On December 13, 2023, the City of London Corporation bestowed honours upon eight distinguished leaders from Indian banks located in the City. This recognition, granted as part of celebrations commemorating 75 years of India's independence, acknowledges the significant trade relationship between the financial services sectors of the UK and India.
The esteemed recipients of the Freedom of the City award are:
∙ Madhur Kumar, Bank of Baroda - +44 (0) 20 7457 1515
∙ Manish Gupta, Bank of India - +44 (0) 20 7965 2500
∙ Ashok Kumar Vartia, Export-Import Bank of India - +44 (0) 20 7796 9050
∙ Sharukh T Wadia, IndusInd Bank: +44 (0) 2074845586
∙ Rakesh Kumar, India Infrastructure Finance Company: +44 (0) 20 7776 8950
∙ Loknath Mishra, ICICI Bank: +44 (0)344 412 4444)
∙ Sudhir Kumar Sharma, State Bank of India: +44 (0) 20 7454 4338
∙ Arbind Kumar Choudhary, Union Bank of India: +44 (0) 2073324250
Michael Mainelli, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, expressed his honour in nominating this group of Indian bankers, emphasising the crucial role that British and Indian investments play in supporting over a million jobs in both countries. He expressed gratitude for the invaluable contribution of Indian bankers to the Square Mile.
Chris Hayward, the Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation, expressed his enthusiasm for seeing leading Indian bankers honoured with the Freedom of the City at Guildhall. He highlighted India as a key market for the City Corporation and anticipated more exciting partnerships between the two nations.
Rehana Ameer, Chair of the Freedom Applications Policy & Resources Sub-Committee, expressed delight in nominating the Indian bankers for the prestigious Freedom of the City award. She acknowledged their outstanding leadership and contributions to the Financial Services industry in both the UK and India.
