DBS Bank India has made two major leadership appointments to strengthen its operations and drive growth in the Indian market. Ambuj Chandna has been appointed as Managing Director & Head of the Consumer Banking Group and Santanu Mitra as Managing Director & Country Head for Corporate Banking (Large and Midcap). These key appointments are indicative of DBS’s focus on leveraging its digital capabilities and building its presence in one of its strategic markets.
Ambuj Chandna, a veteran banker with over two and a half decades of experience, becomes the MD & Head of Consumer Banking Group, replacing Prashant Joshi. Chandna was the President and Head of Consumer Assets at Kotak Mahindra Bank, and as such, was instrumental in spearheading retail banking and financial product initiatives. At DBS Bank India, he will be in charge of retail banking businesses, wealth management solutions (DBS Treasures), digital banking activities, and customer acquisition strategies.
Chandna’s long career comprises leadership positions in ING Vysya Bank, Fullerton Financial Holdings, and Citibank. He has an MBA from the Institute of Management Studies, Indore, and a Master of Science degree in Strategic Marketing Leadership from Henley Business School, London. His appointment is one of the first significant leadership shifts under the CEO of DBS Bank India, Rajat Verma.
Santanu Mitra steps into his new role as MD & Country Head for Corporate Banking (Large and Midcap) from being MD and Head of the Digital Economy Group at DBS Bank Singapore. Having more than 20 years of experience, Mitra has played a key role in growing DBS’s presence in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) segment in India, Singapore, and the U.S. He also led the launch of DBS’s Digital Economy business in 2020.
Mitra will drive institutional banking operations for large and mid-sized corporates in his new role at DBS Bank India by leveraging digital-first solutions and building on institutional banking operations. He is an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and a Bachelor of Technology (Honors) from IIT Kharagpur.
Both Chandna and Mitra will be reporting to Rajat Verma, CEO and Managing Director, of DBS Bank India. Welcoming the appointments, Verma said, “India is one of DBS’ key markets and over more than three decades in the country, the franchise has evolved, achieving a steady growth trajectory in recent years. The new leadership appointments will enable us to continue the strong momentum of the bank in India, leveraging our digital expertise, physical distribution, and our Asian network to serve our customers more holistically. We are delighted to welcome Ambuj and Santanu to their new roles at DBS and are confident that their extensive experience will be invaluable in driving our next phase of growth.”
These appointments reflect DBS Bank India’s efforts in nurturing innovation and driving long-term growth in the fast-paced Indian banking sector.
