Haha. That headline’s a play on words. See, “TiE” is the illustrious former Indian CIO Council, for those of you who go way, way back to the late 90’s of the last century. It rebranded and (this could be our imagination) seems to come up at different times with different words that TiE stands for, the most recent being “The Innovative Ecosystem.” Anyway, we don’t care to overanalyze, we just want to party. So we went Monday night to the Swiss Embassy “Black-TiE” holiday bash where they not only graduated theirTiE-Smith Fellows but also announced their 2008 Board of Directors. After quadrupling their membership in the past two years, it wasn’t surprising the 150 guest were over capacity for the room.
What’s this? “FI Investment Group” as the stated affiliation now for our old friend Frank Islam, left? That’s what happens when you get rich—his cards used to say, “CEO, QSS”: until he sold QSS to Perot Systems for $250M earlier this year. With him, wife Debbie, ubiquitous IMC CEO Sudhakar Shenoy, and Urban Line’s Girish Jindia. Frank and Debbie are building their dream home — a little 32k SF cottage in Potomac. Sudhakar just got back from India where he traveled in style on the Palace on Wheels or what he likened to a land version of a luxury cruise. Girish just bought a house in South Beach and tells us his oldest daughter is planning a wedding reception at the Omni Shoreham. Sudhakar: Are you bringing back the Nehru Jacket?