Bangalore, Dec. 2 (PTI): Infosys Ltd, India’s no 2 IT services company, on Saturday announced the appointment of Capgemini veteran Salil S. Parekh as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, effective from January 2 next year.

”We are delighted to have Salil joining as the CEO and MD of Infosys. He has nearly three decades of global experience in the IT services industry,” Nandan  Nilekani, chairman of the board of directors, said.

U.B. Pravin Rao will step down as interim CEO and Managing Director effective January 2, 2018, and will continue as Chief Operating Officer and a full-time Director of the Company.

The CEO’s post had opened up in August when Vishal Sikka quit after a spat with co-founders including N.R. Narayana Murthy. Nilekani, a co-founder, was then brought back as non-executive chairman of Infosys.   

”The Board is grateful to Pravin for his leadership during this period of transition,” Nilekani said in a company statement.

At Capgemini, Parekh was a member of the Group Executive Board, the statement said. Capgemini itself announced Parekh’s departure earlier in the day.

Parekh has masters degrees in computer science and mechanical engineering from Cornell University, and a bachelor of technology degree in aeronautical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

”Parekh has a strong track record of executing business  turnarounds and managing very successful acquisitions. The Board believes that he is the right person to lead Infosys at  this transformative time in our industry,” Nilekani said.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, said that with his strong record and extensive experience, the company believes it has the right person to lead.

”After a comprehensive global search effort, we are pleased to appoint Salil as the CEO & MD. He was the top choice from a pool of highly qualified candidates. With his strong track record and extensive experience, we believe we have the right person to lead Infosys,” she said.