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Mr. K. Vaman Kamath is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ICICI Bank Limited. ICICI Bank (NYSE: IC) functions as a universal bank through itself and its associate companies in the areas of corporate finance, commercial banking, investment banking, asset management, non-banking finance, investor services, broking and insurance.
Mr. Kamath started his career in 1971 at ICICI- the parent organisation of ICICI Bank, he has worked ceaselessly to stretch the borders of ICICI's businesses to evolve it into a modern, savvy and technology enabled financial organisation catering to almost all the financial needs of corporate and retail customers.
Mr. Kamath was born on December 2, 1947, in Mangalore, Karnataka where he spent most of his early years. After completing Higher Secondary and Pre-University from St. Aloysius, he joined the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal(erstwhile Karnataka Regional Engineering College) for a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering. After graduating in 1969, he joined the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) for a Masters Degree in Business Administration. The two-year curriculum at IIMA served as a valuable input in the process of his development as a manager and future business leader.
After graduating from IIMA in 1971, Mr. Kamath started his career with ICICI in the Project Finance division and moved on to different departments to gather a rich and varied experience which included setting up of new businesses such as leasing, venture capital, credit rating as well as handling general management positions. As part of his general management responsibilities he initiated and implemented ICICI's computerisation programme. Substantial investments in technology right from the early years have resulted in systems that are today a competitive advantage for ICICI.
In 1988, Mr. Kamath joined the Asian Development Bank, Manila in their Private Sector Department. His principal work experience at ADB was in various projects in China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Bangladesh and Vietnam. He was the ADB representative on the Boards of several companies and this experience offered him considerable insight into the working of global firms.
During his years in South East Asia, Mr. Kamath worked in most of the developing countries in the region including China, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam and this provided a rich experience in terms of exposure to a variety of business situations many of them typical to emerging markets.
In May 1996, Mr. Kamath returned to ICICI as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. The strategic initiatives and structural changes subsequently instituted by him across the ICICI Group have helped ICICI to re-draw its boundaries and increase its business potential. | 