Infosys To Remain 'Differentiated And Iconic': CEO Vishal Sikka To Stakeholders

Infosys chief executive officer Vishal Sikka has said the company will remain "differentiated and iconic" as it has always been in the past and assured all stakeholders that it will improve and move ahead despite challenges. In a letter addressed to shareholders, Mr Sikka said the company will leverage its full potential to shape employment opportunities at a time of global anxiety for jobs. "We can be the next generation services company, as differentiated and iconic as we once were, a company that admires its past and builds on it, or we can be a somewhat improved, but dying, previous generation company that is mired in the past," Mr Sikka said in the IT major's annual report for fiscal year 2017. (Read: Vishal Sikka's letter to stakeholders)

The annual report of Infosys - India's second largest outsourcer - will be placed before the shareholders for their approval at the company's 36th Annual General Meeting, scheduled to be held on June 24, 2017. 

On the company's efforts to tide over challenges on multiple fronts, Mr Sikka said, "It is within us to embrace the tough choices and to move headlong, unabashedly, into creating great new features. Our work in these early years of our transformation leading us along this path. It will continue to be a challenging journey, but it is one worth fighting for." (Also read: Why Infosys pushed back salary hikes for employees)

"In May 2017, we announced our plans to hire 10,000 American technology professionals as Infoscions over the next two years. Indiana is the first of four hubs where we will build a strong local presence, with a focus on education and innovation in areas such as AI, Big Data and more," Mr Sikka added.

Amid concerns over H-1B visas, Infosys plans to ramp up its local hiring in the US. The decision by Infosys was welcomed by the Trump administration, which said it was a result of the US government's "pro-growth economic agenda".

US President Donald Trump had earlier accused Indian software firms of displacing American workers' jobs by flying in foreigners on temporary visas to service US clients.

Some analysts have said Infosys's US expansion will increase its cost burden and squeeze margins.

Talking about the jobs environment, Mr Sikka said: "The ones who leverage technology to fulfil our own unlimited potential, and help others find theirs as well, to shape a better world at a time of pervasive global anxiety about the future of jobs and indeed the future of our humanity."