Salil Parekh is stepping down as CEO of Infosys in March 2027 after a nine-year tenure, with Ashiss Kumar Dash set to take over in April 2027. According to Parekh's interview with Moneycontrol, he believes the company has reached an appropriate point for leadership transition after delivering strong outcomes across revenue, workforce growth and digital transformation. Parekh expressed confidence in Dash, describing him as a strong leader with deep client relationships and extensive experience across Infosys's businesses. The outgoing CEO noted that Dash will begin working alongside him during the transition period before formally taking over as CEO.
The company's revenue growth has experienced a dramatic decline from its peak performance under founding leadership, with Infosys recording a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.3 per cent during N R Narayana Murthy's period between financial year 1992-93 (FY93) and FY02. This performance level was subsequently exceeded by Nandan Nilekani's tenure, which achieved 38.2 per cent CAGR, before the growth rate moderated significantly under subsequent leadership. However, Parekh highlighted that AI services are now contributing 8% of company revenue, supported by investments in platforms such as Topaz Fabric, which can work with 15 different foundation models. He noted that around 80,000 employees are already using coding tools while working on client engagements and internal projects, positioning the company well for the AI era.
The company's growth trajectory has shown a consistent decline across different leadership periods, with Parekh joining in 2018 after the resignation of former CEO Vishal Sikka and governance disputes involving the company's founders. Parekh became the longest-serving non-founder CEO in Infosys's 45-year history, with his tenure spanning 19 quarters. The growth rate under Kris Gopalakrishnan moderated to 24.2 per cent, further declining to 12.4 per cent under S D Shibulal. Parekh achieved 15.7 per cent CAGR during his leadership, with most recent growth under Salil Parekh at 8 per cent CAGR. This decline coincided with challenging external economic conditions facing the IT services sector.
Despite macroeconomic uncertainty weighing on technology spending in recent years, Parekh expressed confidence that AI services will continue expanding as macroeconomic conditions stabilize. He noted that enterprises require technology partners capable of combining AI models with deep business and industry expertise rather than relying solely on foundation models. While clients have remained focused on managing costs, slowing overall demand for IT services, Parekh highlighted that Infosys has maintained pricing discipline on large contracts, choosing not to pursue deals where commercial terms did not align with the company's expectations. The company has successfully retained its competitive position relative to the Indian information technology services industry, maintaining its market position even as growth rates have declined.
