BANGALORE: Two more senior executives have resigned from the business process outsourcing arm of Infosys, joining a parade of exits at a unit which has been outperforming its parent and the rest of the industry. The latest to leave are Rajiv Raghunandan, the head of sales, and Ravi Panchanadan, the head of the manufacturing vertical, who exited the company in April. Raghunandan, a 10-year veteran of Infosys BPO, said he has joined a hedge-fund startup. Panchanadan is now with the Manipal Education Group headed by former Infosys director Mohandas Pai.
An Infosys BPO spokeswoman declined to comment. Other executives who have resigned from Infosys BPO, which had revenue of around $500 million ( 2,700 crore) in the year to March 2013, include former chief operating officer Ritesh Idnani, and Amit Kothiyal who used to head multiple industry verticals such as retail, telecom, media and healthcare. China head Michael Wong and Philippines chief Ayan Chakraborty also left in recent months.
Gautam Thakkar has been the chief executive officer of Infosys BPO from April, after the retirement of Swami Swaminathan. Despite the senior executive churn, Infosys BPO arm has outperformed its peers during the past few quarters. During the 2012-13 fiscal year, the BPO reported a 28% expansion in sales.
"The Indian BPO sector is undergoing a shift wherein the nature of outsourced work is changing; many senior executives are struggling to cope with this change," said Ajith Isaac, managing director of HR firm Ikya Human Capital Solutions.
Parent Infosys has been going through a rough patch over the past couple of years. The Bangalore-based company expects to grow in the range of 6%-10% during the ongoing fiscal year, as against forecast for the industry of 12-14%. Infosys BPO accounts for about 5% of Infosys's revenues.
"Additionally, with the US immigration reform bill and its possible impact on outsourcing, top managers may want to take a closer look at their career prospects and move out to new sectors," Isaac said.