Nirupama Rao resigns as independent director from Network18

Former foreign secretary Nirupama Rao has resigned as the independent director from Network18. Rao was appointed as independent director of the media conglomerate in March 2015.

In a filing to the BSE, the company said Rao has resigned from the Directorship of the company with effect from 29 May as lately she has been quite occupied in her research and writing work.

Rao was appointed to the Indian Foreign Service in 1973. During a career of four decades, she served in various key assignments in the Ministry of External Affairs and in various Indian embassies around the world.

She was the first woman spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, the first woman High Commissioner from India to Sri Lanka and the first Indian woman Ambassador to China.

From 2009-2011 she served as India’s Foreign Secretary. On her retirement in July 2011, she was appointed Ambassador of India to the United States of America.

Ambassador Rao holds a Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) from Pondicherry University. She is a published poet.