 "BS BFSI Summit: Leading figures from finance world share their insights")
The Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit 2024, starting on November 6, will bring together leading figures from the financial sector to share their insights on key issues currently shaping the industry.
In addition to the fireside chats featuring Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irdai) Chairperson Debasish Panda, Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran and State Bank of India Chairman CS Setty, the summit will also feature dedicated panel discussions by heads of state-owned banks, private sector banks, foreign banks, small finance banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and fintech firms. Each panel will include top leaders from these sectors.
While the first day will focus on banking and bankers, the second day will be centered around equity markets and technology in banking. The day will kick off with an address by Ananth Narayan, whole-time member of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).
As the day unfolds, there will be dedicated panel discussions on the mutual fund sector, featuring chief executive officers (CEOs) and chief investment officers (CIOs) who will explore whether the equity markets are in a bubble. They will discuss strategies for mutual funds to achieve assets under management (AUM) of Rs 100 trillion, among other key issues.
Additionally, there will be panel discussions on housing finance and fintech sectors, where leaders in each of these areas will talk on their outlook for the future.
The third day will see insurers discuss how the industry will be looking to capitalise on the massive opportunity that exists in the sector.
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The Irdai chairman will also share his views on the insurance sector. Economists will deliberate on the growth in the Indian economy and whether the RBI will follow the US Federal Reserve or domestic food inflation while deciding on rate cuts.
Nageswaran will also share his views at a time when the world economy is going through turmoil. Lastly, K V Kamath, veteran banker, will share his views on the financial system.
Public-Sector Banks
Debadatta Chand, Bank of Baroda
Debadatta Chand, an engineer and management post graduate, joined as MD and CEO of Mumbai-based Bank of Baroda in July 2023. Prior to his elevation, he was executive director at BoB. He has about three decades of experience in commercial banks and developmental financial institutions. He started his career in Allahabad Bank as an officer in 1994 and subsequently worked as manager in Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). During his long stint as a banker, he gained varied exposures in spheres of operational and strategic banking.
SL Jain, Indian Bank
SL Jain, a rank-holding chartered accountant with long experience in managing bank balance sheets, became MD and CEO of Chennai-based Indian Bank in September 2021. Prior to his moving to the corner office, he was executive director with Bank of Baroda (BoB) in Mumbai and managed the complex merger of Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with BoB. He began his banking career with Kolkata-based Allahabad Bank and worked on assignments, including field general manager, in his 25-year career.
Ashwani Kumar, Uco Bank
Ashwani Kumar, a chartered accountant and post graduate in commerce, joined to head the Kolkata-based Uco Bank in June 2023. Prior to joining Uco Bank, he was executive director of Indian Bank. He has more than two decades of experience in banking. He rose through the ranks, serving various public sector banks such as Corporation Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and Punjab National Bank. His experience includes working in the wholesale banking division, head of industrial finance branch and as CEO.
K S Raju, Canara Bank
A career banker with rich experience, establishing a digital banking backbone, took charge as MD & CEO of Canara Bank in February 2023. Prior to promotion, he was executive director with the Bengaluru lender. A physics graduate and a post graduate in business administration (banking and finance), he joined erstwhile Vijaya Bank in 1988 and rose to the level of chief general manager in Bank of Baroda (BoB). His varied experience includes heading specialised corporate banking branches and operations and services department at the head office.
Private-Sector Banks
Prashant Kumar, YES Bank
Prashant Kumar has served as MD & CEO of YES Bank since its reconstruction in March 2020. Under his leadership, the bank has transformed into a retail-focused institution and successfully shed its legacy challenges. Prior to joining YES Bank, Kumar was deputy managing director and chief financial officer (CFO) of SBI, India’s largest bank. There, he held various key positions over his 34-year tenure. He began his career as a probationary officer in 1983 and has experience across diverse areas, including credit and human resources.
Rakesh Sharma, IDBI Bank
Rakesh Sharma, managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of IDBI Bank, is a seasoned banker with over 40 years of experience. He began his career at the State Bank of India, where he held various responsibilities. He later moved to Lakshmi Vilas Bank as MD and CEO, serving there for 18 months. Sharma retired from Canara Bank as MD and CEO in July 2018 after serving for three years. He has expertise in accountancy, rural economy, banking, economics, small-scale industry, human resources and business management.
R Subramaniakumar, RBL Bank
R Subramaniakumar is leading RBL Bank as MD & CEO since 2022. A veteran banker, with over 40 years of experience, he was appointed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as administrator at Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL). There, he successfully resolved debt during the pandemic. Previously, he was chairman of Indian Overseas Bank, and also served as executive director of the bank. Over the span of his career, he also held various board-level positions. He was an independent director and chairman of the investment committee of LIC Pension Fund Limited and director at Repco Home Finance.
V Vaidyanathan, IDFC First Bank
V Vaidyanathan, managing director (MD) & chief executive officer (CEO) of IDFC FIRST Bank, is a veteran banker with over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. He began his career at ICICI, where he played a pivotal role in shaping retail banking. Later, Vaidyanathan acquired a stake in a listed non-banking finance firm and led it through a transformation into Capital First, and finally merging it with IDFC Bank to form IDFC First Bank. Since taking charge at IDFC FIRST Bank in 2018, he has focused on transforming retail operations, enhancing customer experience, and driving financial inclusion. A passionate advocate for digital innovation, Vaidyanathan is also dedicated to mentoring emerging talent in the banking sector.
