Brands
Blue Dart chairman Prakash Apte quits on health grounds
Prakash Apte’s sudden exit from the logistics firm’s board leaves a governance vacuum that the company has yet to fill
MUMBAI: Blue Dart Express is scrambling to plug a boardroom gap after its chairman and independent director, Prakash Apte, resigned on April 12th citing health concerns, a departure that unravels oversight across five key committees at one of India’s busiest logistics companies.
The resignation, communicated via email, took effect at the close of the company’s board meeting on April 13th. In his letter, Apte requested to be relieved immediately and sought leave of absence from forthcoming meetings, stating he could no longer continue in his role. “While he is in recovery, his immediate focus is on prioritising his health,” the company told stock exchanges, adding there were no reasons for the exit beyond those Apte himself cited.
The fallout is considerable. Alongside the chairmanship, Apte steps down as chairman and member of the audit committee, the body that sits closest to the company’s financial controls, and exits the nomination and remuneration committee, risk management committee, corporate social responsibility committee, and stakeholder relationship committee in one fell swoop. Few single departures have hollowed out so many governance structures at once.
Blue Dart disclosed the resignation to the bourses in line with Regulation 30 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India’s listing obligations and disclosure requirements. The board placed its appreciation of Apte’s contributions on record, a customary courtesy that does little to answer the pressing question of who comes next.
For now, no replacement has been named. Apte, for his part, is not retreating from corporate life altogether, retaining board positions at Fine Organics Industries and GMM Pfaudler. Blue Dart, however, must move quickly: a logistics firm that prides itself on speed can ill afford to dawdle on succession.
Brands
MS Dhoni joins Cars24’s Crashfree India as Goodwill Ambassador
Cricketing legend lends his voice to the fight against road fatalities in India.
MUMBAI: MS Dhoni has traded his cricket whites for a new kind of captaincy, one that aims to save lives on India’s roads. The former India captain has been appointed Goodwill Ambassador for Crashfree India, Cars24’s national road safety initiative. The move brings one of the country’s most trusted and disciplined public figures to a cause that desperately needs both credibility and urgency.
India continues to record the highest number of traffic fatalities globally. In 2024 alone, 1,80,000 people lost their lives on Indian roads, one every three minutes. The country has roughly 1% of the world’s vehicles but accounts for 11 per cent of global road deaths. Shockingly, 66 per cent of those killed were between 18 and 34 years old, the most productive age group, and nearly 10,000 were school students. Seven in ten fatalities were linked to overspeeding.
Dhoni, known for his calm judgment under pressure, did not mince words when speaking about the issue. “A vehicle gives you freedom, but it also gives you responsibility,” he said. “On our roads, too many people still see safety as a rule to follow only when someone is watching. That mindset has cost us far too much.”
He added: “We already know what is going wrong. We know how many lives are being lost. What we need now is not more excuses. We need more responsibility, more discipline, and more respect for life.”
For Cars24, the association goes beyond a celebrity endorsement. Founder and CEO Vikram Chopra described Dhoni’s involvement as a game-changer: “His understanding of Indian roads is grounded in lived experience. He holds us to a higher standard and his involvement challenges us to push this mission further.”
Crashfree India aims to shift the national conversation on road safety from reaction to prevention, from accepting deaths as routine to treating them as the urgent failure they are. With Dhoni on board, the initiative gains a powerful, trusted voice that transcends statistics and connects directly with millions of Indians.
In a country where dangerous driving is too often mistaken for confidence, Dhoni’s message is refreshingly clear: true strength lies in control, discipline, and respect for life. When one of India’s most respected captains decides to lead this fight, the conversation suddenly becomes much harder to ignore.
The roads just got a new captain. And this time, the goal is not to win a trophy but to save lives.
