Infosys and Accenture chiefs selected to lead Nasscom

15 April 2020 Consultancy.in

Nasscom, India's National Association of Software Services Companies, has appointed two leaders from the professional services industry: Infosys Chief Operating Officer Pravin Rao and Accenture India Chairman & Senior Managing Director Rekha Menon.

Rao takes over from CEO of WNS Global Keshav Murugesh as Chairman of Nasscom for this year, while Menon will serve as Vice Chairperson. Their appointments were announced at a Nasscom Executive council meeting, the first ever to be held virtually. Both will work alongside President of the body Debjani Ghosh to take the trade association’s goals forward.

Nasscom is an association of more than 2,000 tech firms across the country, acting as a platform to collaboratively develop India’s booming tech sector and overcome challenges. The group is currently engaged in a number of initiatives to this end, including the ’10,000 Startups’ scheme launched in 2013.

As the name suggests, the association is looking to support 10,000 startups in India, working with 2023 as a deadline. Rao and Menon take over at a critical stage, not only for this scheme but for a number of organisational objectives as well. This is in addition to helping the tech industry navigate the unprecedented challenges posed by Covid-19. The tech industry has had to make significant adjustments under the circumstances.

UB Pravin Rao and Rekha Menon - Nasscom

Both Rao and Menon expressed readiness to take on these challenging tasks. “As we all adjust to a new normal, I hope to continue the great work that Nasscom has been doing in transforming the industry and making it relevant in this digital era. I believe that our industry, more than ever, needs a focused approach towards building resilience, upskilling is workforce and contributing to our country’s growth, and I’m excited to be a part of this journey with Nasscom,” said Rao. 

Rao has been at Indian IT services giant Infosys since 1985, most recently taking over as COO at the firm when Salil Parekh was appointed CEO in 2017. He previously held a number of leadership positions within Infosys, including Head of Infrastructure Management Services, Delivery head for Europe and Head of Retail.

Menon has been at Accenture for more than 16 years, and was appointed Chairman at Accenture India in 2015. She stressed that the job for Nasscom going forward is to ensure India’s tech sector “remains innovative and agile, as it unlocks opportunities, navigates challenges, and catalyses sustainable, positive impact in our communities in the future.”

Outgoing Chairman at Nasscom Keshav Murugesh applauded the sector’s response thus far, and shed light on the path forward. “I take great pride in the industry’s response and Nasscom’s role in working with various stakeholders on work-from-home solutions as well as providing technology solutions in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. Much has to be done in the days ahead to help tide over this crisis and we must stay agile,” he said.