Wipro CEO Thierry Delaporte made it clear that the litigation the IT company brought against its former vice president Mohd Haque and chief financial officer Jatin Dalal had “nothing personal” in them.
Thierry Delaporte, Wipro’s CEO, affirmed the company’s adherence to established business practices, citing its three-decade tenure in the industry. Following the announcement of the December quarter results, he expressed, “I am familiar with the workings of this industry, and we strictly employ standard terms. Our commitment to our employees remains steadfast, and we anticipate a reciprocal commitment from them.”
Dalal was sued by Wipro on the grounds that he joined rival Cognizant within a year of his final day of employment, in violation of the non-compete clause in his employment agreement. Accusing Haque, its former Senior Vice-President (SVP), of breaching non-compete agreements by joining rival Cognizant as SVP and head of the life sciences business unit, Wipro filed a parallel lawsuit against him.
Delaporte stated, “There are legal obligations that must be met, and this is not unique to Wipro; it is a common practice throughout the industry.”
Delaporte mentioned, “We understand that when acquiring talent or promoting internally, it may lead to some level of turnover, and it’s essential to be prepared for such situations.”
“You have to be prepared for the fact that some people will decide to go if you are… transforming the organization… and if you’re providing as much talent in the organization as we’ve done over the last two to three years,” Delaporte stated. He also added that the company is not destabilized by these decisions because “we have the pipeline.”
The issue has not affected the business and operations of the sector, according to Rajesh Nambiar, the chairman and managing director of Nasscom and also a member of Cognizant India. “…we are among the businesses without a bond or service agreement, even at the entry-level. We recruit on the campuses,” Nambiar remarked. “It is a free world out there,” he continued.