Foreign Banks
Hitendra Dave, HSBC India
A seasoned banker with over 30 years in the industry, Hitendra Dave joined HSBC in 2001 in the global markets business and has risen through the ranks to his current role as managing director and head of global banking and markets business, the dominant contributor to HSBC India’s PBT over the years. Dave is known for his expertise in the Indian financial markets and his commitment to sustainable finance and innovation at HSBC.
Ashu Khullar, Citibank India
Ashu Khullar is the CEO of Citi India and Indian subcontinent sub-cluster & banking head. With a career spanning over three decades, Khullar is responsible for all of Citi's businesses in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Prior to his current role, he was based in Hong Kong and was head of the capital markets origination (CMO) business for Asia Pacific across equity, bonds, loans and structured financing. He has also headed corporate banking for Central Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) where he managed a team of 250 bankers.
Pramod Kumar, Barclays Bank PLC India
Pramod Kumar has been instrumental in expanding Barclays’ investment banking footprint in India, leveraging his extensive experience in equity and debt markets. He has more than 25 years of investment banking experience spanning across several sectors including industrial, financial institutions, metals and mining, and consumer sectors. Prior to joining Barclays in November 2011, he worked with Citi for over nine years, most recently as a managing director leading coverage of multiple sectors, including auto, financial institutions, EPC, consumer, infrastructure and real estate.
Kaku Nakhate, Bank of America, India
With over three decades in banking, Kaku Nakhate is the president and country head of Bank of America in India. She has been on the bank’s Asia Pacific Executive Committee since 2010. With more than three decades of experience, Kaku is an industry veteran with deep insights and knowledge of India’s growing banking and financial services sector. Kaku is responsible for building a market-leading franchise in India, overseeing its strategy and direction.
Small Finance Banks
Inderjit Camotra, Unity Small Finance Bank
Inderjit Camotra is the CEO of Unity Small Finance Bank, with a background in both banking and technology, Camotra is focused on creating a digitally-driven bank to reach underserved communities across India. Camotra has more than is 25 years of experience in leadership positions at Standard Chartered Bank, ANZ and Citibank. His appointment has been approved by the Reserve Bank of India and Unity Bank’s Board.
R Baskar Babu, Small Finance Bank
A founding member of Suryoday Small Finance Bank, R Baskar Babu is recognised for his role in scaling the bank from a microfinance institution to a licensed small finance bank. His aims to enhance financial inclusion for the underserved segments in India. Babu has 17 years of experience in Financial Services. He has worked with Cholamandalam-DBS, HDFC Bank and GE Commercial Finance in various leadership positions. He is an Engineering and Management Graduate.
Ajay Kanwal, Jana Small Finance Bank
Ajay Kanwal is a veteran consumer and commercial banker with 32 years’ experience in the industry. Ajay was Regional CEO of ASEAN & South Asia at Standard Chartered Bank before joining Janalakshmi as CEO. He also had a short stint as senior advisor at TPG and Mastercard. He began his career with Citibank and has held various leadership positions throughout his banking career, including CEO of Taiwan, Regional CEO for North East Asia, and Regional Head of Consumer Banking for South East Asia.
Govind Singh, Utkarsh Small Finance Bank
Govind Singh, founder of Utkarsh Small Finance Bank is a certified associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers. He was previously the Assistant General Manager at ICICI Bank Limited. He has received an award of excellence for Apy Big Believers 4.0 by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority in Fiscal 2022. He has also been associated with Surya Fincap Limited, UTI Bank Limited, Allahabad Bank, State Bank of Patiala and Bank Internasional Indonesia.
K paul Thomas, ESAF Small Finance Bank
K Paul Thomas, the managing director and chief executive officer of ESAF Small Finance Bank, has been a management professional for more than 32 years. He spent some 25 years in the microfinance sector. He is also is the founder of ESAF Group of Social Enterprises, including ESAF Microfinance and Investments. Before starting the microfinance programme, Thomas worked with Indian Farmers Fertilisers Cooperative Ltd, the world’s largest cooperative-owned fertiliser company, for 18 years during which he travelled extensively through rural India.
NBFCs
Vivek Kumar Dewangan, REC
Vivek Kumar Dewangan was appointed the chairman and managing director of REC Ltd in May 2022. Previously, he served as the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power. He is an Indian Administrative Service officer of the Manipur cadre (1993 batch). He is a bachelor of engineering in electronics from NIT, Bhopal, and post graduate in optoelectronics and optical communication from lIT Delhi. Before his appointment in REC, he was additional secretary in the power ministry.
Vishakha Mulye, Aditya Birla Capital
Vishakha Mulye has been the chief executive officer (CEO) of Aditya Birla Capital since 2022. She is a director on the board of Aditya Birla Management Corporation and Aditya Birla Capital Foundation. She is an independent director on the board of NPCI International Payments Limited. Before joining the Aditya Birla Group, Mulye held a range of leadership positions at the ICICI Group. She was the managing director (MD) and CEO at ICICI Venture Funds Management Company and served as the group CFO at ICICI Bank.
