Correct Answer :   NS Vishwanathan

Reserve Bank of India has approved the appointment of NS Vishwanathan as non-executive (part-time) chairman of Axis Bank for three years.

His appointment to the post will come into effect on October 27, 2023. Axis Bank appointed him as an independent director in May.

Vishwanathan who joined the Reserve Bank of India in 1981, has a career of nearly four decades at the central bank. He got retired in March 2020 as the deputy governor.

Throughout his time as the deputy governor, he demonstrated extensive knowledge and proficiency in central banking, which spanned several critical domains including administration, banking and non-banking regulation, governance, risk management, and human resource management.

He also held other significant roles including director of supervision at the Bank of Mauritius; chief vigilance officer and head of internal audit with the Industrial Financial Corporation of India. He was also a member of the board at the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), where he served from July 2016 to March 2020.

In addition to his role at Axis Bank, Vishwanathan currently serves as the non-executive chairman of the Governing Council at the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology, Hyderabad, as also of the Academic Council of the College of Supervisors, RBI, Mumbai.

He is an independent expert professional on the Investment Approval Committee of the National Stock Exchange in Mumbai and holds the position of non-executive chairman of the Board of Directors at Acuite Ratings and Research Ltd, based in Mumbai.

Additionally, Vishwanathan serves in advisory capacities at Ernst and Young LLP in India and Razorpay in Bangalore. He is also a Senior Fellow in the Centre for Public Policy at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore..