Infosys Names Ashiss Kumar Dash as Next CEO
The company veteran will succeed Salil Parekh as India’s second-largest IT services company contends with slower spending and AI-led disruption.
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Infosys Ltd named company veteran Ashiss Kumar Dash as its next chief executive officer (CEO) on Thursday, choosing an internal candidate to lead India’s second-largest IT services company as artificial intelligence reshapes client spending and traditional outsourcing work.
Dash, who leads a portfolio spanning services, utilities, resources and energy, has been appointed CEO-designate.
Infosys intends to appoint him CEO and managing director from April 1, 2027, after completing statutory requirements. He will succeed Salil Parekh, whose nine-year term ends on March 31.
The announcement came as Infosys cut the upper end of its fiscal 2027 constant-currency revenue growth forecast to 3% from 3.5%, while retaining the lower end at 1.5%.
The Bengaluru-based company reported first-quarter revenue of ₹48,211 crore, up 14% from a year earlier but below the ₹48,367 crore average estimate compiled by the London Stock Exchange Group. Net profit rose 12.2% to ₹7,769 crore, also slightly below analysts’ expectations of ₹7,832 crore.
Infosys’ US-listed shares fell 5% in early trading on Thursday after the company lowered its growth forecast. The stock dropped as much as 2.6% to ₹1,027 in Mumbai on Friday as brokerages reassessed its near-term outlook.
JPMorgan downgraded Infosys to Neutral, citing the revenue miss, a second consecutive reduction in guidance and pressure from AI-led productivity gains. Jefferies retained its Hold rating but cut its target price, saying Dash’s appointment provided some reassurance over the transition while the weaker growth outlook remained the larger concern.
Indian brokerages were more constructive. Motilal Oswal and Emkay retained their Buy ratings, pointing to deal wins, cash generation and the growing contribution from AI services.
The reaction suggested that investors viewed the internal succession as stabilizing, but not as an immediate answer to the subdued spending environment.
Dash has worked at Infosys for more than three decades and has held positions spanning delivery, sales and client management. Chairman Nandan Nilekani said the board sought a leader capable of pursuing transformation while preserving customer trust and the company’s values.
Phil Fersht, chief executive of technology research firm HFS Research, called Dash a “safe, execution-focused appointment at a time when Infosys needs stability as much as transformation.”
“He understands the firm’s culture, clients and delivery engine, which should reassure customers and investors after a period of uncertainty,” Fersht said.
Parekh, a former Capgemini executive, joined Infosys in January 2018 after a period of leadership instability. During his tenure, the company expanded its cloud, digital and AI services and grew annual revenue beyond $20 billion.
The leadership transition comes as India’s IT services industry faces cautious discretionary spending and pressure from AI tools that can automate software development and other work traditionally delivered through large offshore teams.
AI-related services accounted for 8.2% of Infosys’ quarterly revenue, up from 5.5% in the December quarter. Large-deal bookings rose to $3.6 billion from $3.2 billion in the preceding quarter but remained below $3.8 billion a year earlier.
Dash is expected to return from Los Angeles to India and begin a structured handover, with Parekh mentoring him from October.
He will inherit a company with a strong balance sheet and a growing AI business, but also one under pressure to prove that automation can create new revenue faster than it erodes traditional outsourcing work.
