held on August 18, 2017, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Infosys Limited (“Infosys” or the “Company”) accepted the notice of his resignation.

In his notice of resignation to the Board, Dr Sikka reiterated his belief in the great potential of Infosys, but cited among his reasons for leaving a continuous stream of distractions and disruptions over the recent months and quarters, increasingly personal and negative as of late, as preventing management's ability to accelerate the Company's transformation.

The Board understands and acknowledges Dr Sikka’s reasons for resignation, and regrets his decision. In particular, the Board is profoundly distressed by the unfounded personal attacks on the members of our management team that were made in the anonymous letters and have surfaced in recent months. As the Board has previously stated, a series of careful investigations found no merit in the unsubstantiated and anonymous allegations that had been asserted. The Board denounces the critics who have amplified and sought to further promote demonstrably false allegations which have harmed employee morale and contributed to the loss of the Company’s valued CEO.

The Board thanks Dr Sikka for his outstanding leadership of the Company, and for his extraordinary contributions during a period of rapid evolution in this industry. The Board also appreciates Dr Sikka’s commitment to facilitate a smooth transition to new leadership fully equipped to lead Infosys forward in this new era in our industry and to ensure continuity in our service to our valued customers. Consequently, the following arrangement (for which shareholders’ approval will be sought, as applicable) has been put in place as of today:

* Dr Sikka has been appointed Executive Vice-Chairman effective, and will hold the office until the new permanent Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director takes charge, which should be not later than March 31, 2018.

* Dr Sikka will continue to focus on strategic initiatives, key customer relationships and technology development. He will report to the Company’s Board.

* U.B. Pravin Rao has been appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director reporting to Dr Sikka under the overall supervision and control of the Company’s Board.

Dr Sikka will receive an annual salary of $1 during his tenure as Executive Vice-Chairman. Any company equity awards held by Dr Sikka that remain outstanding and unvested shall, during his term as Executive Vice-Chairman, remain outstanding and shall continue to vest (and, in the case of stock options, become exercisable) in accordance with their terms.

When Dr Sikka took over, the company was lagging behind industry growth. During Dr Sikka’s tenure as CEO, Infosys revenues have grown from $2.13 billion in Q1FY15 to $2.65 billion this past Q1, with strong margin performance and cash generation, throughout his tenure. Dr Sikka's approach to profitable growth delivered increase in liquid assets (including cash and cash equivalents) from $4.9 billion in June 2014 to $6.1 billion in June 2017, while paying dividends of over Rs.19,000 crore (including dividend distribution tax) over these three years.

Dr Sikka commented, "I started my journey as the CEO of this iconic Company with a mission to transform it on the basis of software, especially [Artificial Intelligence], and innovation, enabled by education. Three years later, I feel proud of our progress and achievements, from profitable revenue growth to rapid purposeful adoption of software, new services and grassroots innovation, to the extraordinary recognition from our clients worldwide. I am deeply grateful to our Board for providing me with strong support and guidance, and especially wish to thank our Chairman, R. Seshasayee, for his extraordinary and thoughtful stewardship, and look forward to working together on a smooth transition.

Congratulations to my friend and partner Pravin on his appointment, and heartfelt thanks to all Infoscions for their warmth, amazing support and the sparks of their imagination."

The Board has mandated the Chairman and the Nomination and Remuneration Committee to expeditiously identify and select a permanent CEO and Managing Director.

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