Coffee Day Enterprises appoints S V Ranganath as interim Chairman after Siddhartha's death

Mumbai, Jul 31: Coffee Day Enterprises on Wednesday appointed S V Ranganath as the interim Chairman of its board after the body of founder-owner V G Siddhartha was found on the banks of Netravati river in Mangaluru.

The board also appointed Nitin Bagmane as the interim Chief Operating Officer. It constituted a three-member executive committee comprising of Ranganath, Bagmane and Chief Financial Officer R Ram Mohan to exercise the powers previously vested with the CEO.

Further, taking cognizance of the statements in the purported letter from Siddhartha relating to financial transactions outside the knowledge of the senior management, auditors and board, the board of directors resolved to thoroughly investigate the matter.

"While the authenticity of the letter is unverified and it is unclear whether these statements pertain to the company or personal holdings of VG Siddhartha, the board took serious note of the same and resolved to thoroughly investigate the matter," it said in a statement.

"The board remains deeply committed to safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders including investors, lenders, employees and customers." 
The board said the audit committee and the executive committee will engage in discussions with the statutory auditors of the company to recommend appropriate next steps at the board meeting on August 8.

The board appointed Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas as its legal counsel to advise on foregoing and related matters.

Following a massive search operation involving multiple agencies, the body of Siddhartha was found on the banks of Netravati River near Hoige Bazaar in Mangaluru. The 58-year-old businessman, son-in-law of former Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna, was missing since Monday evening.

"The board noted with profound regrets the tragic demise of Siddhartha and his matchless energy, vision and business acumen which helped to single-handedly build the company," said the statement.

The board expressed its condolences to Siddhartha's family and resolved to lend its support and expressed full confidence in the company's management team.

"The board also took note of a message from Malavika Hegde expressing support and trust in the company's professional team and the common effort to look after the interest of the employees and all other stakeholders," said the statement.