Any of top 3 execs can fit into my boots, says HCL Tech CEO

India's fourth-largest information technology services firm HCL Technologies has put in place - through a board committee - a succession plan for its top 30 managers including its chief executive and president Vineet Nayar. 

Nayar, 50, said that any of the three current top leaders, who manage almost 30% business each for HCL Technolgies, can fit into his boots. "You have seen them on the stage," Nayar said responding to a question about who can be the No. 2 of HCL Technologies. 

He was referring to business unit heads who accompany him during earnings announcements every quarter. This is first time that Nayar has openly discussed succession at the helm. "Among the three of them, they manage almost 30% business each for our company," Nayar said. "Any of the three of can manage and fit into my boots, at anytime." 

The top three leaders are Rahul Singh, president, financial services & business services, Anant Gupta who is the president for infrastructure services division, and Steve Cardell, the earlier chief executive of Axon and who is now the president of enterprise application services for the Noida-based firm. Nayar, who was elevated as the CEO of HCL Technologies in 2007, has taken the company from $700 million to $4 billion in revenues and an employee base of 85,000 engineers.

"We take succession planning very seriously in the company. It's because the bus can hit anybody," Nayar said. "To run a company where the number of shareholders is so high, one has to have a succession plan in place." At Bangalore-based peer Infosys, founders have been taking turns filling up the corner office while third largest outsourcing services provider Wipro had its share of trouble with a co-chief executive model, which it eventually gave up. 

According to Gita Dang, founder director, Talent Advisory Services, aDelhi based executive search firm, "when a company has grown by six fold (like HCL has under Nayar's watch) there's enough scale for at least six to seven leaders to emerge." K Sudarshan, managing partner, EMA Partners International, a search firm says that the ability of a company to plan a succession depends on how big a canvass it has. "That's why in diversified companies it is a lot easier than for technology services companies where there are only two functional streams-sales and delivery." "It was done and decided three years ago. HCL Technologies has a Board committee which only thinks of succession planning at all times," Nayar said. 

Rahul Singh, who joined HCL in 2010 now manages a $1-billion financial services piece besides restructuring the $250-million BPO business. Gupta, a telecom engineer is the oldest of the three top leaders with 19 years in HCL. 

His business unit, infrastructure business , brings in about $1 billion. Gupta also heads the Europe business, that contributes $1 billion to the company. Many regard his portfolio as No 2 after the CEO.