'I never wrote my resume after campus': Outgoing TCS CEO Rajesh Gopinathan

Outgoing TCS CEO Rajesh Gopinathan on Friday said that he doesn’t have any resume to apply for a future job after quitting IT giant Tata Consultancy Services. On Thursday evening (March 16), TCS announced the resignation of Gopinathan as CEO and the appointment of K Krithivasan as the new CEO designate. Krithivasan will take over as MD & CEO in the next financial year.  Gopinathan will stay on till September to help with the transition. 

In an interaction with the media on Friday, Gopinathan said that he hasn’t written his resume ever after his college days. Responding to a query about his way forward and the biggest takeaway from TCS, Gopinathan said that he hasn’t prepared a resume since he joined TCS 28 years ago. He added that TCS has been and will be an integral part of his life, and going forward he hopes to contribute to the largest software service provider in India in his own way.  

“I never wrote my resume after my campus, my batchmates will know about it. On campus, we used to have a repository, one great learning that you have, one failure that you have. But I don’t have any practice doing that in the last 28 years.  I haven’t thought about it. TCS has been integral to who I am. I never had any second thoughts looking back at my journey. I won’t have done anything else differently. Whatever I do, TCS will be an integral part of me. I hope I also contribute to TCS in my own way and be an integral part of TCS, irrespective of the heights it will go to. This would be the biggest pride and happiness. I am proud that we have built something of lasting value. That’s my greatest takeaway from TCS."

Also read: TCS appoints K Krithivasan as CEO designate after Rajesh Gopinathan resigns

Also read: 'Transition will not be dramatic': Outgoing TCS CEO Rajesh Gopinathan speaks about new leadership under K Krithivasan

TCS shares slumped to a four-month low at Rs 3,145, down 1 per cent on the BSE, on Friday after the company’s announcement of the change of guard. The stock of IT major touched its lowest level since October 27, 2022. 

Also read: Will TCS shares hit hard after CEO Rajesh Gopinathan's unexpected exit? Here's what analysts say

Also read: ‘Moving to Mumbai more difficult than becoming TCS CEO’: New CEO designate K Krithivasan

Talking about the change in strategy, TCS CEO Designate K Krithivasan said that despite a change in leadership, the company will stick to its core value of serving its employees and customers.  

“Focussing on our employees, focussing on our customers is the most important engine that drives our growth,” Krithivasan said. 

He added: “As the market changes, we would recalibrate what we want to do next, where we want to focus on. Along with Rajesh, we will rework the strategy of what should we do next.”   

Krithivasan has been with TCS since 1989. Prior to becoming the CEO of the company, he was President and Global Head of Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI). Under his mentorship, the BFSI was a highly profit-making component for TCS, generating 35-40 per cent of its revenue.