Phaneesh Murthy is a notable Indian business leader who has made significant contributions to the IT industry. Born into a middle-class family in Bengaluru, he graduated with a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Madras and later earned a PGDM from IIM Ahmedabad. His career began at Sonata Software in 1987, where he excelled in sales and marketing for five years before joining Infosys.
At Infosys, Murthy played a pivotal role as the Global Sales Head, where he was instrumental in elevating the company's revenues from $2 million to approximately $700 million within a decade. His success positioned him as a potential successor to NR Narayana Murthy, the company's co-founder. However, his career faced challenges when he left Infosys amid allegations of sexual harassment in 2002.
After departing Infosys, Phaneesh founded Quintant Services, which quickly attracted the attention of iGATE Global Solutions. Following the acquisition of Quintant in 2003, he became CEO and President of iGATE. Under his leadership, the company underwent significant restructuring and achieved remarkable growth, including the acquisition of Patni Computer Systems for $1.22 billion, which positioned iGATE among the largest IT firms in India.
Despite his successes, Murthy's tenure at iGATE ended in controversy when he was dismissed in 2013 due to another harassment lawsuit. Since then, he has shifted his focus to consulting and entrepreneurship. He currently serves as the CEO of Primentor, a consulting firm that mentors senior executives and promotes hyper-growth strategies.
