Leading integrated mobile network operator Bharti Airtel has appointed Nigerian Obiageli Katryn Ezekwesili to the company’s board of directors. This follows the restructuring of the company’s board.
Obiageli Katryn Ezekwesili is a former World Bank Vice President for Africa and an expert on economic reforms and economic governance. She is also one of the co-founders of Transparency International and has previously served as the director of the Harvard-Nigeria Economic Strategy Program in Boston, USA and Abuja, Nigeria.
Working at the World Bank in charge of the African region, Ezekwesili supervised over US$40 billion of lending and was in charge of operations in 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
She is a qualified chartered accountant and graduated with a master’s in international law from the University of Lagos, and a master’s in public policy and administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti Airtel said on the restructuring, “These changes have been effected in line with our strong corporate governance culture and will ensure that Bharti and Singtel have distinct representatives on the Boards of Bharti Airtel and Bharti Infratel.
“I am confident that these two world-class Boards will continue to guide these companies to greater heights. I would also take this opportunity to thank the outgoing Directors for their contribution to the Board of Bharti Airtel.”
The changes on the Board of Bharti Airtel also extend to its subsidiary Bharti Infratel. The changes have been effected in view of the proposed Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Bharti Infratel, which is a leading provider of passive telecom infrastructure in India.
Following the restructuring exercise, the composition of the two Boards would be as follows.
Bharti Airtel:
Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal (Chairman and Managing Director), Mr. Ajay Lal, Ms. Chua Sock Koong, Mr. Craig Ehrlich, Mr. Manoj Kohli, Mr. Manish Kejriwal, Mr. N. Kumar, Mr. Nikesh Arora, Ms. Obiageli Katryn Ezekwesili, Mr. Pulak Prasad, Mr. Rajan Bharti Mittal, Ms. Tan Yong Choo and Mr. Tsun-yan Hsieh.
For Bharti Infratel:
Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal (Chairman), Mr. Akhil Gupta (Vice Chairman and Managing Director), Mr. Bharat S. Raut, Mr. Jitender Balakrishnan, Mr. N Kumar, Mr. Sanjay Nayar, Mr. Sarvjit Singh Dhillon and Mr. Vinod Kumar Dhall.
