K. V. Kamath
Kundapur Vaman Kamath | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 2, 1947 Mangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, Corporate leader |
| Known for | Founder of ICICI Bank; Former President of New Development Bank; Chairman of Infosys; Chairman of Jio Financial Services |
Kundapur Vaman Kamath is a distinguished Indian banker and corporate leader, presently holding the positions of Independent Director and Non-Executive Chairman at Jio Financial Services. He formerly served as the President of the New Development Bank (NDB), established by the BRICS nations, and has previously chaired both Infosys Limited and ICICI Bank. Kamath was the founder of ICICI Bank, where he acted as Managing Director and CEO from May 1996 until April 2009.
On 21 August 2011, Kamath assumed the role of Chairman at Infosys, succeeding N. R. Narayana Murthy, and maintained this position until June 2015. Before becoming Chairman, he was appointed as Infosys’s Non-Executive Chairman in May 2011.
In addition to these roles, Kamath serves as an independent director on the boards of Houston-based oilfield services company Schlumberger since 2010 and Indian pharmaceutical firm Lupin Limited. He is also a member of the Board of Governors at Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University.
Early life
Born on 2 December 1947 in Mangalore, Karnataka State, Kamath hails from a family originally based in Kundapur, Karnataka. His father’s name was Vishwanath Kamath. He is proficient in multiple languages including Konkani, Tulu, Kannada, and English. His early education took place at a Kannada-medium government school in Mangalore.
Following his matriculation, he completed his Pre-University Course (PUC) at St. Aloysius College. He then obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal (previously known as Karnataka Regional Engineering College) in 1969. Kamath further enhanced his qualifications by earning a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A).
Career
After completing his studies at IIM Ahmedabad in 1971, Kamath commenced his professional journey with ICICI in Project Finance. During his tenure, he pioneered several new business segments such as leasing, venture capital, and credit rating services. He also spearheaded ICICI’s computerisation initiatives, which laid the groundwork for its evolution into a technology-driven financial institution. Kamath played a crucial role in transforming ICICI into a tech-enabled organization catering to both corporate clients and retail customers.
In 1988, he joined the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila, where he concentrated on private sector projects spanning China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. During this period, he represented ADB on multiple corporate boards.
Kamath returned to ICICI in May 1996 as Managing Director and CEO. Under his leadership, the Group expanded its retail offerings and acquired various non-banking finance companies between 1996 and 1998, culminating in the creation of ICICI Bank.
On 2 May 2011, he was appointed Non-Executive Chairman of Infosys Ltd., India’s second-largest software exporter. After stepping down to allow N. R. Narayana Murthy to reassume the chairmanship, Kamath continued to serve as Lead Independent Director and was later designated Non-Executive Chairman effective October 2014.
He was named the inaugural President of the New Development Bank formed by BRICS nations but resigned from this position along with his roles on Infosys’s board effective June 2015.
Currently, Kamath chairs the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) and holds the positions of Chairman and Independent Director at Jio Financial Services Limited.
Board Membership
Kamath holds positions on the Governing Boards of several leading educational organizations, such as the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Indian School of Business, National Institute of Bank Management, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University in Gandhinagar, and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education. He previously chaired the Governing Board at Indian Institute of Management Indore until his transition to the New Development Bank of BRICS nations, after which Deepak Satvalekar assumed the role.
Additionally, he is part of the National Council of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and sits on the boards of Schlumberger, an oilfield services firm headquartered in Houston, and Lupin, a pharmaceutical company based in India.
Awards
- Recipient of the Padma Bhushan Award conferred by the Indian government in 2008
- Recognized as the Most e-savvy CEO among Asian Banks by The Asian Banker Journal, Singapore
- Honored with the Finance Man of the Year Award by Mumbai Management Association
- Awarded Best CEO for Innovative HR Practices at the World HRD Congress
- Named Asian Business Leader of the Year by CNBC Asia in 2001
- Distinguished as Outstanding Business Leader of the Year by CNBC-TV18 in 2006
- Businessman of the Year accolade from Business India in 2005
- Received Business Leader Award of the Year from The Economic Times in 2007
- Honored as Businessman of the Year by Forbes Asia