Umesh Revankar, Shriram Finance
Umesh Revankar is executive vice-chairman at Shriram Finance and has been associated with the Shriram group for 35 years. He has extensive experience in the financial services industry. During his stint with the Shriram Group, he shouldered various responsibilities and worked in several key roles of business operations. He attended the advanced management programme at Harvard Business School. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Mangalore University and MBA in finance.
Rajiv Sabharwal, Tata Capital
Rajiv Sabharwal, MD & CEO of Tata Capital, has more than 28 years of experience in the banking and financial services industry. Previously, he served as an executive director on the board of ICICI Bank. He was the chairman of ICICI Home Finance Company Limited and on the board of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company. He was also on the investment advisory committee (real estate) of ICICI Prudential AMC. Sabharwal has also served on committees of the Reserve Bank of India and Indian Banks' Association. He has worked with True North Managers LLP, Sequoia Capital, Godrej Group, SRF Finance, GE Capital and Times Bank. Sabharwal holds a B Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Delhi and a post graduate diploma in management from IIM Lucknow.
Jairam Sridharan, Piramal Capital & Housing
Jairam Sridharan is the managing director of Piramal Capital & Housing Finance. He has more than 20 years of experience in the finance industry. Before joining Piramal, Sridharan was the chief financial officer of Axis Bank. He worked with Capital One Financial, a consumer bank in Richmond, Virginia, USA, as head - ‘new to credit’ card acquisitions in the US Cards Business and later at ICICI Bank of India. Sridharan has a BTech degree in chemical engineering.
Mutual Fund CEOs
A Balasubramanian, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC
A Balasubramanian has over three decades of experience in financial services. He has been associated with the Aditya Birla Sun Life (ABSL) asset management company (AMC) since 1994. Before becoming CEO in 2009, Balasubramanian was the chief investment officer. As Managing Director & CEO, Balasubramanian oversees over Rs 3.6 trillion in assets under management at Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC. Before joining ABSL AMC, he worked with GIC Mutual Fund, Can Bank Financial Services and Pandit & Co.
Radhika Gupta, Edelweiss AMC
Under Radhika’s stewardship, Edelweiss MF has seen a meteoric rise in assets under management, growing from over Rs 6,500 crore as of March 31, 2017 to more than Rs 1.4 trillion. A graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Radhika is also a hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, and author. In 2022, she authored 'Limitless,' a guide steering the journey of self-investment towards success. She was recognised as a Young Global Leader in 2022 by the World Economic Forum and received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2023 from the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology. She was also a judge on Shark Tank India.
Navneet Munot. HDFC MF (Also, AMFI chairman)
A veteran of financial markets, Navneet Munot has three decades of experience in the industry. He joined the HDFC asset management company (AMC) in 2021. Navneet is also the chairman of the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi). Prior to joining HDFC AMC, he was the executive director and chief investment officer of SBI Funds management and was responsible for overseeing assets under management of over $150 billion across mutual funds and segregated accounts.
Nilesh Shah, Kotak Mahindra AMC
Nilesh Shah has over 25 years of experience in financial and capital markets, and has managed funds across equity, fixed income securities and real estate for local and global investors. He has been at the helm of Kotak Mahindra asset management company (AMC) for close to a decade. During his tenure, the assets managed by Kotak Mutual Fund have grown multifold from around Rs 40,000 crore at the start of 2015 to nearly Rs 5 trillion. Prior to joining the Kotak Group, Nilesh was in senior leadership roles at Axis Capital, ICICI Prudential Asset Management, Franklin Templeton and ICICI Securities.
Nimesh Shah, ICICI Prudential AMC
Nimesh Shah has over three decades of experience in the banking and financial services industry. He joined the asset management company (AMC) in July 2007 as the MD & CEO. Under his leadership, the AMC has emerged as one of the largest investment managers in India. Before joining the AMC, Shah was senior general manager at ICICI Bank. He also led ICICI Bank's foray into the Middle-East and African region. He is a director with Association of Mutual Funds in India.
DP Singh, SBI MF
DP Singh, who has been with SBI Mutual Fund since 1998, has been instrumental in the fund house's ascent to the top. He has spearheaded the sales vertical at the fund house for the major part of his stint at the fund house. During the period, SBI Mutual Fund has significantly expanded its reach in both urban and rural areas. Singh joined as zonal sales head and rose through the ranks over the years. Over the years, he has overseen many roles across various functions in the organisation. Prior to joining the company, he was with SBI where he handled various assignments in retail banking, corporate credit and information technology initiatives.
Mutual Fund CIOs
Sailesh Raj Bhan, Nippon India MF
Sailesh Raj Bhan heads the equity investment team at Nippon India MF. He has over 27 years of experience in Indian equity markets with over 19 years at Nippon Life India Asset Management. He was elevated to the position of CIO - Equities last year. An MBA in Finance and CFA by qualification, he has been managing Nippon India's multiple flagship funds namely, large cap fund, multi cap fund & pharma fund for over 15 years.
