Mr Narayana Murthy's contribution to India and the Indian IT industry is unparalleled. He has set the standards of excellence for millions of Indians world over and has played a large role in putting India on the global IT map.
Infosys' success over the past 30 years, both during Mr Murthy's tenure as CEO and his role as Chairman and Chief Mentor, has in many ways been driven by his strong ethics and principles that have been embodied in every facet of Infosys. He is a perfectionist and his drive for excellence is an inspiration for anyone who has had the opportunity to work with him.
He has been an integral part of Infosys over the past 30 years, even the campuses of Infosys have Mr Murthy's signature perfection visible, as he envisioned the need to provide employees a world-class work environment to ensure they are at par with their global contemporaries.
His commitment to fairness and equality, led to his constant desire to ensure that all his decisions are based on data, the creation of the Infosys Foundation and a diversity office at Infosys.
Mr Murthy is an idea incubator and has supported the spirit of entrepreneurship both within and outside Infosys. The list of his contributions to both the company and the corporate world is endless.
While this is an emotionally charged few days for us at Infosys, as Mr Murthy steps down as Chairman of the Infosys Board, he will continue to be and will always be a part of the company in his capacity as Chairman Emeritus.
(The author is CEO and Managing Director, Infosys)