Raghav_12 Posted August 20, 2011 Posted August 20, 2011 After 30-year love affair with Infosys, Murthy bids adieu http://www.indianexpress.com/news/after-30year-love-affair-with-infosys-murthy-bids-adieu/834498/0 Employee number four at Infosys Ltd, its numero uno in every other way, N R Narayana Murthy, will have a corner office to go to on Monday, but will officially have little to say in the affairs of a company he started with a paltry borrowing of $250 from his wife and transformed into a $6 billion revenue company with a market capitalisation of $36 billion. Murthy who turns 65 on Saturday officially leaves boardroom responsibilities as chairman and chief mentor of the company he founded and drove for 29 years through the sheer dint of his determination transforming along the way the landscape of the Indian economy and the middle class mindset. The Ã…Ãrdinary man who helped fuel a million aspirations in the country with his simple ingredients success story based on hard work, sound technical knowledge, a strong value system, discipline, meritocracy, transparency, openness will move to being the chairman emeritus of the company, a newly created position, leaving the board room to KV Kamath and co-chairman Kris Gopalakrishnan. Ads by Google In keeping with his nature MurthyÃÔ final farewell on his last working day in office on Friday was not flamboyant or ultra emotional except for a sports style T-shirt with the number four and the NRN initials emblazoned on it. Like always Murthy was dour and relentless in driving home the Infosys value system at his farewell as well. In June this year in his last address to shareholders of his company, Murthy had likened his impending separation from Infosys to ÅÕhat of oneÃÔ daughter getting married and leaving her parentÃÔ homeÃò. On Friday like a possessive father he warned his daughter of the challenges ahead. ŵhe fact that we have come so far tells me we can go very far. Infosys must exist for hundreds of years. It must add value to every society in very country in the world. I am confident the board will secure the future of Infosys and enhance its respect,Ãò said the Infosys founder who is often credited with setting new benchmarks for corporate governance in India. Ū donÃÕ believe in legacy. The past is there and its gone. The past and history matter only to the extent of the lessons they teach you,Ãò Murthy said refusing to get nostalgic about what he and Infosys had traversed over their 29 years together. ŵhe biggest enemies within ourselves are our mindsets which are a database of our experiences. Only those who vanquish their mindsets can succeed,Ãò the Infosys founder told an audience that included an assortment of family members of the founders and many past employees, including co-founder and employee number one N S Raghavan who was among the seven ÅÔkinnyÃò co-founders of Infosys in 1981. The globalisation theme, the underpinning of MurthyÃÔ success story, was also alluded to, through a call for adoption of universal values. It was left to MurthyÃÔ son Rohan, other co-founders like Kris Gopalakrishnan and S D Shibulal the new CEO to provide glimpses of a Narayana Murthy not consumed by the idea of what he had created. MurthyÃÔ son said he had asked his father a couple of days ago why he was still working so hard when his retirement is round the corner. Ū am not yet technically 65. I have to fulfill my obligations until the very last minute,Ãò Rohan said quoting his father. Å°ur entire lives he has had only two passions one is my mother and the other is Infosys,Ãò he said. Independent director Deepak Satwalekar and new CEO Shibulal said Murthy was that rare corporate figure whose field of influence extended far beyond their respective corporate set ups. Ÿe can never possibly fill his shoes but we can certainly promise to follow his values and leadership,Ãò Shibulal said. His most important contribution probably was that he managed to change the face of Corporate India. Kudos to him for whatever he has achieved :hatsoff::hatsoff:
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