Infosys appoints Wipro’s Inderpreet Sawhney as its general counsel
Inderpreet Sawhney has been appointed as executive vice-president at Infosys; she succeeds David Kennedy who was sacked in December last year
Bengaluru: Infosys Ltd has appointed Inderpreet Sawhney as the company’s chief compliance officer and general counsel, five months after former general counsel David Kennedy was sacked by the company in December.
Sawhney, who was earlier the general counsel at Wipro Ltd, is expected to join Infosys next month at the rank of executive vice-president, according to an executive familiar with the development.
“We do not comment on speculation related to hiring," said a spokesperson for Infosys.
A spokesperson for Wipro confirmed Sawhney’s departure.
Wipro’s chief financial officer (CFO), Jatin Dalal, will take additional charge as interim general counsel, according to a second executive familiar with the matter.
Significantly, Sawhney is the first executive from an IT services company to join senior management of Infosys under Vishal Sikka, who since taking over as CEO in August 2014 has hired several executives from his former employer, SAP AG, and a few executives from other IT product companies.
In December, Infosys abruptly sacked Kennedy. However, proxy advisory firms questioned the rationale of the company paying him $868,250 in severance pay. Infosys then said that Kennedy and the company had mutually agreed to part ways but clarified that severance pay was part of the employment agreement he signed when he joined in November 2014.
Kennedy was the second Infosys executive after former CFO Rajiv Bansal to have been paid a severance package—a move that made some Infosys founders question decision-making at the board.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!