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Lata Krishnan named AIF president

Sukhjit Purewal in San Jose

Lata Krishnan has been named the president of American Indian Foundation.

AIF was created in March 2001 in the wake of the Gujarat earthquake to help with the recovery and rehabilitation efforts in the region. Along with reconstruction of buildings, AIF will focus on schools that have been destroyed and artisans, who lost their tools and their livelihoods, Krishnan told rediff.

In the long term, the non-profit organisation hopes to provide technological and managerial resources to the residents of India and to help solidify the bond between the US and India.

Earlier this summer, AIF sent 21 young professionals as part of its pilot India Service Corps project designed to assist Indian non-governmental organizations.

"India is such a great country in terms in heritage and talent," said Krishnan, "and we want to help it realise its full potential."

Pradeep 'Kash' Kashyap, a senior executive with Citicorp, was named AIF executive director.

TiE president Kailash Joshi had been serving as interim president of AIF.

"I cannot think of too many people who represent the combination of entrepreneurial accomplishment, philanthropy, and interpersonal skills which Lata represents," Joshi said in a statement. "She will add great value to the mission and projects of AIF."

Krishnan was the co-founder of Smart Modular Technologies, which was sold for $2 billion in stock to Solectron. As vice-president of Smart Modular, Krishnan was said to be the highest paid female executive in Silicon Valley.

However to her credit, Krishnan is equally well known for her generous contributions to society. She and her husband Ajay Shah donated $1 million to the Gujarat earthquake relief very early on in the fundraising effort.

Krishnan has served on the boards of several groups including Berkeley-based Narika, a hotline for South Asian women who are victims of domestic abuse; the Tech Museum and the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose; and the Indian Business and Professional Women.

She is also a fellow on the Silicon Valley chapter of the American Leadership Foundation and a strong presence in the TiE leadership realm.

For all her commitments, Krishnan wasn't too busy to accept the post of AIF president for which she will be paid $1 annually and is expected to make the project a nationwide phenomenon, according to Citibank CEO and AIF co-chair Victor Menezes.

"There is a point in life where you have to reprioritise," Krishnan said simply.

Krishnan said AIF plans to open an office in South Bay. She is excited by the legions of professionals who have said they would like to volunteer and do whatever they can for the cause.

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