Leading Infy is opportunity of lifetime, Vishal Sikka tells employees

Vishal Sikka took charge of  Infosys, India's second-biggest IT services provider, on Friday. 

Three decades since its inception, Infosys appointed an outsider at the helm to steer the company to greater heights.

In his first email to employees, Vishal Sikka exuded confidence that he will build a sustainable business. "Our founders built a company like none other in the world and we are going to stay true to their values and vision," he said.

Here's what Vishal Sikka wrote to Infosys employees:

Hi Friends, 

I am really looking forward to serving as the CEO of Infosys, one of the most iconic companies we know. To lead Infosys is nothing less than a privilege, and an opportunity of a lifetime.

And as I get started on this journey today, I am ready for the transition that must follow. My own. And then the one that awaits us all at Infosys.

Indeed, this transition will sweep across every company in our industry, and as software reshapes the world around us, every company in the world. Therein lies the great opportunity for us, the great opportunity of our times.

The task before us now is to lay out the way forward. We must continually get better at everything that we do today without disrupting the foundation that has got us to where we are. 

We must then quickly augment this by going after software opportunities with clients - to create next-generation, intelligent solutions.

We will work with the startup community - amplifying their reach and accelerating their roadmaps - to achieve this. We will further reinforce our focus on intellectual property, products and platforms, to drive new scale and new economics.

By laying greater emphasis on improving our ability to learn and to identify opportunities of the future, we will build a sustainable business.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've met so many talented people amongst you. Your enthusiasm to learn and create new ways of working is amazing!

Your overwhelming response to Murmuration has given me so much to think and act on.

Pravin and I are now spending many exciting hours every day discussing and shortlisting the ones which will be at the heart of our transformation plan.

I am convinced that the most efficient way for us to get ahead - perhaps the only way - is to collectively chart out the best course and move as one cohesive unit, as individual as each one of us, and yet together as a larger one, learning from and teaching one another.

Our founders built a company like none other in the world and we are going to stay true to their values and vision.

We are going to continue to foster their great ideas and ideals, be obsessive about our performance so we can delight our clients and be really proud of what we do together.

I will personally drive this agenda.

With the generous support I have from the Board, the executive team and you, this journey is going to be awesome for us all. It's a feeling not unlike the one evoked by Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, when he comments "You have once again had an idea, have done something, have heard the bird in your chest singing and have followed it!"

I'm thrilled at the prospect of meeting everyone, once again, at the upcoming Infosys Town Hall in person or virtually.

See you soon!

Best, V

Photographs, courtesy: Infosys