Who is Rajesh Gopinathan?
One of the youngest CEOs in the Tata Group, Rajesh Gopinathan is the current chief executive officer and managing director of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
Gopinathan played a key role in helping TCS become a 22 billion global company at the end of the fiscal year 2020. With over 469,000 associates, TCS is one of the largest private-sector employers globally and was recognised as a Global Top Employer for the sixth consecutive year in 2021, with the highest retention rate in a competitive industry.
Rajesh Gopinathan's background
Born in Thrissur, Kerala, he graduated in 1994 with an Electrical and Electronics Engineering degree from the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli. Equivalent to a MBA degree, he obtained a post-graduate diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in 1996.
After his management studies, he joined the Tata Strategic Management Group, where he worked on multiple assignments with Tata companies.
Gopinathan's journey at TCS
Gopinathan joined the TCS from the Tata Industries and worked to drive TCS’ newly established e-business unit in the US. He was involved in the design, structure and implementation of the new organisational structure and operating model of the company. He took over as the CFO in 2013.
Before this, he was Vice President – Business Finance, responsible for the financial management of the company's individual operating units. He was elevated to the role of Chief Executive Officer in February 2017.
Under Gopinathan's leadership, the market capitalisation of the company crossed $100 billion during April 2018, making the IT firm the most valuable company in India. In 2021, its brand value grew by $1.4 billion over the prior year to $15 billion.
Achievements
Gopinathan was awarded the 2019 Management Man Achiever of the year by the Bombay Management Association. He was also named one of the Top 100 Global CEOs in the Brand Guardianship Index 2019.
In 2018, he was also ranked ‘Best CEO’ in Institutional Investor's 2018 All Asia Executive Team rankings. In 2014, he was awarded the “Young Alumni Achiever's Award” under the “Corporate Leader” category from IIM, Ahmedabad.