Early Life and Education
Senapathy “Kris” Gopalakrishnan was born on April 5, 1955, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Growing up, he demonstrated an early aptitude for mathematics and logical thinking. He pursued higher education at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, where he obtained a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Physics in 1977 and a Master of Technology (M.Tech.) degree in Computer Science in 1979.
Rise to Success
Gopalakrishnan's career began in 1979 as a software engineer at Patni Computer Systems in Mumbai. In 1981, he co-founded Infosys with six others, including N.R. Narayana Murthy. Over the years, he held several leadership positions within Infosys, including CEO and Managing Director from 2007 to 2011, and Vice Chairman until 2014. He was instrumental in growing Infosys into a global IT leader. In 2011, the Government of India awarded Gopalakrishnan the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honor.
Key Business Strategies
Gopalakrishnan's key strategies included focusing on client relationships and innovation. As CEO, he led the company through a period of significant growth, expanding its global footprint and solidifying its position in technology solutions. He also focused on nurturing new businesses after retiring from Infosys and is currently the Chairman of Axilor Ventures, a startup accelerator.
Philanthropy
Gopalakrishnan is deeply involved in philanthropy, especially in fostering entrepreneurship and research in India. He has contributed ₹225 crore to the Centre for Brain Research at IISc and supports aging research and scientific innovation through the Gopalakrishnan-Deshpande Centre at IIT Madras. He also founded the Pratiksha Trust with his wife, Sudha Gopalakrishnan, which focuses on brain research.
