Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT services provider, announced on Thursday that Rajesh Gopinathan, the company’s CEO, will be resigning. The company stated that K Krithivasan will be the CEO-designate, effective March 16, and will take over as CEO and managing director in the next financial year. 

Gopinathan, who was re-appointed last year as the IT behemoth’s CEO till 2027, will leave TCS in September to pursue other interests. Krithivasan had been with TCS since 1989 and had held various leadership roles in the company through his tenure.

The move comes at a time when the Indian IT sector is experiencing many leadership exits, with Infosys President Mohit Joshi resigning and becoming the CEO and MD of Tech Mahindra being the recent one. Previously, Ravi Kumar S., the former President of Infosys Global Services Organisation, also left the company to become the global CEO of Cognizant. HCLTech’s Engineering and R&D head, Sukamal Banerjee, had also similarly stepped down from his position.

Additionally, this is the first CEO resignation at TCS since its incorporation. Gopinathan has been with TCS since 2001 and has held multiple leadership positions, including that of chief financial officer. Under his leadership, TCS shares have nearly tripled in value, revenue has almost doubled, and profit has risen about 60%, as of last quarter.

K Krithivasan

Krithivasan previously served as the President and Global Head of the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) Business Group at Tata Consultancy Services. With over 34 years of experience in the global technology sector, Krithivasan has been an integral part of TCS since 1989, where he has held numerous leadership positions in delivery, customer relationship management, large programme management, and sales.

In addition to his role at TCS, Krithivasan is a member of the Board of Directors for TCS Iberoamerica, TCS Ireland, and the supervisory board of TCS Technology Solutions AG. Krithivasan’s academic qualifications include a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Madras and a Master’s Degree in Industrial and Management Engineering from IIT Kanpur.