K.V. Kamath

Born On: 2nd December, 1947
Born In: Mangalore, Karnataka
Career: Non-Executive Chairman of ICICI Bank

Kundapur Vaman Kamath, popularly known as K.V. Kamath is a leading personality of the finance sector in India. He is very intelligent and has modernized the banking sector in India with his excellent and innovative concepts of 'Universal Banking' and proper management of employees. He has been accredited for the expansion of the business of ICICI Bank to change it completely into a tech-savvy financial firm that provided every kind of financial services to retail consumers and corporates. It was all because of his contributions and direction that the ICICI Group was converted into a specialized, technology based financial organization that deals in banking, insurance and asset management in India. It has also become an international company. Thus, with his hard work, devotion and intelligence he achieved popularity on both national and international levels. Claim to fame: K.V.Kamath is the first non-founder to become the Chairman of Infosys. Read on!

Early Life
K.V.Kamath was born on 2nd December, 1947 in Mangalore, Karnataka. Mr. Kamath belongs to a Gaud Saraswat family. He finished his primary and intermediate education from St. Aloysius School and then pursued his Mechanical Engineering from the Karnataka Regional Engineering College, Surathkal which is presently known as the National Institute of Technology, Karnataka. In 1969, after completing his graduation he finished a Master's Degree in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He married Rajalaxmi and the couple has two children, a son Ajay Kamath and a daughter Ajnya Kamath Pai. Kamath presently resides in Mumbai.

Career
K.V.Kamath started his career serving the ICICI Bank in the finance division project and then shifted to several departments for gaining experience in establishing new businesses such as venture capitalism, leasing, credit rating and also to be on the position of General Manager. When he became the General Manager, he started and executed the Computerization Programme of ICICI. In 1988, he joined the Private Sector Department of the Asian Development bank, Manila and was the delegate of the Asian Development Bank on the boards of many companies. There he worked on several projects carried in different countries including Indonesia, Philippines, China, Vietnam and Bangladesh. It was in 1996 May, when he came back to ICICI as the Managing Director and Chief Executive and industrialized the retail business. From 1996-98, he introduced a series of acquisitions of non-banking financial firms which resulted in the establishment of ICICI Bank. He retired from the post of Managing Director and Chief Executive in May, 2009 and became the Chairman of the ICICI bank. On 2nd May, 2011, K.V.Kamath was elected as the Chairman of Infosys. Apart from this, he is a member of the governing boards of many educational institutions which include the Indian institute of Management, Ahmedabad, National Institute of Bank Management, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Indian School of Business and Gandhinagar Manipal Academy of Higher Education. He is also a part of the National Council of Confederation of the Indian Industry. He is the Independent Director of the Great Eastern Shipping Company Limited and Schlumberger Limited. K.V.Kamath has also been a Co-Chairman of the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos and is a member of the Board of the Institute of International Finance.

Awards and Accolades
K.V.Kamath received many awards including the Businessman of the Year (2005) award from Business India, Outstanding Business Leader of the Year (2006) award from CNBC-TV18, Business Leader Award of the Year (2007) by The Economic Times and Businessman of the Year award by Forbes Asia. The Mumbai Management Association awarded him the Finance Man of the Year and World HRD Congress gave him an award for the Best CEO for Innovative HR practices. He has been entitled the most e-savvy CEO amongst Asian banks by the Asian Banker Journal of Singapore and Asian Business Leader Award of 2001 was given to K.V. Kamath by CNBC Asia. In 2008, he was honored with Padma Bhushan, India's highest civilian award.

Contribution
Mr. Kamath has contributed a lot for the progress of the ICICI Bank and after his leadership the balance sheet of this bank has maximized eight times over the last eight years. In present times, the bank has around millions of safety bond investors. Thus, he has played a very important role in the growth of ICICI, which is the second largest bank in India, providing a variety of banking and financial services. Apart from this, it was because of his input that this bank has become the first Indian and second Asian bank to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Timeline

1947: Born in Mangalore, Karnataka
1969: Pursued his MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad
2005: Businessman of the Year award by Business India
2006: Outstanding Business Leader of the Year award from CNBC-TV18
2007: Business Leader Award of the Year by the Economic Times
2008: Honored with Padma Bhushan
2011: Chairman of Infosys