Mumbai,21stOctober2023:Kotak Mahindra Bank (‘Kotak’ or ‘the Bank’) today announced that theReserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of Ashok Vaswani as the Bank’s next Managing Director &Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO). This is for a period of three years from date of taking charge which shall not be later than January 1, 2024.The appointment is subject to shareholders’ approval.
Ashok has a proven track record spanning three and a half decades, initially at Citigroup and more recently, at Barclays, of building and growing global businesses at scale,nurturing winning teams, establishingtransformational partnerships, leveraging forward leaning technology,with a compelling business vision to deliver strong bottom-line growth. He brings with him significant executional experience with high degree of compliance and industrial strength across Corporate and Consumer businesses.
Prakash Apte, Chairman of Kotak Mahindra Bank said, “We are pleased to announce that RBI has approved the appointment of Ashok Vaswani as the next MD &CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank. Ashok is a global banking leader with a proven track record of building and growing businesses at an international scale and has successfully steered organisations to greater heights. We are confident that Ashok will accelerate change and drive growth at Kotak.”
Dipak Gupta, Managing Director & CEO, Kotak Mahindra Bank said “We welcome Ashok to the Kotak family. Ashok brings with him values and experience that align with Kotak’s vision to transform into a tech-enabled, customer centric financial institution for the future. “
Uday Kotak, Founder and Director, Kotak Mahindra Bank said “I am delighted that the RBI has approved our recommendation, Ashok Vaswani, as the next MD &CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank. Ashok is a world class leader and banker with digital and customer focus. I am proud that we bring a “Global Indian” home to build Kotak and India of tomorrow.”
Ashok Vaswani said, “Ithank the Board for entrusting me with the responsibility of leading Kotak Mahindra Bank’s journey to the next phase of growth. I am excited and honoured to carry forward the legacy of Uday who has built this world-class institution. With our provenleadership teamwe will take the Bank to new heights. We will ensure that Kotak Mahindra Bank plays a meaningful role in India’s journey to being one of the top 3 economies in the world in the next 5 years, delivering shareholder value.At a personal level, l am delighted to come back home.”
Ashok was Chief Executive Officer of Barclays Bank, UK andsubsequently CEO of their GlobalConsumer, Private, Corporate and Payments businesses and Member of the Group Executive Committee. Earlier, Ashok was CEO Citigroup Asia Pacific and Member of the Citigroup Global Operating & Management Committees. He also built and ran various country and regional businesses across geographies.Currently, he is President ofPagaya Technologies Ltd – a US-Israeli AIFintech. Ashok is also on the Board of the London Stock Exchange Group, the SP Jain Institute of GlobalManagement, UK and supports various philanthropic organisations, including Pratham, and Lend-A-Hand.
Ashok is a Bachelor of Commerce, Economics and Accountancy, from the Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics (Bombay University), CA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, CS from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and Executive Education from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
