Wipro chief executive officer and managing director Abidali Neemuchwala has stepped down from his current role, Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji in a letter to employees informed on Friday .

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Premji asked them to stay focused on priorities and "continue driving business as usual" through the transition.

Premji lauded Neemuchwala for driving key acquisitions and scaling the company's digital business globally.

Wipro announced on Friday that Abidali was stepping down from his role as CEO and MD because of 'family commitments'. The company said the Board of Directors has initiated a search to identify the next CEO and that Neemuchwala will continue to hold the office of CEO and MD until a successor is appointed.

In a letter marked to 'Wiproittes', which CNBC TV 18 has seen, Premji, who took over as chairman after Azim Premji stepped down last July, said that over the last four years, "Abid has put in place a robust strategy, helped drive some key acquisitions, built a strong execution mind-set and has scaled our digital business globally,"

Neemuchwala had joined Wipro as group president and COO in April 2015 and took over as CEO in February 2016. His term was to end on January 31, 2021. He was redesignated as CEO and MD in July 2019.

"The (Wipro) Board and I have a lot of respect for Abid and thank him for all his contributions over the past five years. Abid has my full confidence and support and will continue to be CEO and MD until a successor is appointed to ensure a smooth transition," Premji said in his mail.

"As we go through this transition, I am counting on each of you to stay focused on our priorities and continue driving business as usual. I look forward to your leadership and commitment to stay on course," he added.

First Published:Jan 31, 2020 2:42 PM IST