Ashish Gupta, Axis MF
Ashish Gupta joined Axis asset management company in 2023 as chief investment officer for Axis Mutual Fund. He has an experience of 25 years across industries. His last stint was with Credit Suisse as the head of India (Equity Research). Gupta was one of the earliest to identify the asset quality cycle in Indian nanks in 2011 and authored several reports, including the 'House of Debt' series. He is an independent director for Small Industries Development Bank of India, an appointed member on Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India’s consultative committee on investments.
Mahendra Jajoo, Mirae Asset Investment
Mahendra Kumar Jajoo manages fixed income assets across all products at Mirae Asset Mutual Fund. He has over 31 years of experience in the field of financial services, including 17 years in fixed income funds management. In his prior assignment, he has been associated with organisations like Pramerica Asset Managers, Tata Asset Management, ABN AMRO Asset Management and ICICI Group.
Mahesh Patil, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC
Mahesh Patil is the head of investments at Aditya Birla Sun Life asset management company and oversees over Rs 3 trillion worth of assets under management. As CIO, he directly manages funds such as frontline equity, multi-cap and focused equity. Patil has more than 30 years of experience and has been with the fund house since 2005. He has previously worked at CMC, Tata Economic Consultancy Services, Parag Parikh Financial Advisory Services, Motilal Oswal Securities Limited and at Reliance Infocom.
Rajeev Radhakrishnan, SBI MF
Rajeev Radhakrishnan joined SBI Funds Management in 2008 as a Fixed Income Fund manager. He is currently CIO - Fixed Income and directly manages a number of funds. Prior to joining SBI MF, Rajeev was co-Fund manager, Fixed Income with UTI Asset Management for seven years. Rajeev is an Engineering graduate and holds a Master’s degree in Finance from Mumbai University. He is also a charterholder of the CFA Institute, USA.
Anish Tawakley, ICICI Pru MF
Anish Tawakley joined the asset management company in April 2016 and rose through the ranks to become the co-head of equities. Currently, he is fund manager for ICICI Prudential MF’s Bluechip Fund, Business Cycle Fund, Manufacturing Fund, Small Cap Fund & Innovation Fund. He manages nearly Rs 80,000 crores across these strategies. With an overall work experience of more than two decades, Anish has gathered an expertise in capital markets and strategic consulting. In 1995, he joined Mckinsey as a management consultant serving till late 2002. Following this stint, he joined Bernstein, London, as senior vice-president, (buy side research) from January 2003 to November 2010.
Housing Finance Companies
T Adhikari, LIC Housing Finance
Tribhuwan Adhikari was appointed MD & CEO of LIC Housing Finance in August 2023. He joined LIC of India as a Direct Recruit of the 17th batch in September 1989. During his over 30-year career in LIC, he has worked all over the country, and across different streams of life insurance management, including administrative & marketing, which has given him the twin advantage of deeper knowledge and clarity on processes and procedures in the life insurance industry.
Girish Kousgi, PNB Housing Finance
Girish Kousgi was appointed as the MD & CEO of the PNB Housing Finance in November 2022. He has more than two decades of experience in the financial services sector. Previously, he was the MD & CEO of Can Fin Homes. He has also worked at Tata Capital Financial Services Limited, IDFC Bank and ICICI Bank as the joint general manager. He is also a director on the board of PNB subsidiaries, PHFL Home Loans and Services Limited and PEHEL Foundation. Kousgi holds an executive master’s diploma in business administration from the Indian Institute of Commerce and Trade.
Ravi Subramanian, Shriram Housing Finance
Ravi Subramanian was appointed as the MD & CEO of Shriram Housing Finance in November 2018. He has over 20 years of experience in banking and financial services across organisations like HSBC, Citibank & ANZ Grindlays. He joined the Shriram Group in 2010 as an Executive Director in Shriram City, before moving into the current role. Subramanian holds a Management degree from IIM Bangalore.
Deo Shankar Tripathi, Aadhar Housing Finance
Deo Shankar Tripathi was appointed Whole-Time Director and Executive Vice Chairman of Aadhar Housing Finance in January 2023. He joined the company in 2015 and has previously held the position of MD & CEO of Aadhar Housing Finance. Currently, he also serves as a director on the boards of ASSPL, Fort Finance Limited, and Auxilo Finserve Private Limited. He holds a master’s degree in science from Lucknow University and a diploma in Public Administration from Awadh University. He has worked as a general manager at Union Bank, and as president and chief operating officer at DHFL.
Market Gurus
Vikas Khemani, Carnelian Asset Management
Vikas Khemani, founder of Carnelian Asset Management and Advisors, is a seasoned capital markets expert with more than 27 years of experience and a passion for investing. Vikas has a blend of business acumen, market insight and leadership expertise. With a strong track record of building and incubating successful businesses, including 17 years as the CEO of Edelweiss Securities, Khemani has established himself as a trusted advisor and industry thought leader. His network spans industry groups and committees, including CII and FICCI.
Prashant Jain, 3P Investment Managers
After winning accolades for delivering outsized returns over a long-term horizon at HDFC Mutual Fund, Prashant Jain has set up 3P Investment Managers, an alternative investment fund (AIF), where he is also chief investment officer (CIO). In two years, 3P assets have swelled to Rs 14,000 crore and the client base expanded to 750 families. During his nearly two-decade stint at HDFC MF, Jain was one of the most-tracked fund managers of the industry and appreciated for his remarkable portfolio management skills and insightful views on the markets and the economy.
