Ramesh Gelli

Ramesh Gelli
Born	India
Occupation(s)	Banker, business executive
Years active	1980–2001
Known for	Chairman and Managing Director of Vysya Bank and Global Trust Bank; founder of Global Trust Bank

Ramesh Gelli is a prominent figure in Indian banking, having held the position of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) at Vysya Bank. He also played a key role as a founder and CMD of Global Trust Bank (GTB). Alongside Jayant Madhab, a senior official from the Asian Development Bank, Gelli established GTB in 1993. His tenure ended in 2001 when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) removed him from both the CMD role and the bank’s board following an unsuccessful merger attempt. Due to mounting non-performing assets and a negative net worth, coupled with accusations of mismanagement and imprudent lending, RBI ceased GTB’s operations in 2004. Subsequently, the regulator facilitated GTB’s merger with Oriental Bank of Commerce.

Gelli earned an engineering degree from Osmania University and completed his management studies at the Asian Institute of Management, where he graduated as the top student. Before his banking career, he was employed at the Andhra Pradesh State Finance Corporation and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited. He joined Vysya Bank in 1980 as general manager and was promoted to CMD by 1983.

In recognition of his contributions, Gelli was awarded the Padma Shri and Udyog Ratan honors by the Government of India in 1990, marking him as the first banking professional to receive these accolades.