Mr. Rao has been chief information officer at Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts since 1989, except for a few years as chief executive officer of Kerry Technology Limited, the Kuok Group's IT investment arm.  Before joining Shangri-La, Mr. Rao was a partner of a firm of chartered accountants in Bombay responsible for the management consultancy and software services practices of the firm.  He is a graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.  He is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.