The ICICI Bank board is expected to deliberate on the appointment of Managing Director and CEO K V Kamath’s successor. The bank’s Joint Managing Director and CFO Chanda Kochhar is said to be the front-runner for the post.
While bank sources said that “such issues are not part of the agenda that is circulated”, the bank is keen to ensure there is clarity on the succession road map as it will help investor confidence.
The board has to also decide on Kamath’s role in the bank after April 2009. Kamath had started his career in 1971 at erstwhile ICICI and after a stint with the Asian Development Bank, he returned to ICICI as its CEO in 1996. Initially, he headed ICICI, the development financial institution, and was instrumental in its transition into a universal bank in 2001. His term as MD and CEO is scheduled to end in April, 2009.
Kamath could be appointed the non-executive chairman — a role being performed by his mentor Narayan Vaghul, who is scheduled to step down once his term ends in March. Vaghul has been with the ICICI group for 24 years.
Though Kochhar is said to be the front-runner, ICICI Prudential Life CEO Shikha Sharma is also in contention. The others who are in the fray include executive directors V Vaidyanathan, Sonjoy Chatterjee and Madhabi Puri-Buch.