Shanghai : The East China Normal University (ECNU), one of the most prestigious universities in China, announced the appointment of Dr. Vishal Sikka, Chief Executive Officer of Infosys, as Advisory Professor. Professor Shijun Tong, CCP Secretary of ECNU, formally conferred the Advisory Professorship at a ceremony, held at the ECNU campus on March 24, 2015.

Prof. Shijun Tong, CCP Secretary − ECNU, was joined by Prof. Rongming Wang, Vice President − ECNU, Prof. Qifeng He, academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. Zhenguo Yuan, Dean of Education − ECNU, Mr. Rangarajan Vellamore, Chief Executive Officer – Infosys China, and Mr. Mike Liu, Chief Operating Officer − Infosys China.

Dr. Sikka is Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Infosys, a global leader in consulting, technology, outsourcing and next-generation services. His passion for lifelong learning has led him to work closely with universities and students around the globe to pursue their own passion for learning, and exploring new areas of innovation, and looking at some of the world’s greatest challenges in new ways. As Infosys’ CEO, Dr. Sikka is driving a strategy that is exactly centered around the above areas – working with clients to renew existing working processes by applying the latest and most innovative technologies, and at the same time, bringing entirely new ways of working, new ways of thinking and new ways of finding and resolving problems.

Prior to joining Infosys, Dr. Sikka was a member of the Executive Board of SAP AG, leading all products and technologies, and driving innovation globally. During his 12 years at SAP, Dr. Sikka was instrumental in defining the company’s technology and product strategy and architecture. He is credited with creating the breakthrough in-memory platform, SAP HANA. He has also created the concept of ‘timeless software’, which articulates the principles for renewal of products without disruption to customer environments. He is well known for championing technology as an amplifier of human potential, and his passion for applying software in purposeful ways to address some of the toughest global challenges. His experience encompasses research in artificial intelligence, intelligent systems, programming languages and models, and information management – at Stanford University, at Xerox Palo Alto Labs, and as founder of two startups.

Quotes

Dr. Vishal Sikka, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Infosys:

“ECNU is a prestigious Chinese university. It is a great honor to receive this recognition, and I accept it with deep gratitude. It reinforces my desire to be a lifelong teacher and a lifelong student. I look forward to working closely with students and the university to help nurture the passion for learning and to help people think in new ways.”

Prof. TONG Shijun, CCP secretary of ECNU

“ECNU is on the road to develop into a globally recognized university and we look forward to partnering with Infosys to identify upcoming technologies that will in turn help us prepare our students with skills to address the opportunities that they offer. We are focused on developing talent that has strong foundations in scientific research, and who are in turn able to service the development of social and economic development of China.”