Rajesh Gopinathan is an Indian businessman and former CEO and Managing Director of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), an Indian IT services and consulting organization and one of the country’s largest employers. After serving as Chief Financial Officer since 2013, he was promoted to Chief Executive in February 2017.
Wiki/Biography
Rajesh Gopinathan was born in 1971 in Thrissur, Kerala. He grew up in Lucknow where he did his schooling at St. Mary’s Convent Inter College. Later, he attended St. Francis’ College in Lucknow. In 1994, he graduated with an Electrical and Electronics Engineering degree from the National Institute of Technology in Tiruchirappalli (formerly Regional Engineering College, Tiruchirappalli). In 1996, he earned a post-graduate diploma in management, which was equivalent to an MBA degree, from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 7″
Hair Colour: Salt & Pepper
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
Parents & Siblings
There is not much information about parents and siblings.
Wife & Children
His wife, Lekshmi, is an architect who is a PhD degree holder from IIT-Bombay. They have a daughter named Malini and a son named Anirudh.
Rajesh Gopinathan with his family
Career
In 1996, he joined the Tata Strategic Management Group and worked on assignments with various Tata companies. In 2001, he joined Tata Consultancy Services from Tata Industries in the United States. In the following years, he received several promotions and was involved in the design, structure, and implementation of the new organizational structure and operating model of the company. As the vice president of Business Finance, he was in charge of overseeing the finances of each of the company’s divisions. In 2013, he became the chief financial officer of Tata Consultancy Services. After four years, he was appointed as the chief executive officer in February 2017. At the end of the fiscal year 2020, Rajesh significantly contributed to TCS becoming a 22 billion-dollar worldwide enterprise. His tenure as the CEO is said to take effect on 15 September 2023 and with effect from 16 March 2023, Krithi Krithivasan, the organization’s president and worldwide head of the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sector, took over as the CEO.
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- 2014: Young Alumni Achiever’s Award by Corporate Leader Category Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
- 2018: Best CEO by Institutional Investor’s 2018 All Asia Executive Team Rankings
- 2019: CEO Force for Good Award by Chief Executive for Corporate Purposes
- 2019: Management Man of the Year by the 40th Bombay Management Association Corporate Leadership and Academic Awards
- 2020: Outstanding Business Leader of the Year by CNBC TV18 India Business Leader Awards (IBLA)
- 2021: India’s Best CEO in the category of Super large companies by Business Today (India)
Net Worth
The overall compensation for Gopinathan for the fiscal year 2021–2022 increased by 26.6% to Rs. 25.75 crores. It included a salary of Rs. 1.5 crore, Rs. 2.25 crore in benefits and allowances, and Rs. 22 crores in total commission (from earnings).
Facts/Trivia
- Rajesh enjoys taking long strolls, reading, travelling, and watching movies.
- While addressing his resignation, Rajesh Gopinathan said in an interview that he wishes to pursue other interests. He also said,
I have been harboring a few ideas on what I want to do in the next phase of my life. After deep reflection and in discussion with the Chairman and the Board, we decided that the end of this fiscal year is a good time for me to step aside and pursue those interests. Having worked with Krithi over the last two decades, I am confident that he is best positioned to take TCS to greater heights along with the leadership team. I will be working closely with Krithi to give him all the support that he needs.”
- In an interview, Mr Rajesh said that his decision to resign from the post of MD and CEO was timed such that incoming CEO K. Krithivasan could start off with a new financial year. He further said,
From a longer-term perspective, we have brought the volatility of the pandemic to a fair state. We have registered strong growth, both off the pandemic low with 15 per cent and then over the last 9 months we have grown at 14.8 per cent. We have crossed big milestones like $7 billion. When you look forward, I don’t think there is going to be another period when there will be significant difference to stability. I asked myself, ‘If not now, will there be a better time?’ and the frank answer was I couldn’t think there could be anything better.”