Fortis Healthcare appoints Shirish Moreshwar Apte as vice-chairman; extends deadline for RHT Health Trust acquisition

New Delhi: Fortis Healthcare Monday said it has appointed Shirish Moreshwar Apte as vice-chairman of the company. It has also extended the last date for the acquisition of the portfolio of assets of the Singapore-listed entity RHT Health Trust to 26 March, 2019. The board of directors of the company has approved the appointment of Apte as an additional director designated as vice-chairman under the category of ’non-executive non-independent director’ with immediate effect, Fortis Healthcare said in a filing to the BSE. “He will hold the office up to the ensuing annual general meeting and will be regularised, subject to the approval of the shareholders,” it added. [caption id=“attachment_4409087” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Fortis Hospital official website[/caption] Apte was appointed to the board of IHH Healthcare Berhad in September 2014, Fortis Healthcare said. Currently, he is also the independent non-executive chairman of Pierfront Mezzanine Fund Pte. Apte concurrently serves on several boards of directors including Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the Supervisory Board of Bank Handlowy, Poland and Fullerton India Credit Company Ltd, it added. Prior to his retirement from Citigroup in 2014 as chairman of Asia Pacific Banking, Apte had built up 32-year career with Citibank/Citigroup, Fortis Healthcare said. The board of directors has also approved the appointment of BSR & Co LLP as the statutory auditors of the company with immediate effect, as its earlier auditors Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP resigned with effect from 28 December, 2018. BSR & Co LLP will hold the office till the conclusion of the ensuing annual general meeting subject to the approval of shareholders of the company, Fortis Healthcare said in a filing to the BSE. The board of directors have also “approved the extension of the long stop date of December 31, 2018 under the Master Purchase Agreement (MPA) to 26 March, 2019 as per mutual agreement, and on the same terms and conditions undertaken for the earlier extension vide amendment agreement dated August 24, 2018. The extension of the long stop date has been accepted and approved by RHT as well,” it added.