Sunil Singhania, Abakkus Asset Manager
Sunil Singhania has been tracking domestic capital markets for over three decades. He founded boutique asset management firm Abakkus Asset Manager in 2018. In five years, Abakkus’ assets have grown to over Rs 35,000 crore. Previously, Singhania was chief investment officer - equities and global head - equities at Reliance Nippon Asset Management, overseeing $11 billion. A CA and CFA charter holder, Singhania is known to be a balance-sheet focussed investor with a keen eye on numbers. He is appreciated for his ability to identify fundamentally under-valued stocks with high growth potential. He is the first Indian to be appointed on the Global Board of CFA Institute, USA.
BS-Everest Report
Ashish Sehdev, Everest Group
Ashish Sehdev is vice-president and head for Asia Pacific at Everest Group, specialising in research and advisory. He has more than 20 years of experience in advising business leaders, building executive relationships and bringing innovative solutions and approaches to brands. He is a certified innovation practitioner from ASQ and an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad.
Lunch Session with CTOs
Yashraj Erande, BCG
Yashraj Erande leads Boston Consulting Group’s financial institutions practice in India and is the global leader for BCG's fintech work. He originally joined BCG in 2006 and rejoined in January 2021. From 2019 to 2021, he founded a credit fintech platform. Yashraj works with founders, chief executives, boards of financial institutions and fintechs to help them develop strategy and execute it successfully. He has considerable experience building businesses from the startup stage to at-scale enterprises. His expertise includes business transformation, creating high-performance teams, and raising capital.
NBFC Session
Venkatesh N, Samasta Finance
Venkatesh N is the founder and Managing Director of IIFL Samasta Finance Limited. With more than 23 years of experience as an entrepreneur in the financial services industry, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership. Prior to founding IIFL Samasta, Venkatesh established PNV Techno Acquisitions, a company that marketed financial products, and Affluence Edifice, a wealth management service provider. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and has completed the Harvard Business School-ACCION Program on strategic leadership in microfinance.
Shachindra Nath, U GRO Capital
Shachindra Nath became an entrepreneur by acquiring control of a listed NBFC called Chokhani Securities Limited in 2018. He is vice-chairman and managing director of U GRO Capital, a small business lending platform. Prior to his journey at U GRO Capital, Nath has been influential in setting up Insurance Companies, Global Asset Management Businesses, Capital Market and Lending Institutions. He is a qualified lawyer and a university rank holder from the Banaras Hindu University (India).
Sadaf Sayeed, Muthoot Microfin
Sadaf Sayeed, has been associated with the Muthoot Pappachan Group for 14 years. He has been CEO of the Company since August 26, 2015 and was also associated with Muthoot Fincorp Limited as the chief operating officer of the microfinance division. He was also associated with HDFC Bank Limited, Indiabulls Credit Services Limited, GE Countrywide Consumer Financial Services Limited, Satin Creditcare Network Limited and SpandanaSphoorty Financial Limited.
Tech
Girish Krishnan, Amazon Pay India
Girish Krishnan is director- payments and merchant services at Amazon Pay India. He has extensive experience in product management and leadership positions at fintech, e-commerce, search and deep technology companies. He has strong skills in problem solving using strategic thinking and building products from scratch. In his current role, Girish leads all payments experiences, reward programmes, bank alliances and merchant services, and data sciences at Amazon Pay in India.
Rajesh Mirjankar, Kiya.ai
Rajesh Mirjankar is MD and CEO of Kiya.ai, a digital solutions provider that serves banks, financial institutions and governments in 56 countries. He has driven Kiya.ai to become a major player in AI-based omnichannel solutions, regulatory technology and digital payments through its expertise in metaverse banking, intelligent automation, artificial intelligence and data analytics. In a career spanning more than 28 years, Rajesh has demonstrated dedication and capability.
Srikanth Subramanian, Angel One Wealth
Srikanth Subramanian has close to 25 years of experience in investment and wealth management business. His core competence lies in demystifying investment products and advising wealthy investors. He is playing an active role in wealth management technology. Prior to joining Angel One, Subramanian was CEO of Kotak Cherry, a wealth management and investment advisory platform. He also had stints with Kotak Investment Advisors and Kotak Wealth Management. Subramanian holds an MBA degree.
Saurabh Tiwari, Policybazaar
Saurabh Tiwari is the chief technology officer of PolicyBazaar. It is his second stint with PolicyBazaar; he joined the company in February 2019. He has been responsible for technological innovations and providing a seamless customer experience for website visitors. Before rejoining PolicyBazaar, Tiwari served as vice-president of technology at GEP Worldwide. He has held leadership roles at IBM India and MCSB Systems. Tiwari is a graduate of the IIT Kanpur and has an MBA.
Fintech
Reeju Datta, Cashfree
Reeju Datta is the co-founder of Cashfree, a leading payments and banking technology company. Reeju and his friend Akash laid the foundation for Cashfree Payments in 2015, originally focusing on solutions for offline restaurants and hyperlocal businesses. As the fintech landscape evolved, Cashfree Payments expanded into a full-stack payments solutions and API banking company. Under his strategic guidance, Cashfree Payments has scaled across sectors and gained the trust of more than 600,000 merchants in India, including both large enterprises and small businesses.
