Tech Mahindra Appoints Tarun Bajaj & Neelam Dhawan as Independent Directors
The Board of Directors of Tech Mahindra Limited has approved the appointment of Tarun Bajaj and Neelam Dhawan as Additional Directors (Non-Executive) with effect from May 1, 2024, until the next AGM, and thereafter as Independent Directors for five years with effect from July 26, 2024. Subject to the approval of the shareholders at the ensuing AGM.
The Board has also approved the appointment of Amarjyoti Barua as an Additional Director (Non-Executive) on the Board of the Company with effect from May 18, 2024, until the next AGM of the Company, and thereafter, subject to the approval of the Shareholder of the Company, as a Non-Executive and Non-Independent Director.
Furthermore, the Board approved the reappointment of Shikha Sharma, Haigreve Khaitan, and Dr. Mukti Khaire as Independent Directors of the company for five years, with effect from August 1, 2024. Subject to the approval of the shareholders.
The Board took note of the resignation of Manoj Bhat with effect from May 17, 2024, in view of his transition to the role of Managing Director and CEO of Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India Limited.
In another development, Ram Ramachandran, Head of Strategic Business Unit (India, Middle East, and Africa), has been designated as Senior Management Personnel (SMP) of the company effective April 25, 2024. Vivek Agarwal, Head – Corporate Development and SMP of the company, has tendered his resignation from services to pursue alternate interests. The company has agreed to relieve him from its services on May 17, 2024.
Tarun Bajaj has spent more than 34 years of his professional career as a civil servant in the Indian Administrative Service. Bajaj was superannuated as the Revenue Secretary, Government of India. Prior to that, he also served as the Joint Secretary in the Department of Financial Services, looking after policy matters related to the banking, insurance, and pension sectors. During his illustrated career as a bureaucrat, he led a few state public sector companies as the MD, served as the Director on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India, and was on the board of SEBI. He also held the position of Governor of India for the International Fund for Agriculture Development and as Alternate Governor of India for the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and New Development Bank. He has a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University; a postgraduate diploma in management (MBA) from IIM Ahmedabad; and a postgraduate degree (M.Sc.) from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is also a CFA from the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India, Hyderabad.
Neelam Dhawan is currently a Non Executive Director at ICICI Bank, Capita PLC, Fractal Analytics, and Yatra Online Inc. She is also the chairperson of Capillary Technologies. She is on the governing board of IIT, Delhi, and also advises and mentors various organizations on business transformation. She was on the supervisory board of Royal Philips and the head of the IBM India Advisory Board.
Her last executive assignment was that of Vice President, Asia Pacific and Japan, for Hewlett-Packard Enterprise. She has held leadership positions at various organisations including HCL, IBM, and Microsoft.
Over several years, leading business journals such as Fortune, Forbes, and Business Today have recognised her as one of the Most Powerful Women in Business. She was on the NASSCOM Executive Council. She is an economics graduate from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, and also has an MBA degree from the Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi, India. She also serves as a director on the Boards of eminent publicly listed companies.
Amarjyoti Barua is the Executive Vice President, Group (Strategy) for the Mahindra Group and the Chief Investor Relations Officer of Mahindra & Mahindra. With more than 25 years of experience, he holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in business administration. Prior to joining M&M, he was the Finance Leader for Oilfield Services and Equipment. Prior to Baker Hughes, he held multiple roles at General Electric Co. over the course of 18 years. He was the CFO for GE’s Power Conversion business. He was also the CFO for GE Mining, the Financial Planning and Analysis Leader for GE in India, and the Executive Audit Manager at GE’s Corporate Audit Staff. He completed the Financial Management Program and served as the Finance Manager for GE Aircraft Engines in India before joining the Corporate Audit Staff. He is also a Non Executive Director on the Board of Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services.
