Rajesh Gopinathan resigns as CEO & MD of TCS; K Krithivasan to replace him

In a surprise development, India’s largest IT services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced that MD and CEO Rajesh Gopinathan has decided to step down from the company to pursue his other interests. Gopinathan has been with TCS for over 22 years.

The Board of Directors has considered his request and accepted the same. The Board has nominated K Krithivasan as the CEO Designate with effect from 16th March 2023.

Gopinathan will continue with the company till 15th September 2023 to provide transition and support to his successor.

N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, TCS, said; "I have had the pleasure of working with Rajesh for the past 25 years. During this period, Rajesh has always distinguished himself with exemplary performance in various roles, including his former role as the Chief Financial Officer. Over the last 6 years, Rajesh has provided strong leadership as the MD & CEO and has laid the foundation for the next phase of TCS’ growth with significant investments in cloud, agile and automation to help clients accelerate their transformation. I am deeply appreciative of Rajesh’s enormous contribution to TCS. I wish him the very best for the future."

This will be huge blow for the company, which unlike its peers has had a very steady leadership at the helm. But Gopinathan's abrupt departure will create a vacuum in the immediate future.

Rajesh Gopinathan, MD & CEO, TCS, said, "I have thoroughly enjoyed my exciting 22 year tenure at TCS. It has been a pleasure working closely with Chandra, who has mentored me through this entire period. The last six years of leading this iconic organisation have been most enriching and fulfilling, adding over $10 billion in incremental revenues and over $70 billion increase in market capitalisation."

He added, "I have been harboring a few ideas on what I want to do in the next phase of my life. After deep reflection and in discussion with the Chairman and the Board, we decided that the end of this fiscal year is a good time for me to step aside and pursue those interests. Having worked with Krithi over the last two decades, I am confident that he is best positioned to take TCS to greater heights along with the leadership team. I will be working closely with Krithi to give him all the support that he needs."

K Krithivasan is presently President and Global Head of the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) Business Group at Tata Consultancy Services. Krithivasan has been part of the global technology sector for over 34 years, having joined Tata Consultancy Services in 1989. During his long tenure at TCS, he has held various leadership roles in delivery, customer relationship management, large program management and sales.