My contribution to a board
I could help a board examine what an operating milestone leaves unresolved. My experience connects manufacturing with replacement-part selection, repair arrangements, technical holds and instructions used in service. I would ask management to explain the population affected, the authority behind the decision and the resources needed for the response. The financial account belongs in that discussion, including recurring service needs and the cost of a disposition that interrupts the preferred schedule. I would not assume that production experience makes me qualified to decide every technical or clinical question. A board needs the appropriate professional and financial expertise, and management must retain responsibility for running the operation. My contribution would be to make the connections clearer so that directors can understand whether a completion claim answers the obligation they are trying to oversee. I would first learn the prospective company's own products and responsibilities before importing a familiar practice from mobility aids.
Judgement in practice
01The schedule did not determine the technical disposition
Engineering held ninety-four undispatched units after a weld-quality concern. Twenty-eight were reworked and sixty-six replaced at ₹1.1 crore total cost. I organised the operating response while qualified teams retained disposition and release. On another board I would ask whether the organisation gives the technical owner effective authority when the finding disrupts a commercial plan. Directors should understand the affected population, the cost and the remaining uncertainty without deciding an individual specification themselves. I would examine whether a reported recovery date is a planning assumption or an authorised completion claim. The distinction protects the quality of the board's account: management can explain progress and consequences without implying that an operating schedule has supplied the professional evidence required for release.
02A temporary option did not close four repairs
We funded a forty-eight-unit loan pool after eighteen customers in a reviewed repair group had waited more than ten days. Fourteen of those repairs later completed and four remained open at the checkpoint. I kept the original repair status separate from the interim option and its suitability review. In a board role I would ask whether management's improvement measure preserves the obligation that remains. A resource can help while a substantive commitment is still unfinished. Directors should understand who owns the remaining work and how it returns for review, rather than count an offered interim arrangement as universal resolution. I would also ask which professional judgement is required before use, so the availability of a product does not quietly become an assurance that it is appropriate for every person.
My first year on a board
I would begin with the company's product and service model, learning where a manufacturing decision creates a later obligation. Through the chair's induction process I would meet the relevant operating and technical leaders, study financial and risk papers and examine several recent decisions. I would include a quality finding or service case that interrupted the expected plan, asking how the board learned about it and how management responded. I would learn the committee responsibilities before proposing where my experience could help. During the year I would pay attention to the meaning of completion measures and the way unresolved work reaches directors. I would not turn that interest into routine instructions to plant or service managers. I would seek feedback from the chair on whether my questions improve collective judgement or draw me back into executive habits. By the end of the first year I would want a grounded understanding of the business's particular obligations, the strengths of its technical leadership and the real preparation demands of the appointment.
Conflicts and their management
Kelthavi's customers, suppliers, service partners, investors and potential product interests would need examination alongside my own financial interests and relevant family connections. A company may have a material relationship through an owner or partner even when its trading name appears unrelated. I would obtain employer consent and arrange the appropriate review before receiving confidential board papers. I would not use another appointment to obtain product specifications, customer records or commercial intelligence for my current employer. Relationships can change after appointment, so disclosure must remain active. Where recurring conflicts would prevent participation in the board's central decisions, I would question whether the position is workable rather than rely on repeated withdrawal as a lasting solution. The chair and qualified advisers should examine uncertain relationships early. Familiarity with a manufacturing process would not justify accepting a role where the material I could receive or the decisions I could join were fundamentally restricted.
My independence statement
My employment, financial interests, relevant family connections and Kelthavi's supplier, customer and ownership relationships would require disclosure and assessment. The company and qualified advisers should examine applicable Companies Act independence conditions, any listed-company requirements, committee responsibilities and directorship limits. Registration in a databank does not itself establish eligibility, independence or fit for the proposed appointment.
Committee contribution
Chair and member readiness| Capacity | Committees |
|---|
| Ready to join | Operations or risk oversight after sector-specific induction |
|---|
Board and committee exposure
Presented to the Board or a committee
Kelthavi Mobility Devices
Full board by invitation on operations and capital proposals
October 2021 – Present
I present operating plans, capital proposals and material service or quality-response matters when invited. I explain management's work and answer directors' questions as COO, without holding a directorship, committee membership or vote on board decisions.
Capacity and preferences
- Time available
- 20 days per year
- Current directorships
- 0
- Sectors
- Specialist manufacturing and service · Assistive-product supply without conflicting relationships · Regional engineered-product businesses
- Company type
- An established private manufacturer with distinct technical authority and a substantial service obligation
- Company stage
- A business connecting production growth with dependable product support and repair
The seat I am pursuing
I am considering one external non-executive appointment with a possible contribution to operations or risk oversight after appropriate induction. I would not seek a specialist committee chair on arrival. Twenty days a year is provisional and must include preparation, travel and exceptional demands, with my employer's consent. I have no current directorship, and my January 2026 databank registration has not yet been followed by a passed proficiency assessment. Applicable preparation and appointment requirements must be addressed rather than implied to be complete. I would value a board that wants to understand the continuing service obligation behind production and revenue measures, and that expects technical, financial and legal perspectives to inform the discussion. A role requiring routine operating management, clinical advice or access to my employer's protected relationships would not fit. I would make those boundaries clear while assessing whether my experience can strengthen the board's collective judgement.
Governance learning and readiness
IICA Independent Directors’ Databank: Registered
I registered with India's independent directors databank in January 2026 within this fictional career. I have not yet passed its proficiency assessment and do not claim an exemption. I would confirm and complete applicable requirements within the required period with appropriate advice; registration alone is not an appointment qualification or an independence determination.
- Since October 2021 I have presented operating and capital matters to Kelthavi's board by invitation, without serving as a director or committee member.
- My preparation priorities include directors' duties, financial reporting, risk oversight and the distinction between executive responsibility and collective board judgement. Formal preparation for a first appointment remains unfinished, and my engineering background supplies no clinical qualification.