Mr. Kiran Karnik co-opted as Additional Director on Sasken’s Board

Bangalore – 12th October, 2009 - Sasken Communication Technologies Ltd, (BSE: 532663, NSE: SASKEN) a leading player in embedded communications solutions space, today announced the co-option of Mr. Kiran Karnik on its Board of Directors as Additional Director with effect from October 12, 2009.

“The expansion of Sasken's Board ensures the company will continue to benefit from a diversity of experience and opinions. We are delighted to have Mr. Karnik on the Board. His remarkable career with extensive and diverse experience is a valuable addition to Sasken’s Board” said Rajiv Mody, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sasken Communication Technologies Ltd.

Mr. Kiran Karnik held the office of President of NASSCOM, the premier trade body and the “chamber of commerce” for the IT software and services industry in India, till January 2008. Mr. Karnik has been recognized as the guiding force for the Indian IT industry, especially for his leadership of the industry during the outsourcing backlash in the US and elsewhere. By providing perspective and background information, he has been instrumental in promoting India’s technology strength to the world. 

Prior to joining NASSCOM in 2001, Mr. Karnik was the Managing Director at Discovery Networks in India where he spearheaded the launch of Discovery Channel in South Asia in August 1995, and Animal Planet in 1999. From 1991 to 1995, Mr. Karnik was Founder-Director of the Consortium for Educational Communication, which was responsible for the Countrywide Classroom broadcasts and other ICT initiatives of India’s University Grants Commission.

Earlier, Mr. Karnik worked for over 20 years at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), where he held various positions including that of Founder-Director of ISRO’s Development and Educational Communication Unit. His work in ISRO involved conceptualizing and managing applications of space technology. He was a key player in the pioneering India-USA Satellite Instructional TV Experiment (SITE) and was deeply involved in the conceptualisation and planning of the multi-purpose INSAT system. 

He has been on many key government committees, and is presently a member of the Scientific Advisory Council to Prime Minister. Mr. Karnik also serves on the Boards and advisory committees of a few companies. He was the government-appointed Chairman of Satyam Computer Services Ltd and oversaw its stabilization and sale. He is Vice-Chairman of the National Foundation for Corporate Governance.

In a career spanning almost four decades, Mr. Karnik has been conferred many awards and accolades. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007 (a civilian honour conferred by the Government) and the ‘DATAQUEST IT Person of the Year, 2005’. BusinessWeek named Mr. Karnik as one of the ‘Stars of Asia’ in 2004 and he was selected as Forbes magazine’s ‘Face of the Year 2003’, for being a driving force behind India’s offshoring wave. In 1998, International Astronautical Federation awarded Mr. Karnik the Frank Malina medal for Space Education. His deep involvement in the Kheda Communications Project won wide national and international acclaim, including the first UNESCO-IPDC Prize for Rural Communication.

Mr. Karnik regularly writes for various major national publications and occasionally lectures at important national institutes and international conferences. 

A post-graduate from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad,  Mr.Karnik holds an Honours degree in Physics from Bombay University.

About Sasken

Sasken Communication Technologies Limited (BSE: 532663 & NSE: SASKEN) is an embedded communications solutions company, that helps businesses across the communication value chain accelerate product development life cycles.

Sasken offers a unique combination of research and development consultancy, wireless software products, software services and network engineering services, and works with Network OEMs, Semiconductor Vendors, Terminal Device OEMs and Operators across the world. Global Fortune 500 and Tier 1 companies in these segments are part of Sasken's customer profile.

Established in 1989, Sasken employs over 3,200 people at its offices in India, China, Finland, Germany, Japan, Mexico, UK and USA.

In addition to being directly involved in the development of a variety of technologies, Sasken is a member of premier technology bodies including ITU, 3GPP, GCF, MPEG-ISO, WiMAX, NFC, DLNA and ATM, DSL & SDR forums. Sasken is SEI CMM Level 5 certified and its solutions are backed by ISO 9001:2000, ISO 17025:2005, ISO 27001 and TL 9000 certifications. Sasken’s commitment to environment is highlighted by its ISO 14001 certification.

For further information please visit www.sasken.com