Air India board meet on January 19 may seal Pawan Arora’s fate

New Delhi: The meeting of Air India’s board of directors, scheduled for January 19 in Mumbai, is expected to be a stormy one. Several contentious issues are expected to be on the agenda for this meeting.
Firstly, the fate of Air India Express (low-cost arm of Air India) chief operating officer (COO) Pawan Arora could well be sealed at this meeting.
Independent directors on the airline board have been pushing for his exit, whereas chairman and managing director (CMD) Arvind Jadhav and COO Gustav Baldauf are standing firmly behind Arora.
In the latest twist to this tale, minutes of the last board meeting of AI also clearly state that Arora has to be removed immediately, but it remains unclear if the airline management will oblige.
The second important issue that may come up for consideration of the board is the wish of some independent directors to quit. Mahindra & Mahindra vice-chairman and managing director Anand Mahindra is believed to be seeking an exit, citing a conflict of interest, whereas FICCI secretary general
Amit Mitra may want to assume charge in the new West Bengal government by mid-year.
Ambuja realty chairman Harsh Neotia, Air Chief Marshal (retd) Fali H Major and Dubai-based businessman MA Yusuffali are the remaining three independent directors on the board. Despite several attempts, neither Mahindra nor Neotia responded to queries on this issue.
07/02/11 Sindhu Bhattacharya/Daily News & Analysis

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Categories: Air India Jan 2011