Mohandas Pai, former SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar to join Byju’s advisory council

By India Today Business DeskEdtech start-up Byju’s has announced the appointment of former State Bank of India (SBI) chairman Rajnish Kumar and early investor Mohandas Pai to its advisory council.

This move comes in the wake of recent resignations by the company’s auditor and investor representatives, raising concerns about governance practices. The council will mentor Byju’s board and its CEO Byju Raveendran on crucial matters, said the company on Thursday.

“As part of the advisory council, I look forward to advising the leadership in evolving the systems of governance and financial reporting,” Pai said.

Last month, Pai told news agency Reuters in an interview that the startup – once India’s most valued at $22 billion – had not paid enough attention to governance.

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Rajnish Kumar said, “My discussions with Byju and Divya (Gokulnath) convinced me that they are dedicating sincere efforts to steer a course correction of the company’s governance structure.”

Byju’s, once valued at $22 billion, has faced scrutiny over governance issues, prompting auditors and board members representing investors to step down.

The company’s auditor Deloitte, as well as representatives from Peak XV, Prosus, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, resigned in June after Byju’s failed to submit its financial documents for fiscal year 2022.

Moreover, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has ordered an inspection into the embattled edtech startup Byju’s account books and has sought a report in six weeks.

Based on the findings, the ministry will decide if the matter needs to be escalated to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), which is part of the MCA, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

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