Ghotala.in

Kiran Karnik on board of another Raju firm

HYDERABAD: Even as the tech fraternity at Satyam was rejoicing over the appointment of Deepak Parekh and Kiran Karnik as directors of the
reconstituted board, a small section in the industry raised questions about their presence on the boards of competitors. Eyebrows were also raised about Karnik’s presence on the board of EMRI, another B Ramalinga Raju company.

EMRI (Emergency Management and Research Institute) is alleged to have secured undue favours from various state governments. Krishna Palepu, a former Satyam board member, is also on EMRI’s board.

Industry observers expressed concern that Karnik’s presence on the board of EMRI could affect his credibility as an impartial and independent member of Satyam’s new board. However, they were confident that Karnik would have disclosed his presence on EMRI’s board to the government before giving his consent to Satyam appointment. Karnik could not be contacted for his comments despite repeated attempts.

Karnik is also on the board of EXL Services, while Deepak Parekh is on the board of WNS Global Services, both business process outsourcing (BPO) companies which are in direct competition to Satyam’s BPO. The websites of both companies continue to display their names as directors, which means that they still continue on the boards of these companies.

Source: TOI