India today is associated with high growth and varied opportunities. The three core values that I would associate with Brand India are innovation, dynamism and adaptability.
We have innovated to meet our challenges and establish a growth paradigm for ourselves. We are a dynamic economy which has changed rapidly over the last two decades. And we are adaptable, reorienting our thought processes and strategies in tune with emerging opportunities.
Over the next 10 years, India’s demographic advantage and investment into infrastructure will drive the evolution of Brand India. Our young population and the energy it provides to our growth momentum are already recognised and will become even more of a differentiator. Large scale infrastructure development, wherein we will transform our airports, roads and cities, will be the visible symbol of the new India. The growth of the Indian banking and financial services will be driven by the vast opportunities in the domestic economy, driven by both consumption and investment, and by the continuing global expansion of the Indian industry. Over the next decade, we will see Indian banks forge ahead to be among the top 20 banks in the world in terms of market capitalisation. The Indian financial sector will be the leader of innovation in financial services, especially in the use of technology to reach out to the underserved segments of our society.
- Chanda Kochhar
Chanda Kochhar
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
ICICI Bank
Chanda Kochhar began her career with ICICI as a Management Trainee in 1984. Since then, she has successfully risen through the ranks by handling multidimensional assignments and heading all the major functions in the Bank at various points in time.
In 1993, when ICICI decided to foray into commercial banking, she was made a part of the core team to set up the facility. When ICICI set up the Infrastructure Industry Group in 1996 to create dedicated industry expertise in Power, Telecom and Transportation sectors, she was hand-picked to lead the Group.
In July 2000, she was chosen to head the Retail Finance division of ICICI and has been instrumental in scaling up the business. In April 2001, she was promoted as an Executive Director, heading the retail business in the Bank. In April 2006, she was appointed as the Deputy Managing Director with responsibility for both Corporate and Retail banking business of ICICI Bank and from October 2006 to October 2007 she handled the International and Corporate businesses of the Bank. In October 2007, she was appointed as the Joint Managing Director & Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of ICICI Bank. Besides being the CFO, she was heading the Corporate Centre and was also the official spokesperson for ICICI Bank.
She has won numerous awards, including being ranked 11th by Financial Times in the Top 50 Women in World Business, 2010, awarded ‘Banker of the Year’ by Financial Express in 2010, ranked 10th in Fortune magazine List of Most Powerful Women in Business, 2010. She was also selected as the Business Woman of the Year 2005 by The Economic Times and Retail Banker of the Year 2004 (Asia-Pacific region) by The Asian Banker.
Ms Kochhar is also a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade & Industry, US-India CEO Forum, Executive Board of the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, Board of Governors of Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), Managing Committee of the Indian Banks Association as well as Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Society.