Decoding CEO appointment strategies of Bengaluru's ITES founders

livemint.com:

However hard it is, the market-coming-of-age of many of those co-founders took years, under the shadow of the lead founder. Many of them took a chance at the CEO role. Many critics even argue that some of them needed that CEO tag to affirm their presence.

Some even went to the extent to say that it was a front for the lead promoter to control the entity. Well, except those involved, one would never know why such leadership-by-rotation practice happened without inducting external talent. Both companies are led by founders known for their personal frugality and commitment to governance.

Both lead-founders are personally-frugal and high on governance. Of course, the PR machinery could never get enough about their economy class air travel, and so on. Their enterprise leadership and wealth creation for shareholders, and themselves have been phenomenal.

That’s what matters. While one founder retired from executive roles and maintains a low public profile, the other has been more visible, returning to the frontlines before stepping back again. His public engagements and opinions on various issues remain notable.

Be it views on youth working beyond 70 hours, or having a view on the Chinese economic model. For his frugal persona positioning, he is media savvy, being on the dais repeatedly. Wipro, in particular, has seen a CEO change approximately every five years over the past two decades, possibly reflecting a strategy to adapt to changing business needs such as scaling operations, maintaining cost efficiency, keeping the engines running smoothly, fostering innovation, or meeting the demands of major client markets.