Omkar quits, Srinivasan to succeed Das

SHAKE-UP IN CII

Omkar Goswami, chief economist of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), is leaving the industry association to set up a consultancy outfit specialising in business and economic matters.

According to CII sources, March 31 will be Goswami's last day at work in the chamber. Goswami could not be reached for comments.

But senior CII National Council members told Business Standard that Goswami had put in his papers. A former journalist, Goswami was also driving the corporate governance cell of CII.

Goswami's exit from CII coincides with the change of guard at the country's premier business chamber. Tarun Das, its director general, is all set to hand over the baton to N Srinivasan, deputy director general. A shake-up in the organisation is likely to follow.

The matter of Das' exit was discussed at a meeting of CII's past presidents held here yesterday, though it was not on the agenda. As per CII convention, former presidents of the industry association have a meeting before the National Council meets. A meeting of the National Council is to be held here today.

Though Das' succession is also not on the agenda for the CII National Council meeting, CII president Anand Mahindra is expected to make a statement on the issue after the meeting.

CII insiders said that the matter was likely to come up at the CII annual general meeting slated to take place in late-April, once all the regional councils of the industry association held their AGMs.

On its part, CII denied there was any proposal for Das to step down immediately. However, there has been a buzz within CII that Das would soon be retiring.

It is worth noting that Das's term was extended by three years a few years ago. Das, who completed 65 in February this year, has worked with CII for over four decades and has been responsible for its transformation from an engineering industry body to an apex industry organisation.