An innovator, strategic planner, and turnaround artist, she has created wealth for India’s largest domestic bank.
The mother of two, she efficiently manages to balance her time between her job and her family.
She has consistently featured in Fortune’s list of “Most Powerful Women in Business” since 2005.
Childhood
Chanda Kochhar was born on November 17, 1961 in Jodhpur. Raised in Jaipur, she is an alumnus of St. Angela Sophia School. She them moved to Mumbai earning her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Jai Hind College.
After graduating in 1982, she then pursued Cost Accountancy ICWAI and then acquired the Masters Degree in Management Studies from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai.
She received the Wockhardt Gold Medal for Excellence in Management Studies as well as the J. N. Bose Gold Medal in Cost Accountancy for highest marks in the same year.
Career
After receiving her Master’s degree in 1984, she joined Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India Ltd. (ICICI) as a management trainee. She took care of Project Appraisal and Monitoring and projects in various industries like Textile, Paper and Cement
In 1993, Kochhar was sent to ICICI bank as part of a core team to set the bank. She was promoted to Assistant General Manager in 1994 and then to Deputy General Manager in 1996. In 1996, Kochhar headed the newly formed Infrastructure Industry Group of ICICI.
Under Kochhar’s leadership, ICICI bank started the Retail business in July 2000 and emerged the largest retail financer in India, in the next five years. In April 2001, she took over as Executive Director, heading the in ICICI Bank.
In April 2006, Kochhar was appointed as Deputy Managing Director of ICICI Bank managing the Corporate and Retail banking business, International and Corporate businesses of the bank.
Achievements
Under Kochhar’s leadership, ICICI Bank won the “Best Retail Bank in India” award in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005 and “Excellence in Retail Banking Award” in 2002.
Kochhar is honoured with Padma Bhushan Award, for the year 2010 for her services to banking sector.
Kochhar was awarded the “ABLF Woman of Power Award (India)” in 2011 at the Asian Business Leadership Forum Awards.