Bankable Stars

The proceedings for the evening kicked off well before the scheduled hour,as bankers trooped in early to catch up with their competitors. Many had rescheduled or cancelled their meetings to make it to the event. While the gents were decked in dark suits,the ‘power’ women chose to make their presence felt in exquisite sarees. The decibel levels were at their peak,with incessant exchange of banter between winners,panelists and the assembled guests. In fact,many shed their characteristic reticence and happily obliged camera crews for soundbites. There was clearly a feeling of being at home! Manasije Mishra,managing director and CEO of HSBC InvestDirect,said he had come to meet his pals from banking,an industry which he had been a part of for nearly 20 years.

The top honchos of Indian banking industry were in full attendance — from State Bank of India’s OP Bhatt,ICICI Bank’s Chanda Kochhar,PNB’s KR Kamath,Bank of Baroda’s MD Mallya,Axis Bank’s Shikha Sharma,HSBC’s Naina Lal Kidwai to JP Morgan’s Kalpana Morparia. And giving them company were a host of India Inc’s movers & shakers — from L&T’s AM Naik,Videocon’s

Venugopal Dhoot,McKinsey & Co’s Adil Zainulbhai,E&Y’s Rajiv Memani,BCG’s Janmejaya Sinha to Idea’s Sanjeev Aga.

However,the mood changed as the chief guest finance minister Pranab Mukherjee took to the podium. As he spoke about the need for making banking services available to the bottom of the pyramid everyone in the packed auditorium seemed to nod in silent agreement. The panel discussion,which dwelled upon the sensitive issue of financial inclusion,also struck a chord with all and sundry.

So much so,that most felt that the time devoted to the topic was woefully short.

While the winners drew applause from their teammates and the rest of the attendees,it was C Rangarajan,recipient of the FE Lifetime Achievement Award,who got a standing ovation. Rangarajan,chairman of Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council,who was his characteristic humble self,said he was fortunate to be one of the core members of the team that had reshaped the contours of India’s economy,and in many ways ushered in the country’s second independence.

Everyone was richer for the insights,even those outside the banking community. Mastek founder Ashank Desai,who was attending the event for the first time,said he had specifically come to listen to the views of banking czars in using IT solutions to aid financial inclusion. “If we can provide solutions to foreign banks,why not Indian ones,” he said.

Serious insights aside,there was ample room for the ‘lighter moments’. For instance,when one of the panelists asked Kalpana Morparia to sit next to him,Ms Morparia quipped,“No,I’d rather sit next to my client.” Shekhar Gupta,editor-in-chief of the

Express Group,had everyone in splits with his witty comparison between the money-power nexus existing in Delhi and Mumbai. And when the finance minister was presented a photograph from the Express Archives depicting his younger days,it drew a wide grin from the man.