Indian IT services company Satyam learnt this lesson the hard way when the news of financial misadventures by its chairman Ramalinga Raju hit the company in January 2009. The company plunged into a financial crisis. The swindle soured the company's business prospects.

But all was not lost in the turmoil. Another Indian outsourcer, Tech Mahindra, acquired a dominant 43 per cent stake in Satyam, recognizing the group's potential for revival.

To mollify scandalized clients and investors, Tech Mahindra rebranded Satyam as Mahindra Satyam. Then it announced plans to merge Satyam with its own brand. That merger was to develop, after Satyam had crossed certain milestones.

The company reported in November last year that it had returned to profit in the quarters ended June 30 and Sept. 30. This pathway to recovery, however, has certainly not been a cakewalk for Satyam's new leadership.

How did they navigate the rubble of disrepute amid the loss of market confidence?