India’s second-largest IT services exporter, Infosys, has mandated Egon Zehnder, a global executive search firm, to scout for a new human resources (HR) head following its recent restructuring that will see the current incumbent moving to a different role.
The hunt for a new HR head is aimed at providing fresh impetus to the IT major, which is undergoing changes under the new CEO Vishal Sikka, people aware of these developments told FE.
The restructuring, effective April, will see the current HR head, Srikantan Moorthy, move to a delivery function among the many other changes. Infosys, when contacted by FE, said, “We do not comment on speculation.”
Sources told FE that the search was at an advanced stage and an executive from Accenture could take up the role, though this could not
be confirmed.
This is perhaps the first time that external talent will head this crucial function at Infosys — all previous executives were elevated from within. Moorthy took up the role in January, 2013 from Nandita Gurjar.
Infosys has been facing certain challenges on the HR front with its attrition rate showing no signs of coming down. At the end of the third quarter of FY15, attrition was 20.4% compared to 18.1% a year ago. The headcount currently stands at 169,638.
Infosys officials have stressed it was not a reason of worry. They expect attrition to come down in the next few quarters as they have implemented numerous employee friendly measures.
Sources said the new HR head was likely to be more aligned with the new ideas of Sikka, who has introduced concepts such as design thinking for employees.
Sikka’s entry marked certain management changes within Infosys, resulting in an influx of talent. The majority of key executives are from Sikka’s previous employer, SAP. The latest to join Infosys from SAP will be Gordon Muehl, former chief technology officer – security at SAP, and he will be based in Germany. Other examples include Michael Reh, who is heading the banking product business, Finacle, and the products business, Abdul Razack, Ritka Suri, Sanjay Rajagopalan and Navin Budhiraja.
This is the second time in the recent past that Infosys has engaged with Egon Zehnder to scout for key executives. In 2014, the agency was mandated to shortlist external candidates for the role of CEO to replace SD Shibulal.
