The first former CEO of a major Indian IT company to enter academia is Rajesh Gopinathan, the former MD and CEO of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), who joined the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay as head of Translational Research and Entrepreneurship and Professor of Practice.
In order to facilitate the transfer of intellectual property from laboratories to industries, IIT Bombay recently established a Translational Research Center. To further expedite these efforts, the institute announced the creation of a new position headed Translational Research and Entrepreneurship.
IIT Bombay director Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri stated, “We have a tradition of actively including industry leaders in shaping our plans.” We are happy to welcome Rajesh Gopinathan as we work to further our ambitious agenda of entrepreneurship and applied research. His exposure to the world and his experience with TCS’s rapid scaling up will be crucial in advancing our agenda.
Gopinathan expressed his happiness and excitement at the chance to help such a recognizable national institution flourish. Because of its world-class research facilities, esteemed faculty, and abundant talent pool, IIT Bombay is in a unique position to lead the charge in advancing innovation both domestically and internationally. I’m excited to collaborate with the IIT Bombay team to map out the next section of our journey.
Sept. of this year saw Gopinathan depart from TCS. He apparently also became a senior advisor at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the practice of Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT). NIT Trichy and IIM (Indian Institute of Management) Ahmedabad are two prestigious universities that Gopinathan himself attended.
In FY23, Gopinathan earned a salary of Rs 29.1 crore, up 13.17% from the previous year, according to a TCS annual report. For over six years, Gopinathan led TCS as CEO. His four years as TCS’s CFO preceded his time as CEO.
