The City of London Corporation honoured eight distinguished leaders from Indian banks as part of celebrations commemorating 75 years of India's independence while acknowledging the significant trade relationship between the financial services sectors of the UK and India.
The recipients of the award are: Madhur Kumar, Bank of Baroda, Manish Gupta, Bank of India, Ashok Kumar Vartia, Export-Import Bank of India, Sharukh T Wadia, IndusInd Bank, Rakesh Kumar, India Infrastructure Finance Company, Loknath Mishra, ICICI Bank, Sudhir Kumar Sharma, State Bank of India and Arbind Kumar Choudhary, Union Bank of India.
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.