Whether the new board member is or is not fluent in one of the many Indian languages is not that important IMHO because when interacting on a national business level, mostly English is probably still universally employed in India.
This is interesting because linguistically India may be similar to Europe. How does a Romanian company conduct its business with a Bulgarian company that is only 100 miles away. They are unlikely to use Bulgarian (a Slavic language) nor Romanian (a Latin offshoot) but maybe a more International language like English?, Russian?, French? or German?
The causation between India patent allowance and engaging Pat could be indirect. Pat’s background as a seasoned investor with PE contacts and connections here and in India can be the direct causation.