Internal candidates in race for top job at LTIMindtree

BENGALURU: The leadership transition at Wipro occurred earlier than anticipated, while LTIMindtree is currently engaged in succession planning. Both organisations seem to favour internal candidates for the CEO position.

As Debashis Chatterjee's tenure as LTIMindtree CEO will end next year, two internal candidates are competing for the role: COO Nachiket Deshpande and president of sales Sudhir Chaturvedi. According to sources, Deshpande is relocating to the US. However, TOI couldn't independently verify this information.

In 2018, before the acquisition, LTI named Deshpande as its COO. He is also overseeing the implementation of MCA21. Deshpande previously served as Cognizant's SVP and global delivery head for banking and financial services, reporting to Chatterjee, who was then EVP and president of global delivery at the Nasdaq-listed company. Since joining LTIMindtree, Chaturvedi has been a key strategist of the company's transformation across brand development, market development, and business development activities.

When TOI reached out to LTIMindtree on the succession planning, its spokesperson said, "Succession planning is an integral part of every organisation's growth strategy. Under Debashis Chatterjee's leadership, LTIMindtree has made its mark as a Nifty 50 company and a challenger brand in the IT industry. He continues to be the CEO & MD at LTIMindtree. Beyond this, we do not wish to comment on any speculations."

Phil Fersht, CEO of US-based IT advisory HfS Research, anticipates Deshpande will assume the role based on his experience and leadership abilities. Ray Wang, CEO of Constellation Research, highlighted that both candidates possess extensive experience and global expertise, having taken LTI public. He stressed the significance of an insider taking over to ensure stability and maintain the company culture.

Chatterjee aims to expand LTIMindtree into a $10-billion company within the next 4-5 years, from over $4 billion currently. Some of LTIMindtree's top clients include Microsoft, Citi, and Barclays.

L&T group company LTTS also has a history of promoting internal candidates. It elevated Amit Chadha as CEO and MD in 2021, succeeding Keshab Panda who had been leading the firm since 2015.