Wipro just going by the rules, clarifies Thierry Delaporte on job lawsuits

Wipro CEO Thierry Delaporte clarified there was 'nothing personal' on the lawsuits the IT firm filed against its former chief financial officer Jatin Dalal and vice-president Mohd Haque. 

"We are sticking to business practice, we've been in this business for 30 years," Thierry Delaporte, CEO of Wipro, said while addressing the media after declaring the December quarter results. "I know how this is working and we only apply those normal terms and we are committed to our employees, we expect the same from them."

Wipro sued Dalal, accusing him of violating the non-compete clause in his job contract by joining rival Cognizant within 12 months from his last date of work. Wipro filed a similar case against Haque, its former Senior Vice-President (SVP), alleging that he violated non-compete agreements by taking a position as the SVP and head of the life sciences business unit at Cognizant, its rival. 

"There are legal obligations that need to be fulfilled, and it's not specific to Wipro, it's the same everywhere in the industry," Delaporte said.

Also read: Wipro Q3 results: Profit drops 12%, dividend announced; IT firm gives guidance for Q4; key highlights

"We realize that when you are bringing talent, we have been also promoting a lot of talent, it triggers a little bit of a churn and this you must be prepared for that," Delaporte said. 

"If you are... transforming the organisation... and if you're providing as much talent in the organisation as we've done over the last two to three years, you have to be prepared for the fact that some people will decide to go," Delaporte said, adding that the company is not destabilised by these decisions because "we have the pipeline".

Nasscom Chairperson Rajesh Nambiar, who is also Cognizant India Chairman and Managing Director,  said the issue has not impacted the industry's business and operations. "...we are one of the companies which, even at the entry-level, we do not have a bond or a service agreement. We go out and hire from the campuses," Nambiar
said. He went on to add that "it is a free world out there".