COO's removal: Baldauf readies letter for Jadhav

The battle between the Air India management and the independent directors on the company's board has taken a new turn with Chief Operating Officer (COO) Gustav Baldauf deciding to write a letter to Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Arvind Jadhav raising questions over the way AI Express COO Pawan Arora's removal was carried out.
"Baldauf is writing a letter to the CMD, raising questions over the way the board meeting was conducted and why procedures were not followed before deciding to sack Arora. The independent directors did not give any opportunity to Baldauf to discuss the issue, nor was Arora given a chance to explain the allegations made against him. Besides, no board resolution was moved to sack him," said a source in the know.
The independent and government directors on the Air India board had, in a meeting on Thursday, asked the management to cancel Arora's appointment. The state carrier has 14 directors out of which five are independent directors, two are government nominees and the rest part of the senior management.
According to sources, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) Secretary General Amit Mitra, one of the independent directors on the board, said at the board meeting on Thursday: "We have taken a decision that Arora should go."
20/11/10 Mihir Mishra/Business Standard/Sify

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Air India Budget Nov 2010, Air India Nov 2010