R Gandhi
Rama Subramaniam Gandhi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1956 Devanallur, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Occupation(s) | Central banker, advisor, consultant |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Known for | Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (2014–2017) |
Rama Subramaniam Gandhi held the position of Deputy Governor at the Reserve Bank of India between 2014 and 2017. Presently, he operates as an independent advisor and consultant with expertise in financial sector policy, regulatory frameworks, payment systems, FinTech innovations, and currency management.
Gandhi assumed the role of Deputy Governor in April 2014, where he was responsible for supervising regulations related to banking, non-banking financial companies, and cooperative banks, along with risk oversight, internal controls, and maintaining financial stability. During his last year in office, his responsibilities broadened to cover financial market oversight, foreign exchange management, external reserves administration, accounting functions, payment infrastructure, information technology, and currency operations. He also briefly served on the inaugural Monetary Policy Committee. In addition to his Deputy Governor duties, he chaired Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Ltd, the RBI’s currency printing arm, as well as the IDRBT, a research institute dedicated to banking technology supported by the Reserve Bank.
Early life and education
Born in 1956 in Devanallur, Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, R. Gandhi completed his undergraduate studies in Economics at V.O.Chidambaram College in Thoothukudi. He further obtained a postgraduate degree in Economics from Annamalai University. His academic credentials also include postgraduate diplomas in Capital Markets from City University of New York and Management Information Systems from American University. Additionally, he pursued studies in Gandhian Thought at Madurai University.
Personal life
Gandhi is married to a professor specializing in psychology who also practices counseling. They have two sons residing in the United States; one works as a chip design engineer while the other manages a startup focused on technological advancements in milk research.
Career in RBI
Beginning his career with the Reserve Bank of India in 1980, Gandhi contributed across various departments including currency management and information technology. He also served as Executive Assistant to the RBI Governor for over three years. His experience extends to a short period at the Securities Exchange Board of India.
On 1 March 2011, he was elevated to the position of Executive Director at RBI, where he managed Internal Debt Management, Currency Management, and Human Resource functions. Subsequently, on 3 April 2014, he was appointed as Deputy Governor.
Important assignments
- Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India
- Director, Institute for Development & Research in Banking Technology
- Chairman, Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Ltd
- Chairman, Working Group on IT Support for Urban Cooperative Banks
- Chairman, Panel on Regulatory Mechanism for Credit Cards
- Chairman, Working Group on Enhancing Liquidity to Government Securities & Interest Rate Derivatives Market
- Chairman, Implementation Group on OTC Derivatives Market Reforms