Ashok Vermuri was a senior executive at a company that paid the largest immigration fraud settlement in U.S. history. Then he ran a government services company that allegedly overdrew thousands of people's bank accounts and left millions of toll transactions unprocessed. He resigned –– but now he's on Kroger's board.
Every organization Vemuri touches ends up worse than he found it.
A Career of Broken Systems
From the largest immigration fraud settlement in U.S. history to government contracts that failed the people who depended on them most, Ashok Vemuri has been in the room every time.
01
Ashok Vemuri spent 14 years at Infosys, climbing the ladder to board and executive leadership positions. In 2013, the company paid $34 million to settle federal allegations of systematic visa fraud, using temporary visas instead of work visas to circumvent higher costs and worker protections. At the time, it was the largest U.S. immigration fraud settlement in history. A separate class-action lawsuit alleged hiring discrimination in violation of federal civil rights laws. Vemuri was a senior leader at Infosys throughout the period when these scandals took place.
02
In the years after Infosys, Vemuri became CEO of Conduent. Under his leadership, Conduent's takeover of Florida's SunPass toll system went catastrophically wrong: Conduent paid millions to resolve allegations that thousands of customers had their bank accounts overdrafted and over $100 million in tolls were left unpaid, resulting in significant administrative burden and losses for the state. Vemuri resigned from Conduent in 2019 amid declining financial performance and mounting contract failures.
03
Ousted as CEO for Poor Performance
In 2019, Carl Icahn — one of the most feared activist investors in America — told the Chairman of Conduent in no uncertain terms that CEO Ashok Vemuri was directly responsible for a 40% collapse in the company's stock price. A board member aligned with Icahn resigned in protest, filing a public letter with the SEC that included a section titled "The Kroger Matter," slamming Vemuri for joining Kroger's board while his own company was hemorrhaging val ue.
AND THEN THERE’S KROGER…
Kroger has spent years building sophisticated surveillance and pricing structures to squeeze as much profit as it can out of shoppers. From electronic shelf labels that can change prices instantly to cameras hidden in store displays and vast profiles built from shoppers’ data, Kroger is watching its customers and ripping them off.
Despite having promised to switch to better eggs, Kroger continues selling low-quality eggs from filthy, cruel conditions that would make anyone’s stomach churn.
A Kroger executive admitted under oath to gouging prices on milk and eggs above inflation during COVID. Kroger has also been found charging customers higher prices in towns where customers have no other store options.
Ashok’s all
wrong.
Ashok Vemuri has been on Kroger's board since 2019 and serves on its Audit Committee as, ironically, a designated financial expert. He's supposed to be one of the people ensuring Kroger's financial reporting and internal controls are sound.
Since 2024, Kroger has faced a price gouging investigation, a failed $25 billion merger blocked by the FTC, worker strikes, and lawsuits for wage theft. In 2025, Kroger’s CEO even resigned over some major ethical violation the company and board has been secretive about — all during Ashok’s tenure.
Kroger
Role:
Director
On Board Since:
2019
Annual
Compensation:
Opal Fuels
Role:
Director
On Board Since:
2022
Annual
Compensation:
