Infosys & Salil Parekh – change catalyst CEO
Salil Parekh didn't invent a new product at Infosys — he rebuilt trust, direction and momentum. Here's the Change Catalyst trait of the Winning Kite, told through Infosys, Gary Kirsten's Team India, Ratan Tata, and the ADKAR model.

{"@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "Infosys & Salil Parekh – change catalyst CEO", "description": "How Salil Parekh turned around Infosys, and what his change-catalyst playbook teaches every Indian manager about leading change without being an innovator.", "image": "https://avinash-gallery-worker.avinashchate-abc.workers.dev/avinash-1782733151611-gkou54.jpg", "keywords": "Salil Parekh, Infosys, Change Catalyst, Winning Kite, Emotional Intelligence, Stars at India Inc, Avinash Chate, leadership training India", "articleSection": "Trait #24 Change Catalyst", "author": {"@type": "Person", "name": "Avinash Chate", "jobTitle": "Founder & Director, The Future Corporate", "sameAs": ["https://www.linkedin.com/in/avinashchate/", "https://www.youtube.com/@AvinashChate"]}, "publisher": {"@type": "Organization", "name": "The Future Corporate", "logo": {"@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://avinash-gallery-worker.avinashchate-abc.workers.dev/avinash-1775992459555-zcrxke.webp"}}, "datePublished": "2026-07-11", "dateModified": "2026-07-11", "mainEntityOfPage": {"@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://avinashchate.com/blog/infosys-and-salil-parekh-change-catalyst-ceo"}} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Who is Salil Parekh and why is he called a change catalyst?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Salil Parekh became CEO of Infosys in 2018 after the company had gone through boardroom turmoil, founder-management friction, and a leadership vacuum following N.R. Narayana Murthy's public clash with the previous CEO. Parekh didn't bring a radically new invention to the table. What he brought was the Change Catalyst competence: he recognised that the status quo \u2014 an anxious, directionless organisation \u2014 was no longer good enough, removed the obstacles slowing Infosys down, and rallied leadership and employees around a renewed digital-services strategy. Under him, Infosys stabilised, grew revenue, and re-established its position among India's top IT services companies."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Is a change catalyst the same as an innovator?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No, and this is one of the most important distinctions in the Change Catalyst trait. An innovator invents a new product, process or idea. A change catalyst inspires and mobilises people to embrace a change that may already be defined \u2014 a merger, a relocation, a new system, a new market reality. You do not need to be the person with the original idea to be the person who makes the change actually happen. Transformational leaders, as described by Bernard Bass and echoed throughout the Change Catalyst trait, succeed by appealing to people's sense of purpose, not by out-inventing everyone in the room."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the ADKAR model and how does it apply at work?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"ADKAR, developed by Jeff Hiatt, is a five-step mod…
← Back to all articles · Book Avinash Chate
By Avinash Chate — Maharashtra’s #1 Corporate Trainer & Motivational Speaker. .