The appointment was effected on October 22, 2018 and is subject to the approval of shareholders. With his appointment, Sify is now fully compliant with the NASDAQ Listing Rule 5605 on the number of Independent Directors on the Board and Audit Committee.
An alumni of the Le Martiniere school, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, Arun is recognised as among the earliest Indian Telecom leaders. He started out as the founding Managing Director of British Telecom in India in 1995, helping it acquire a 45% stake in Airtel and seeing through its transformation, first to Mahindra BT and eventually to Tech Mahindra. He relinquished office as its non-Executive Chairman in 2012 after an illustrious stint on its Board for 17 years.
He currently serves as an Independent Director on the board of Jubilant Foodworks (Dominos), Narayana Health, Centum Learning (a Bharti Group co), Usha Breco Ltd, Serviont Global Solutions Ltd and Hunger Inc. Pvt Ltd (Restaurants). He has been a founding Charter Member of TiE Delhi and Indian Angel Network and advises/mentors a number of start-ups in the tech space in India and USA.
An active evangelist of the Software product eco-system, he co-chairs the NASSCOM Product Conclave and the NASSCOM Product Council. He had earlier served on the Executive Council of NASSCOM for 10+ years when in British Telecom and Alcatel.
He is very active with NGOs, currently chairing NASSCOM Foundation which drives CSR initiatives across the IT Industry. His particular focus has been in working with NGOs that support the disadvantaged sections. He has served on the Board of Governors for IIM Lucknow and IIIT Delhi and also been an Advisory board member of TERI and a Governing Member of the TERI University board.
In his capacity as Independent Director, he will guide Sify as it seeks to consolidate its position as India’s most comprehensive ICT Solutions and Services leader.
Welcoming him to Sify, Chairman of the Board, Raju Vegesna, said, “It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Arun to our Board. His experience on the operational, strategic and advocacy side and his vast network amongst the Indian IT fraternity makes him a valuable and relevant asset. I am confident that he will bring the right mixture of insight, knowledge and capabilities to help us navigate the transforming IT landscape.”