Arun Seth
After an early retirement from a successful corporate career, Arun focuses on bringing the benefits of IT/telecom to real-world businesses in energy, health, fintech, med-tech, education, hospitality etc. via a vibrant innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem and a focus on giving back to society.
Starting as the founding MD of British Telecom in India in 1995, he built it to its current leadership position in managed telecom services and outsourced IT and back office operations. He left in 2012 as its non-Executive Chairman. He had helped acquire a 45% stake in Airtel in 1996 and served on its board until 2002. He also helped incubate and grow Mahindra BT in the mid-90’s into what now is Tech Mahindra and served on its board for 17 years.
He served as an elected member of NASSCOM for more than a decade. He was on the founding committee for the formation of the Data Security Council of India and worked actively on sharing knowledge on telecoms privatization and working on security issues around telecom equipment as BT was amongst the first users of Huawei and built protocols to secure their networks.
Currently, he serves as an independent director on the board of Narayana Health, Jubilant Life Sciences, Sify Technologies, Usha Breco Ltd, Servion Global Solutions Ltd, Sify Technologies Ltd, Tonetag and CyberMedia. He also continues as an active advisor to Nutanix USA, MMTC Pamp, ThoughtSpot and InMobi , which he incubated in 2007 and C2FO and IOT/analytics eco-energy leader and a number of health tech startups like Healthifyme, and Fitgalaxy.
Very active in promoting software product and the innovation ecosystem, he co-chairs the NASSCOM Product Conclave. He chaired NASSCOM Foundation until 2019, which drives CSR initiatives across the IT Industry using tech for scaling good. He is an active angel investor for the last 2o years, having incubated companies like Avendus InMobi, Tonetag, Ezetap, HelathifyMe, and new ones in Blockchain and medtech.
Very focused on fostering entrepreneurship, he had been involved with TiE Delhi Chapter when it was founded and currently serves as a charter member. Active with the Indian Angel Network, he is an advisor to The IAN Fund, and has been part of angel funds and advises a number of start-ups in the tech space in India and USA.
He also chairs Pahle India Foundation, a policy think tank. He is also a Governing Member of Helpage India Board, SPIC-MACAY, NCPEDP (employment for people with disabilities), Nudge Foundation and GiveIndia.
He has served on the Board of Governors for IIM Lucknow and IIIT Delhi .
He is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and IIM Calcutta – he has worked in senior commercial positions in the BT, HCL, Usha Martin and the UB Group, in the last 40+ years. Very active in alumni affairs, he has Chaired Pan-IIT in 2010 and was Vice President of IIT Kanpur Alumni Association.
