Will sustain TCS' growth momentum, says CEO Gopinathan

New Delhi: Rajesh Gopinathan, who took charge as chief executive of TCS today, said he and his newly appointed team will ensure sustenance of the company's growth momentum and continuous evolution of its strategy.

Gopinathan has taken over the reins of the country's largest IT services firm from N Chandrasekaran, who has been elevated as Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the USD 103-billion Tata Group.

Chandrasekaran will also hold the chairmanship of TCS. In his first mail to employees after taking over as CEO, Gopinathan said very few companies in the IT industry have "such strength at the top" as TCS does.

"This team together with COO NG Subramaniam (NGS) and I will ensure sustenance of momentum and continuous evolution of our strategy," he added. Apart from the appointment of Subramaniam as COO, TCS has named V Ramakrishnan as Chief Financial Officer.

Ramakrishnan, or Ramki as he is popularly known, succeeds Gopinathan.

Reminiscing his journey at the USD 16.5-billion firm, Gopinathan said: "16 years ago, when I started my career with TCS, the Internet browser was changing the world and TCSers were helping companies prepare for eBusiness".

"Today, 3.8 lakh-plus TCSers are doing pioneering work to transform global firms for the Digital Age. TCS is today the most powerful brand in global IT services... growing fast with a 12 per cent CAGR over the last five years," he said.

Stating that TCS has a "well-articulated strategy" that has guided it to leadership position, he said the company needs to accelerate to "stay a step ahead of the fast changing world".

"In every industry, the technology leverage is increasing and we will use our scale and expertise to drive growth. Our customers are now competing on a time horizon of weeks and days and internally, we have to do the same to stay relevant to them," he added.

Gopinathan said TCS' contextual knowledge of clients' systems and processes, combined with proficiency in new technologies, will position it ahead of pure play technology or consulting companies.

"At the heart of this journey will be our willingness and ability to embrace new knowledge continuously. We can be proud that more than 2 lakh TCSers have leveraged the Digital Learning platform," he said.

Thanking Chandrasekaran for his leadership and mentorship, Gopinathan said TCS will have the benefit of his counsel as the key executive now takes over as Chairman.