The Infosys story

Updated: October 11, 2012 20:02 IST

Here are some major events in the history of Infosys, which was set up by N.R. Narayana Murthy and six other engineers in Pune with an initial capital of $250 mostly borrowed from their spouses.

The Infosys story
1981: Infosys is set up by N.R. Narayana Murthy and six other engineers in Pune with an initial capital of $250 mostly borrowed from their spouses.
The Infosys story
1983: The company relocates its corporate headquarters to Bangalore, one of the first software companies to set up operations in the city that went on to become India's Silicon Valley.
The Infosys story
1993: Infosys lists on the Indian exchanges and is among the first in India to introduce employee stock-option plan, a move to attract and retain talent.
The Infosys story
1999: It becomes the first Indian company to list on the Nasdaq, raising the profile of the Indian outsourcing industry in the United States.
The Infosys story
2002: Mr. Murthy hands over chief executive role to co-founder Nandan Nilekani. Murthy becomes chairman. Revenue reaches $500 million. The company launches back-office outsourcing services unit, Progeon.
The Infosys story
2005: The company launches the offer of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) against existing local shares in a $1 billion deal, at that time the biggest conversion of Indian shares into ADRs.
The Infosys story
2006: Mr. Murthy steps down as chairman after 25 years at the helm of the firm after reaching the company's retirement age of 60, continues as non-executive chairman and mentor.
The Infosys story
2007: Infosys co-founder and chief operating officer Kris Gopalakrishnan takes over as chief executive from Nilekani, who takes up the role of co-chairman.
The Infosys story
2008: The company announces a $700 million-plus bid to acquire British consulting firm Axon, but drops out of race after smaller domestic rival HCL Technologies makes a higher offer.
The Infosys story
2009: The chief executive of Infosys's back-office outsourcing arm, Amitabh Chaudhry, quits in a rare departure by a senior official. The company's headcount surpasses 100,000. Co-chairman Nilekani resigns to join the Indian government to launch a nationwide biometric identity card programme, Aadhaar. In 2008, the company crosses the $5 billion revenue mark.
The Infosys story
2011: Co-founder and chief operating officer S.D. Shibulal is named chief executive and his predecessor becomes executive co-chairman. Mr. Murthy retires as non-executive chairman and veteran banker K.V. Kamath, an independent director of Infosys, takes over as non-executive chairman. Board member and human resources chief T.V. Mohandas Pai quits.
The Infosys story
2011: Company says it has received a subpoena from a grand jury in a US district court that requires the company to provide certain documents and records related to B1 business visas. B1 business visas allow companies to send their employees to the United States for short-term business purposes.
The Infosys story
2012: Heads of its business units serving the finance and manufacturing sectors swap jobs, a sign that both are contenders to take the chief executive's post when it opens in 2015.
The Infosys story
2012: The company says it has been told by the US attorney's office that it and some staff are targets of investigation over its sponsorship and use of short-term US business visas. It says it is under scrutiny from the US Department of Homeland Security for likely errors in employer eligibility documents of its staff working in the United States.
The Infosys story
2012: Infosys acquires Zurich-based Lodestone for 30 million Swiss francs or $350 million (over Rs. 1,900 crore). Lodestone clocked revenues of $210 million in 2011. Of this, 50 per cent was from Switzerland and 23 per cent from Germany. Lodestone added 850 employees to Infosys' 150,000, including 750 consultants experienced in advising clients on the use business management software from SAP AG. It also increased Infosys' clients to more than 900 from its current 700.

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