Private equity backed CSS Corp has said it will continue its association with Phaneesh Murthy who has served on the company’s board for over 10 years.

This is a positive development for Murthy, who was recently compelled to vacate the corner office at Nasdaq-listed iGATE for ‘violating’ company policy by failing to report a ‘relationship’ he had with a fellow employee.

In a written reply to a Business Line query, Tiger Ramesh, Chief Executive Officer of CSS Corp, a US-based technology and support company, said: “Phaneesh Murthy is on our Board as an Independent Director and continues to be on our Board. We have no plans of any separation. Phaneesh has added tremendous and significant value to the organisation as an industry specialist/ Independent director and we value the same,”

According to portal VentureBeat Profiles, Murthy joined the CSS board in February 2003 and provides guidance to the company's management team, especially in sales and marketing. 

Murthy and Ramesh go back a long way. Ramesh, a serial technology entrepreneur, had partnered with Murthy to float Quintant Services, which iGATE acquired in 2003. Few years later, Ramesh left iGATE to pursue other interests. He came on board CSS Corp as Chief Executive in 2011.

Promoted by Goldman Sachs, Sierra Ventures and Saif Partners, CSS Corp has revenues of about $200 million, with nearly $35 million in operating profits. The company counts Nortel, Motorola and Deutsche Bank, among others as clients.

Last month, Murthy denied sexual harassment charges filed against him by iGATE’s American employee Araceli Roiz, 31, even as the former CEO agreed that he was in a personal relationship with her.  Murthy also maintained that he had informed iGATE about this relationship and that the issue arose because of ‘timing.’

News reports have quoted Roiz’s lawyers saying that Murthy was pressurising her to continue the relationship and that that she was pregnant with Murthy’s child.

adith.charlie@thehindu.co.in

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