Shikha Sharma

Shikha Sharma (born November 19, 1959 in India ) is an Indian economist and banker. From 2009 to 2018 she was Managing Director and CEO of Axis Bank, the third largest private bank in India. Their achievements have found widespread recognition in the financial sector, which is reflected in their distinction through numerous business awards.

life and work

Sharma was born the daughter of an officer in the Indian army, which is why she attended seven schools in seven cities through her father's alternating work before completing her training at the Loreto Monastery in Delhi. She received a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the Lady Shri Ram College for Women in Delhi and a Masters degree from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. She also studied software technology at the Center for Development of Advanced Computing in Mumbai , where she graduated with a bachelor's degree. In 1980 she started her career at ICICI Bank . She was instrumental in founding ICICI Securities - a joint venture between ICICI and JP Morgan, and also founded various group businesses for ICICI, including investment banking and retail finance. In her last tenure at ICICI as Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company, she made a remarkable contribution to becoming the number 1 private life insurance company in India. She joined Axis Bank in 2009 and, as a change management executive, focused on transforming Axis Bank into a bank with strengths across a broad range of corporate and retail products and building a comprehensive product portfolio. At the end of her tenure in 2018, the bank saw a huge increase in performance compared to other banks. From 2019 she became a consultant for the alternative lending business at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. From 2013 to 2015 she was co-chair of the Committee of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for banking and financial institutions and a member of the Senior Client Council of Visa , APC EMEA (Asia Pacific, Central Europe, Middle East & Africa). She has been Chair of the National Banking Committee of Indian Industries (CII) since 2015 and was a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). She was also a member of RBI's Financial Inclusion Board, the committee that provides comprehensive financial services for small businesses and low-income households. She is married to former CEO of Tata Interactive Systems, Sanjaya Sharma, with whom she has two children.

Awards (selection)

2007: Entrepreneur of the Year - Manager at the E&Y Entrepreneur Awards
2008: Businesswoman of the Year, Economic Times Awards
2011: Fortune Global and India list of 50 Most Powerful Women in Business
2011: Business Today 'Hall of Fame'
2011: Finance Asia's Top 20 Women in Finance
2012: India Today Power List of 25 Most Influential Women
2012: Indian Express Most Powerful Indians
2012: Forbes List of Asia's 50 Power Business Women
2012: Businessworld's Banker of the Year Award
2012: Woman Leader of the year, Bloomberg - UTV Financial Leadership Awards
2012: Transformational Business Leader of the Year, AIMA's Managing India Awards
2013: India's Best Woman CEO, Business Today
2014: AIMA - JRD Tata Corporate Leadership Award
2014–2015: Banker of the Year, Business Standard
Outstanding Businesswoman of the Year, CNBC TV 18's Business Leader Awards

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Sharma, Shikha
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Indian economist and banker
DATE OF BIRTH	November 19, 1959
PLACE OF BIRTH	India