Five years after his return to Infosys, Sanat Rao still welcomes ever-greater expectations

Sanat Rao is not one to shy away from a challenge, nor is he one to stand pat once he’s achieved a goal. As CEO and Global Head of Infosys Finacle, part of Infosys subsidiary EdgeVerve Systems, Sanat knows that expectations—his own, those of Infosys, and those of Infosys Finacle customers—are always rising.

In this Q&A, Sanat discusses how the excitement of a technology-driven world brought him back to Infosys five years ago. He also discusses the bright prospects that figure to keep him at Infosys Finacle well into the future.

What is your current role, and what future do you envision for yourself at Infosys?

My current role is that of global head of Finacle, Infosys’ most successful software and IP business. Infosys Finacle is a global leader in multiple facets of digital banking and core banking. My mandate is to lead this business as the world evolves, given that we are living in an increasingly technology-centric world.

I think as far as my future career is concerned, honestly, I’m not thinking about any other role. This is the world of software and platforms, and there’s so much more that we can do. We’re in the midst of, hopefully, what will be an amazing run for Infosys Finacle, and I very much want to continue to be part of the journey and lead the business in this growth phase.

How long were you away from Infosys? What brought you back?

I was away from Infosys for just under five years, and my last role was that of a senior partner at a leading consultancy in the UK.

I returned in October 2016 for multiple reasons, each of which played a big role in my decision to come back. Hand on heart, I think the truth is that I missed Infosys. When I was away, I thought often about Infosys and the great time I’d had in my preceding stint there. I kept in close touch with many of my former colleagues, and the opportunity to work with them again was really compelling.

The opportunity to return to Infosys Finacle as head of the business was another compelling reason. Finacle was already a leading solution provider in the banking space even before I left. In 2016, however, Infosys was making very big plans for software and platforms, and the opportunity to shape Finacle’s future under the vision of the management at that time was really exciting. I felt that the challenge of the role was something that I needed at that stage in my life.

Has coming back to Infy met your expectations?

Obviously, my expectations when I rejoined the company five years ago were different from my expectations today. The world has changed in the last five years. I was brought back to take ownership of a business whose performance hadn’t met expectations in the preceding three years. My mandate was to first stabilize the business and then return it to growth.

The most recent financial year was the best in Infosys Finacle’s history, which I hope indicates that we’ve delivered on that mandate. To that extent, I think my expectations have been met.

Mind you, Infosys is a company that expects a lot of its employees, and our customers expect a lot of us, too. And certainly, I have a very high standard for my own performance. I hope we’ve delivered reasonable success in the last few years, but I think the expectations going forward are going to be even higher.

What is different at Infosys that you couldn’t find in other tech companies?

It’s difficult to pinpoint one single thing about Infosys. I think what has particularly stuck with me not just in the last five years but even in my first stint with Infosys was the tagline that our founders created when Infosys was born, which is “Powered by intellect, driven by values.”

I think that tagline still represents the essence and the DNA of this organization, the behavior of the organization, the kind of behavior that’s expected of each of us, as individuals, as proud employees of the company. I think that has stayed with me.

Today, we present a new face to the world with the tagline “Navigate your next.” I think that also speaks eloquently to the high expectations we have of ourselves as Infoscions—and, crucially, the high expectations our customers have of us. Taken together, the two taglines speak volumes about the kind of company we are.

What message do you have for other Infosys alumni out there?

Many of us left Infosys in the past for good reasons; the grass always looks greener on the other side. I believe I left at the right time for reasons that were very relevant to me at that stage in my life. That said, I have not for a moment regretted my return, and if I had to turn the clock back to five years ago, I would do the same.

I would sum up my feelings by saying that, although there’s no perfect company out there, I think in many ways Infosys is as close to perfect as it can get. I’ve had a great experience of nearly two decades with Infosys, spanning virtually every geography of the world, from the U.S. west coast all the way to Australia and New Zealand and the UK. So, I’m delighted to be back, and I hope many other Infosys alumni will choose to return, too.