Anurag Jain, KredX
Anurag Jain is the founder and executive director of KredX, one of India’s leading cash flow solutions provider to large corporates and SMEs. An IIT Kanpur alumnus and a techie-turned-entrepreneur with more than 16 years of experience in the financial services sector. He has vast experience in driving business growth in companies like HSBC, Oracle, and Tavant Technologies, before co-founding KredX, in 2015. A seasoned finance professional, Anurag is passionate about solving complex issues and disrupting the status quo in the supply chain finance ecosystem in India.
Ujjwal Jain, Share.market
Ujjwal has a BE Computer Science & Engineering from Jadavpur University, Kolkata & is a CFA Charterholder, and has more than 14 years of experience working at the confluence of Computer Science, Technology, Capital Markets, & Investment and Wealth Management space. In 2016, he began building WealthDesk and created a curated research baskets category on Broking called WealthBasket to address the challenges faced by the funds and broking industry as a whole. In 2018, he co-founded OpenQ, a full stack Quantitative research Platform on top of WealthDesk. WealthDesk and OpenQ were acquired by PhonePe in 2022 with an aim to widen PhonePe’s offerings in the wealth management space.
Akshay Mehrotra, Fibe
Akshay Mehrotra is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Fibe, a digital lending startup focused on young working professionals. Having founded the company in 2016, he is responsible for devising Fibe’s product strategy. Mehrotra holds a master's degree in business administration from Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies, Pune and was also honoured with the ‘Most Talented CMO of the Year’ award in 2013-2014, by CMO Asia.
Srinath Sridharan, FACE
Srinath Sridharan has been a strategic counsel for more than 28 years, working with corporations across sectors such as automobile, e-commerce, advertising and financial services. He specialises in advising business families and corporate boards on transformation initiatives, ranging from succession planning to scaling up business. He has co-authored ‘Time for Bharat’ (2022), a book on public governance, and ‘Newsprint to Heartprint’ (2024). His upcoming book, ‘Reimagining ESG’, is set for release in November 2024. Srinath is a visiting fellow at the Observer Research Foundation and serves as visiting faculty at the RBI’s College of Supervisors and Sebi’s training programs.
Tech
Ashok Hariharan, IDfy
Ashok Hariharan is the founder & CEO of IDfy, an Integrated Identity Platform. IDfy’s mission is to transform billions of lives by unlocking opportunities for trustworthy people and enterprises. Their focus is to build trust for enterprises by products and solutions for KYC, KYB, Background Verification, Risk Assessment and Digital Onboarding. IDfy is a trusted partner for companies like Amazon, Induslnd Bank, HDFC Bank and PhonePe,.
Natasha Jethanandani, Kaleidofin
Empathy and creativity are the two key mantras that drive Natasha Jethanandani, Co-founder & CTO at Kaleidofin, a multi-product fintech company.
An alumna of Stanford University, before joining Kaleidofin, she led teams at Microsoft and Google in USA. At Kaleidofin, her focus has been to build strong tech solutions that allowed the masses to access financial services. As a CTO, her emphasis has been on establishing information led connects between the two ends of financial services- the large banks, MFIS, financial institutions and the informal sector customers.
Sivaram Kowta, Zeta
Sivaram Kowta has more than two decades of experience in building and scaling successful technology businesses. He oversees Zeta’s business in India, managing all banking clients, including notable relationships such as Zeta’s multi-faceted engagement with HDFC Bank. An IIM Calcutta passout, he has worked with AT Kearney contributing to numerous tansformation engagements in India, the UK, EU, Singapore, and Southeast Asia. He subsequently led Myntra’s men’s apparel business.
Ramesh Laxminarayan, HDFC Bank
Ramesh Lakshminarayanan is group head - information technology (IT) and chief information officer at HDFC Bank, India’s largest private sector lender. He leads the bank’s IT and digital functions to unify all technology and digital developments and create a more holistic core and customer experience layer. Lakshminarayanan is responsible for technology strategy, strengthening foundational technology and enhancing digital capabilities.
Karan Sapra, Google Pay
Sapra heads consumer lending and cards partnership at Google Pay. He brings with him nearly two decades of financial experience. His skills include business strategy, portfolio management, financial modeling, management and product development. Before Google, he had successful stints at Aditya Birla Housing Finance, Barclays Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management, Mumbai, and Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Odisha.
Banking
N Kamakodi, City Union Bank
N Kamakodi, a chemical engineer armed with a management degree, assumed charge as MD & CEO of City Union Bank in May 2011. He joined the private lender as deputy general manager in 2003 and was elevated to the post of general manager in 2005 and later as ED in 2006. He has acquired hands-on experience on the overall operations and led major initiatives like campus recruitment, fast track promotions and performance-based incentives in the bank. He also holds a doctorate in e-banking.
Pralay Mondal, CSB Bank
Pralay Mondal, an engineer with management degree from IIM Calcutta, has been the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of CSB Bank since September 2022. He joined the private lender as president (retail, SME, operations and IT) on September 23, 2020. Before joining CSB Bank, he was executive director (ED) & head of retail banking at Axis Bank. Mondal has around 30 years of banking experience across multiple businesses and functions including retail assets, retail liabilities, business banking, products and technology. Earlier, he worked with YES Bank and HDFC Bank. He was instrumental in setting up the entire retail franchise at YES Bank.
