Naina Lal Kidwai is an Indian banker, chartered accountant and business executive. She was formerly a Group General Manager and the Country Head of HSBC India. She is also a former President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
She is a well-known leader who has successfully broken the glass ceiling, with many firsts to her credit – from being the first Indian woman MBA from Harvard Business School to the first woman to head a private sector / foreign bank in India and the first woman to be elected as President of India’s leading national industry association, FICCI, in 86 years.
She brings her experience and wisdom in the corporate world to her sessions and speaks about organizational culture, values, discovering one’s true potential and leadership. She also speaks on environmental issues like water, sanitation, energy efficiency and pollution – topics that she is actively engaged in through think tanks and not-for-profit organisations in India and abroad. She writes frequently in mainline dailies and has authored a book on these subjects.
Kidwai holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Lady Shri Ram College for Women University of Delhi (1977 batch) and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1982. Kidwai was the first Indian woman to graduate from Harvard Business School and also the first woman to guide the functioning of a foreign bank in India. She is also a qualified chartered accountant.
From 1982-1994 she worked ANZ Grindlays, where her assignments included Head of the Investment Bank, Head of Global NRI Services and Head of the Western India, Retail Bank. From 1994 to 2002, Kidwai served as the Head of Investment Banking in Morgan Stanley India and JM Morgan Stanley. She also served at Standard Chartered Bank from the year 1982 to 1994 and as Chief Manager of Retail Bank from 1984 to 1991. From 1989 to 1991, Kidwai was the Chief Manager and Head of Investment Bank India and as Manager of North India of Investment Bank from 1987 to 1989. Kidwai has also served as the Manager of West India of Investment Bank based in Bombay from 1984 to 1987. From 1977 to 1980, she worked at Price Waterhouse & Co.
She is currently Chairman of Max Financial Services Ltd. Along with serving as the Chairman of HSBC Asset Management (India) Pvt Ltd and HSBC InvestDirect (India) Ltd, her other positions include being a non-executive director on the board of Nestle SA and Altico Capital Partners, Chairwoman, City of London’s Advisory Council for India, Global Advisor, Harvard Business School. She is on the Governing Board of NCAER, Audit Advisory Board of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, and on the National Executive Committee of CII and FICCI. She is independent director of Nayara Energy Limited ( Formerly Essar Oil Limited )
Kidwai serves as a Group General Manager of HSBC Holdings Plc since 1 October 2006. She also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of HSBC India of HSBC Holdings Plc since 5 May 2006. Since 15 April 2009, Kidwai also served as the Country Head of HSBC India. She also served as the Head of Corporate & Custodial Services of HSBC Bank. Kidwai also served as the Group General Manager of HSBC India until 15 April 2009. Kidwai also served as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Holdings Plc since 21 May 2004. Besides, she also served as Managing Director of HSBC Securities and Capital Markets India. She has also served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of HSBC from November 2002 to 5 May 2006.
She has authored three books including the bestsellers “30 women in Power: Their Voices, Their Stories” and “Survive Or Sink: An Action Agenda for Sanitation, Water, Pollution, and Green Finance”.
