Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Limited (GMDC) announced the appointment of Amit Karna as a Non-Executive Independent Director on its board, effective 21 October 2026. Karna will also serve as a member of GMDC’s Audit Committee, underscoring the company’s intent to reinforce governance with strategic and academic leadership from the boardroom.
Karna is a Professor of Strategy at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), where he has been on the faculty since 2014. He also serves as the Dean of Alumni & External Relations at IIMA (from 5 June 2026) and sits on the institute’s Board of Governors. His academic background includes a Ph.D. in Strategy from IIMA, and prior stints as an Assistant Professor at EBS Business School in Germany, along with visiting scholar roles at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and the University of Sydney Business School. At IIMA, he has steered initiatives across innovation, entrepreneurship and strategic policy, and has advised both government and private sector entities on strategy and management issues.
GMDC described Karna’s appointment as part of ongoing governance enhancements, noting that he is not related to any director, promoter, or key managerial personnel and is not debarred from holding office by SEBI or other authorities. His five-year term is non-rotational, aligning with best practices for independent directors who bring external perspectives to the company’s strategic oversight. As GMDC navigates its mandate in the minerals sector under government stewardship, the addition of an academic with deep experience in strategy, innovation and international networks could provide fresh lenses on growth, resilience and governance.