IAMAI seeks to secure its chairman, 50% governing council for Indian firm

The newly elected executive council of the industry body Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has proposed a resolution stipulating that its chairperson should come from an Indian firm. The proposal also recommends reserving 50 per cent of the seats on the governing council for Indian companies.

According to a letter shared with the association's members, an 'Indian firm' could be defined as a company with a permanent establishment in India and whose parent company, not just the Indian subsidiary, derives the majority of its revenue from the country. However, exceptions may be considered for companies in sectors like Software as a Service (SaaS), where the company is Indian but earns the majority of its revenue from overseas.

The resolution also aims to implement process changes to bolster transparency and internal coherence within the organisation. It has been proposed that any formation of new councils or committees should be approved through voting by both the executive council and the governing council.

By advocating for a 50 per cent reservation for Indian firms on the governing council, IAMAI aims to achieve a balanced representation. The remaining seats would be open for contest to all eligible member types.

IAMAI represents the digital services industry and counts over 500 Indian and multinational companies among its members. Several Indian startup founders had previously criticised the body's leadership for purportedly supporting "pro-foreign" big tech stances on government regulations and other divisive issues. During that period, Sanjay Gupta, Country Head and Vice President of Google India, served as IAMAI's chairman, while Shivnath Thukral, Public Policy Director of WhatsApp Inc in India, was the vice-chairperson.

In the subsequent elections, Harsh Jain, Co-Founder and CEO of online gaming firm Dream Sports, and Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Makemytrip, were elected as the chairman and vice-chairman of IAMAI, respectively. The governing council is now predominantly composed of representatives from Indian companies.