Baldev Prakash, J&K Bank
Baldev Prakash joined as MD & CEO of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Bank in December 2021. Prior to heading J&K Bank, he was chief general manager, digital & transaction banking marketing at State Bank of India (SBI). Having joined SBI in 1991 as probationary officer, Prakash led pivotal functions as regional manager.He also handled remittances business, including treasury operations at Muscat (Oman).
Tushar Vikram, Mashreq Bank India
Tushar Vikram was appointed as country head and chief executive officer of Mashreq Bank India in June 2024. He has over 30 years of experience in the industry. Before joining Mashreq, he served as the group head of investment banking for HDFC Bank. Vikram also spent 27 years at Citibank in various roles covering commercial banking, investment and structured finance, digitisation, credit processes, and risk management. He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Delhi University and is a qualified chartered accountant.
Life Insurance
Anup Bagchi, ICICI Prudential
Anup Bagchi was appointed as the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance in June 2023. He has been with the ICICI Group since 1992, working across retail banking, corporate banking and treasury. He was the executive director of ICICI Bank from 2017 to 2023 and served as the MD & CEO of ICICI Securities from 2011 to 2016. He has represented the group in various regulatory committees of RBI and SEBI. Bagchi is a post graduate from IIM Bangalore and an engineer from IIT Kanpur.
Vibha Padalkar, HDFC Life Insurance Company
Vibha Padalkar is the MD & CEO of HDFC Life Insurance. She joined the company in 2008 and assumed charge as its leader in 2018. In FY23, she led the merger of Exide Life Insurance with HDFC Life Insurance. In 2017, as the ED & CFO of the insurer she was instrumental in the listing of the company. She has worked in varied sectors, such as business process management and FMCG. Padalkar is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, England and Wales, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
Mahesh Balasubramanian, Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance
D P Singh, who has been with SBI Mutual Fund since 1998, has been instrumental in the fund house's ascent to the top. He has spearheaded sales for over 15 years, a period during which the fund house has significantly expanded its reach in both urban and rural areas. Singh joined as zonal sales head and rose through the ranks over the years. A deputy managing director earlier, he was recently promoted to the post of joint CEO of the fund.
GIFT city
Kunal Shah, PwC India
Kunal Shah is partner at Price Waterhouse & Co LLP, working with the company’s tax and regulatory services unit. He was earlier senior manager, tax and regulatory services, KPMG India. Before that he was assistant manager, tax and regulatory services, RSM & Co. He is a chartered accountant and specialises in private equity, financial reporting, corporate finance and investments. Among other fields, he has worked in financial modelling, strategic financial planning, and mergers and acquisitions.
Ganeshan Murugaiyan, BNP Paribas India
Ganeshan Murugaiyan is the head of corporate coverage and advisory in India of Paris-headquartered BNP Paribas. He has close to three decades of experience in investment banking. Murugaiyan has served as head of investment banking and has spearheaded several large deals across debt and equity capital market, M&A and leveraged finance products both onshore and offshore. Prior to joining BNP Paribas, Ganeshan was head of investment banking at UBS Securities India where his key responsibilities included M&A and capital markets. He began his career at DSP Merrill Lynch where he worked for 10 years.
Rahul Prasad, HDFC Int’l Life and Re Company
Rahul Prasad is chief executive officer of HDFC International Life and Re Company. He started his career with HDFC Life as a management trainee in 2004 and has a nearly two-decade long association with HDFC Life group. He has contributed significantly across multiple functions namely, business & client management, sales leadership, product management, reinsurance and international business recently. Prasad holds a Master’s in Business Administration and has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering.
Dipesh Shah, IFSC (GIFT City)
Dipesh Shah has over 23 years of experience in international business, project development, corporate affairs, corporate law and policy matters. He played a key role in setting up and operationalising Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City). He has been associated with the development of GIFT City since its inception in 2008. During the past 16 years, he has helped bring changes in regulatory and business landscape, which has helped banks, exchanges and re-insurance companies set shop at the GIFT City IFSC. Shah is currently executive director and heads the development and international relations at IFSCA, the unified regulator.
Vaibhav Shah, Mirae Asset
Vaibhav Shah is the head of business development – strategy and international sales of Mirae Asset India AMC. He has close to two decades of experience in the field of financial services and stock markets. Prior to current assignment, Shah was head - product, marketing and corporate communications and was handling product development functions of Mirae AMC since August 2011. Prior to joining Mirae, he was product manager Mutual Funds & alternate investment products at DBS Bank. Shah has also worked as product manager Indian equities with ICICI Bank and associated with organisations like Karvy Stock Broking and Indiabulls Securities.
General Insurance
Animesh Dash, ACKO General Insurance
Aimesh Das was appointed as CEO of ACKO General Insurance in 2024. He previously served as the Chief Underwriting Officer at ACKO with over 10 years’ experience in the insurance sector across product design, pricing, market strategy and risk management. He started his career with ICICI Lombard moved to Coverfox and launched the auto category. Das completed his BTech from IIT Kharagpur.
