Mittal: Pull factor

New Delhi, July 31: Sunil Mittal has lured back technology whiz Jay Menon just four weeks after he left the Bharti group to join Anil Ambani’s Reliance Infocomm.

Menon’s exit had raised stark questions about the reason behind the sudden exodus of the top executive from the Bharti group. Menon’s return will raise even more questions about the reasons for his sudden volte face and return to AirTel.

Sources in the telecom industry said the stifling working conditions in Reliance Infocomm were responsible for his sudden exit.

However, Menon told The Telegraph, “Personal and professional reasons were responsible for me to take the decision to leave the ADA (Anil Dhirubhai Ambani) Group.”

Menon said his return had been prompted by a family crisis that required him to live in Delhi.

He said, “It was not possible for me to work and take care of my family in Delhi. I had moved my children to Mumbai but it was not an adjustable proposition.”

Menon said he had sent in his resignation to the ADA group this morning and would be joining Bharti from Monday. He added that he was determined to come back to Delhi and felt that the Bharti group would help fulfil his professional ambitions.

He also rejected the notion that he had left the ADA Group with any sort of bitterness. “I had excellent relations with Anil Ambani during the time I was there. I was responsible for all the information technology related work in Infocomm and Energy businesses. I had a wonderful stint,” he added.

Reliance initially refused to comment on Menon’s exit. The spokesperson appeared to be unaware of the sudden development. Many senior Reliance executives were equally baffled by the sudden turn of events. Later in the evening, the Reliance spokesperson issued a terse statement: “Menon has a five-year contract with us.” He refused to say anything more.

However, a Bharti group spokesman said, “Menon’s contract was terminated by mutual consent.” Reliance officials would not confirm this.

The Reliance official’s comment left a few tantalising questions hanging in the air: Has Menon been released by Reliance Infocomm? If he hasn’t been and he still goes ahead and rejoins Bharti, will Reliance explore its legal options?

Menon said he wasn’t required to serve out a notice period under the terms of his contract and seemed to be surprised by the Reliance group’s reaction to his resignation. He said his objective was to continue professional work in India.

Menon was responsible for setting up the Bharti Enterprise Services Group, a one-stop telecom and IT solutions provider to large corporates and enterprises. He was also responsible for launching Blackberry in India.

Asked why he left the Bharti Group in the first place, Menon said, “My three-year stint with Bharti was coming to an end and I was looking for more challenging work. With the formation of ADA, I was excited to work with Anil.”

Menon also rejected the idea that he had left the Bharti group in a fit of pique after he had been redesignated to what seemed to be a position of less influence. Menon was joint president of Bharti Enterprises but was reassigned as corporate director IT and Technology.

“This is a wrong perception in the industry. I was holding two responsibilities as joint president and corporate director. Once the Enterprises division was set up, I reverted to where my heart is --technology. I am a technology man and my heart is happy developing products and content,” said Menon.