Newsmaker: Why Hari Sankaran, ex Vice Chairman & MD of IL&FS, is in a mess

Sankaran had joined IL&FS as its chief economist in 1990

For close to 28 years, Hari Sankaran, former vice chairman and managing director of IL&FS, was busy charting the course of the infrastructure financier alongwith its former Chairman Ravi Parthasarathy. But after an ailing Parthasarthy left for London for medical reasons in July this year, it was Sankaran who was left to steer the group in its most trying times.

57-year old Sankaran, who is well-known in Mumbai’s corporate circles as “quick-witted” and “someone who gets along well with people”, is also considered Parthasarathy’s alter ego. Many considered Sankaran part of Parthasrathy’s inner circle, along with Vibhav Kapoor, K Ramchand,