Neelesh Garg, Tata AIG General Insurance
Neelesh Garg was appointed as MD & CEO of Tata AIG General Insurance in 2015. He also previously served as Executive Director at ICICI Lombard General Insurance, and was instrumental in setting up the retail division in 2003 and handled all the personal lines business and led its foray into international markets. He began his career in 1995 with ICICI in project appraisals. Garg has also worked with Citigroup wherein he was in charge of treasury and mortgages. He has completed his B. Com (Honours) from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi and his PGDBM specializing in Finance and Marketing from Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.
Anup Rau, Future Generali India Insurance
Anup Rau took charge as the MD & CEO of Future Generali India Insurance (FGII) Company Limited in 2019. He has over 23 years of experience across retail and sales business. He has worked across life and non-life insurance companies including ICICI Prudential Life Insurance and HDFC Life Insurance He has also served as the CEO of both Reliance Nippon Life Insurance and Edelweiss General Insurance before joining FGII. He has an MBA in Marketing from the University of Bombay, and an Honours Degree in Economics from the University of Delhi.
Anand Roy, Star Health
Anand Roy is the MD & CEO of Star Health & Allied Insurance. He joined Star Heath in June 2006 and has held several key leadership positions in the country. He has over 20 years in the insurance & banking sectors and has worked in ICICI Lombard and American Express. Roy is a Member of the Council of Insurance Ombudsman, Member of FICCI National Insurance Committee and a Member of the Steering Committee for Bima Sugam. Anand holds an MBA from the International Management Institute (IMI), New Delhi and a Bachelor’s Degree from Loyola College, Chennai.
Anuj Tyagi, HDFC Ergo
Anuj Tyagi took charge of HDFC Ergo General Insurance as MD and CEO in 2024. He joined the company in 2008 to head the commercial business department and has handled various functions including underwriting, reinsurance, technology and people functions. He has over 26 years of experience in the industry with leading financial institutions and insurance groups in the country. He has completed B. Sc. (Chemistry) and holds a post graduate diploma in Business Management.
PE-VCs
Ankur Bansal, BlackSoil
Ankur Bansal has been the driving force behind the BlackSoil Group’s emergence as a leading alternative credit platform in India. Bansal co-founded BlackSoil as a financial consulting and strategic advisory firm and has transformed it into an alternative credit platform that now consists of an NBFC and six credit funds. He has investment acumen, network spanning domestic and international PE and VC firms, association with leading banks and real estate sectors. Before co-founding BlackSoil, he worked as an investment banker with JP Morgan, Citi and Morgan Stanley.
Ashish Kotecha, Bain Capital
Ashish Kotecha joined Bain Capital in 2010 and is currently a partner on the Asia Pacific Private Equity team. He also heads the portfolio group in Asia, collaborating with companies across the region, including those in India, Australia, China, and South Korea. Bain Capital is one of the world’s leading private investment firms with approximately $185 billion of AUM. Since 2008, the firm has invested $7 billion in India and plans to invest $10 billion in the next five years. Before joining Bain Capital, Kotech served as acting chief operating officer at Tourneau, a portfolio company of Leonard Green & Partners. He previously worked as associate principal at McKinsey & Company in San Francisco, where he focused on consulting in consumer, retail, and technology, media, and telecommunications sectors. Additionally, he co-founded and led McKinsey's retail private equity service line and earlier had experience at Goldman Sachs. Kotecha earned his MBA with honours from The Anderson School at UCLA. He also holds a Master of Commerce and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Mumbai.
Anjana Sasidharan, L Catterton
Anjana Sasidharan is partner and head of India at L Catterton, where she has spearheaded impactful investments in various sectors, including Jio, Sugar Cosmetics, and Drools Pet Food. Prior to joining L Catterton, she spent nearly 10 years at Sequoia Capital, focusing on growth investments in consumer and health tech. Sasidharan currently serves on the board of Zenyum, a prominent Southeast Asian direct-to-consumer dental aligners company. She had previously held board positions at Biofourmis, Vini Cosmetics, Wingreens Farms, and Eruditus, among others. She is passionate about increasing female representation in the investing and entrepreneurial landscape and played a key role in launching the Sequoia Spark fellowship program for women founders. She holds an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and a bachelor's degree in engineering from National Institute of Technology, Trichy.
Sudhir Variyar, Multiples Alternate Asset Management
Sudhir Variyar is the managing director and deputy CEO of Multiples Alternate Asset Management. With more than two decades of experience in financial services, Variyar has spent the last ten years specialising in private equity. He has a proven investment track record and has led investments across various sectors, including financial services, health care, logistics, and infrastructure. Before entering private equity, he gained experience in investment banking, lending and structured finance. Multiples PE has $3 billion of assets under management and investments in 30 companies. Variyar holds a postgraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, and a B Tech in chemical engineering from IIT, Varanasi.
Economists
Samiran Chakraborty, Citigroup
Before joining Citigroup as its chief economist for India, Samiran Chakraborty was the head of South Asia Macro Research at Standard Chartered. His expertise ranges from analysing the macro fundamentals of the Indian economy to financial markets. A member of industry bodies CII and Ficci’s economic affairs sub-committee Chakraborty has also served as a faculty member at Delhi School of Economics, and as chief economist at ICICI Bank.