Dataquest IT Person of the Year 2022 Conferred to Salil Parekh, CEO & MD, Infosys

Salil Parekh, CEO & MD, Infosys has been a pivotal force in setting the strategic compass of this IT Bellwether and in creating a strong team for executing ambitious growth paths.

He packs about three decades of IT services’ industry experience – especially with a global vantage point. His impact has been remarkable in areas like digital transformation projects, marquee business turnarounds, and in paving successful acquisitions.

At Infosys, he has been ingeniously driving new innovation levers and portfolio moves. The consistent and solid performance of this IT giant can be attributed to a clear, and well-steered, strategic direction. Parekh has accomplished this through big-picture acumen and smooth execution of digital capabilities. He has also shared in interviews about how building strong cloud capabilities—with Infosys Cobalt, along with AI and data analytics capabilities—has accelerated the company on a future-forward lane. His focus on empowerment of employees with strong digital skills—is also a key catalyst in this execution of a fresh and bold vision.

He is proud and passionate about bringing it all together as one unifying transformational approach called ‘One Infosys’. What’s hard to miss in his journey is how this foresight served the company really well and helped it tide through some recent difficult global situations. It was possible because the leaders and their teams were well-equipped to help clients move to the cloud, embrace data analytics and cloud security.

The very strong foundation of deep values and a great work culture has been kept intact in his leadership style. That has worked beautifully well and in tandem with the purpose-led way of running business – helping the company drive growth, profitability, and shareholder—return even through the testing times.

As a long serving non-founder CEO of one of the largest IT firms, it is quite laudable how the company has been resurrected to stability and a consistent performance trajectory after he took over (year after year). He has been commended for his focus on cloud and digital transformation – something that helped the company to leverage new opportunities worldwide even before the Covid-19 pandemic happened.

Parekh has also played a significant role in overall industry evolution as a member of the National Council of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

His earlier stints also include many significant milestones. He has etched a lot of impact as a member of the Group Executive Board at Capgemini, at the helm of several leadership positions for 25 years. As the Partner at Ernst & Young, he has been applauded for bringing scale and value to the Indian operations of the consultancy firm.

His sharp strategic mind also has a solid foundation of technical degrees—like Master of Engineering degrees in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University, as well as a Bachelor of Technology degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. While he is noted to be a soft-spoken person with a mild and amiable demeanour, he pulls no punches when it comes to executing tough business plans – his assertive execution is evident in the exemplary turnaround of Infosys (supplemented with big clients, big deals and a jump in margins). He has led the company with impressive dexterity—from a leadership vacuum crisis to a strong strategic firmament.

We are proud to present this award to this consummate ‘turnaround’ man.