Infosys founder Murthy defends role in boardroom feud

Infosys Ltd founder Narayana Murthy on Tuesday defended his role in a months-long war of words with the company`s board that led to changes at the top, saying his actions were in the interest of shareholders.

Speaking to investors on a conference call, Murthy said he hoped the company`s management would rally behind Nandan Nilekani, a co-founder and a former Infosys CEO, who was named as non-executive chairman last week.

Vishal Sikka, the first CEO of Infosys drawn from outside its founders, resigned this month, blaming Murthy for creating an "untenable atmosphere".

Sikka`s sudden exit sparked a sell-off that wiped billions of dollars off Infosys`s market value, forcing India`s No. 2 IT services firm to reshuffle its board and bring back Nilekani.

On Tuesday, Murthy reiterated concerns about the previous board`s corporate governance practices, including the "excessive" severance paid to a former finance chief, but expressed hope that things would take a turn for the better under Nilekani`s leadership.

"In fact, based on Nandan’s media interviews and the recent changes in the board, I believe that corrective actions have already begun," Murthy said.

The return of Nilekani, who is credited with quadrupling Infosys` revenue to $2 billion, has cheered investors - he is widely expected to end the board`s row with founder executives, help clients and boost employee morale.

Nilekani told investors last week his priorities were to find a CEO, reconstitute the board and shape future strategy.

(This article has not been edited by Zeebiz editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)