TCS bolsters board through appointment of two independent directors

Indian IT services giant Tata Consultancy Services has added two independent directors to its board, taking the total number of independent directors to six. Hanne Birgitte Breinbjerg Sorensen and Keki M Mistry will join the board on a five-year contract, subject to stakeholder approval.

Sorensen is a vastly experienced professional, with over two decades of experience under her belt. She holds a degree in Economics and Management from Aarhus University, and has held senior leadership positions at a number of illustrious firms over the course of her professional career.

She began as a Finance Manager at Maersk, where she rose through the ranks to eventually become CEO at A.P. Moller – Maersk for the Eastern Mediterranean area. She has also been the Chief Comercial Officer at Maersk Line for a four-year spell between 2008 and 2012, and was CEO of Maersk Tankers for nearly two years.

Outside of Maersk, Sorensen has held CEO level positions at Damco and V.Group, in addition to serving as an independent board member at a number of firms, including Axcel, Vopak, Ferrovial, LafargeHolcim, Delhivery, Sulzer, Tata Motors, Jaguar & Land Rover, and now Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

Sorensen is joined on TCS’ board of directors by Keki M Mistry, an industry stalwart in India who has been the Vice Chairman of the Housing Development Finance Corporation since 2007. He has been at HDFC for the major part of his professional career, and additionally serves on the board of Torrent Power.

The two additions takes the total toll of directors on the TCS board to ten, six of which are now independent directors. The appointments are effective from earlier this week, and were made on advice from the firm’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. The appointments are yet to gain approval from the mammoth firm’s numerous shareholders.

Commenting on the appointments, N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of the TCS Board said, “I’m delighted to welcome Hanne Sorensen and keki Mistry to our board. They are established corporate leaders in their respective fields and TCS will immensely benefit from their deep knowledge and rich experience in business and corporate governance.”