8/14/2019 Agraja.docx

1/3

ICICI Bank

Ms. Chanda Kochhar is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officerof ICICI Bank Limited, Indias second-largest bank and the largest in the

private sector.She is widely recognised for her role in shaping the retailbanking sector in India and for her leadership of the ICICI Group, as well asher contributions to various forums in India and globally.The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for leading the developmentand execution of the Companys long term strategy with a view to creating shareholder value.

The roles of a CEO can be divided into three main categories which are-

1. As a Personal leader.

2. As an Organizational Leader.3. As an Architect.

Under Kochhar's leadership, ICICI Bank won the Best Retail Bank in Indiaaward in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005 and Excellence in Retail Banking

Award in 2002; both awards were given by The Asian Banker. Kochharpersonally was awarded "Retail Banker of the Year 2004)" by theAsian

Banker, "Business Woman of the Year 2005" by The Economic Timesand"Rising Star Award" for Global Awards 2006 by Retail Banker International.Kochhar has also consistently figured in Fortune's list of "Most PowerfulWomen in Business" since 2005.She climbed up the list debuting with the47th position in 2005, moving up 10 spots to 37 in 2006 and then to 33 in2007. In the 2008 list, Kochhar features at the 25th spot. In 2009, shedebuted at number 20 in the Forbes "World's 100 Most Powerful Womenlist". She is the second Indian in the list behind the ruling Indian NationalCongress party chief Sonia Gandhi at number 13.In 2010, she fell tonumber 92 in the Forbes list, but in 2011 bounced back to 43.

Kochhar has also consistently figured in Fortune's list of "Most PowerfulWomen in Business" since 2005. In 2009, she debuted at number 20 in theForbes "World's 100 Most Powerful Women list and climbed to the 10thspot in 2010. In 2011, she featured in Business Today's list of the "MostPowerful WomenHall of Fame".

8/14/2019 Agraja.docx

2/3

Throughout her time at ICICI, Kochhar has implemented numerousinnovative changes to the Indian retail banking industry which have directlycontributed to the company becoming a market leader. Kochhar is alsowidely acknowledged for her leadership, has been named a Woman ofPower by the Asian Business Leadership Forum and received the PadmaBhushan Award, the third highest civilian honour by the Government ofIndia, for her services to the banking sector.

Kochhar acts both as a strategist and a manager.Well, of course, I mustbe both. In todays world, leaders must have one eye on the broad trendswhat is happening in the world? what is the next volatile thing that can hityou?and at the same time have a very clear view of day-to-dayoperations. I think one of the big challenges for leaders today is thatwindows for effective execution have gotten smaller. The world today is so

volatile that just about anything you need to implement has to be done in90 days, and sometimes in 60 days or even 30 days, or it risks becomingirrelevant.

So as CEO I have to be very close to reality while at the same time keepingthe big picture in mind. Getting that mix rightthinking strategically andstaying close to executionis the essence of the CEOs job. You dontwant to micromanage every little thing and constrain the people on yourteam. But at the same time, you cant get so preoccupied with a vision ordream that you forget about your next big product launch or technology

initiative. Its essential that I get right into the nitty-gritty of how decisionsare being executed and make sure things are moving as fast as I want.

She keeps on interacting with the customers of the ICICI to know the

real feedback.Imake regular visits to all our branches. I go almost

unannounced, and at a branch I make an effort to talk to the people

there. And for the past two years I have been holding regularly

scheduled employee discussion meetings. These are not performance

reviews or meetings with a particular business segmentwith a boss

and his subordinate and the next subordinate and the next. These are

just meetings with different sets of about 20 employees picked on a

random basis at various levels of the organization. We do them once a

month. I promise people who participate that whatever they say is just

for me to absorb and will not go out of the room. Sometimes we talk

8/14/2019 Agraja.docx

3/3

about the work environment in the branches. Sometimes we talk about

what customers are feeling. Sometimes we talk about gender issues.

Sometimes we talk about our transfer policies. And over time, people

have learned that they can speak to me and they do; no one outside the

room knows who spoke.

At ICICI, we set the broad vision and employ young people to carry on thevision forward. We believe that a growth oriented organisation throws uptremendous opportunities for employees. It is up to the employees to seehow they could learn from the environment around and take on larger rolesand responsibilities. Empowerment comes with both responsibility andaccountability. We are not averse to employees moving across jobfunctions, for which again there are procedures to be followed. Thisflexibility helps maintain the drive and energy levels in employees.

ICICI has over many years been successful in not losing the people wewant to retain. Employees also know where they stand in terms ofprofessional achievements and efficiency on a monthly basis, and are nottaken by surprise at the end of the year. Apart from this we have madehuge investment in attrition proofing our organisation.The roles of a CEO thus can be briefly described as

Formulating the Companys strategy

Implementation of the short and long term plans in respect to the

strategies. To ensure that the expenses of the company are within the limits

prescribed by the annual budget.

To forecast and analyse the various Risks involved.

To ensure that the activities are done and carried out ethically.

To act as a mediator between the Management and the Board.

To ensure the integrity of all public disclosure by the Company andto communicate effectively with shareholders, employees and the

Governement authorities, other stakeholders and the public.