Accenture India head Rekha Menon to take over as Nasscom chairman for FY22

She succeeds U B Pravin Rao, COO, Infosys, to become the first woman to take on this role at Nasscom; Krishnan Ramanujam of TCS is Vice Chairperson

The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), the information technology service body, said on Thursday it has appointed Rekha M Menon, Chairperson and Senior Managing Director at Accenture in India as its Chairperson for 2021-22. 

Menon succeeds U B Pravin Rao, Chief Operating Officer, Infosys, who served as Chairman of Nasscom for the year 2020-21. Nasscom named Krishnan Ramanujam, President and Head of Business & Technology Services, Tata Consultancy Services as the Vice Chairperson for this financial year. 

Menon is the first woman to take on the role of Chairperson for Nasscom in the association’s 30-year history. 

“I am honoured and humbled by this vote of confidence by the Nasscom Executive Council at such a crucial time for our industry.  The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continues to test the resilience of our more than 4 million people, even as it has created new opportunities for growth with technology emerging as the lifeline for societies and economies across the world,” said Menon in a statement.  

Nasscom also announced its new Executive Council which comprises industry sectors like Engineering and Research and Development, Business Process Management, IT Services, Global Capability Centres, Small and Medium Enterprises and startups. The new Executive Council will play a strategic role in enabling India’s tech sector to take leadership on the global map through focused initiatives and programmes. 

“As we cautiously navigate the pandemic, I look forward to working with the Nasscom Executive Council and its members to drive our industry’s long term growth by augmenting India’s position as the digital talent nation for the world, driving people first innovation, and working with the government to create a conducive policy environment needed for sustainable growth,” Menon added.

The Executive Council members include Rishad Premji Chairman, Wipro Ltd, Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India, Keshav Murugesh Group CEO, WNS Global Services, Nivruti Rai, General Manager, Intel India, Arundhati Bhattacharya,  CEO and Chairperson, Salesforce.com India, Sindhu Gangadharan, SVP and Managing Director, SAP Labs India and Kunal Bahl, founder, Snapdeal. 

“With the industry re-aligning itself in the new normal, I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with Rekha and Krishnan to drive the industry through another uncertain but growth opportunity year. As a champion of future skills and inclusive growth, Rekha’s past contributions to Nasscom have been invaluable, and we look forward to working together to take our industry to newer heights in this new normal where amalgamation and integration of technology is going to continue, and digital skilling is going to be the cornerstone for a collaborative development,” said  Debjani Ghosh, President, Nasscom.

Nasscom continues to work with the government to build frameworks for responsible technology and strengthen the Indian narrative across the key pillars of trust, digital talent, innovation, and responsible tech. 

Talking about the IT industry's response the pandemic over the last year, outgoing Nasscom chairman UB Pravin Rao said, “During my tenure, I had the privilege of working alongside the Government, Nasscom and some of the best minds in the ecosystem to lead the industry into the new normal. I take great pride in the industry’s response and readiness, and Nasscom's role in working with various stakeholders on work-from-home solutions as well as providing technology solutions in the wake of the COVID19 outbreak. Much is needed to be done in the days ahead as the new wave of the virus threatens to disrupt operations. The industry needs to remain agile and resilient as we sail through the crisis."