Naina Lal Kidwai, born in 1957, is an Indian banker, chartered accountant, and business executive. She was previously the Group General Manager and Country Head of HSBC India. She was also the past President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
| Born | 1957 Delhi,India |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | University of delhi (BA) Harvard Business School (MBA) Institute of Chartered Accountants of india |
| Occupation(s) | Banker Chartered Accountant |
| Years active | 1982 – present |
| Title | Ex-CEO and Country Head of HSBC India |
| Spouse | Rashid K. Kidwai |
| Family | Thapar Family |
Background and personal life
Naina Lall Kidwai was born into a Hindu Punjabi Khatri family. Surinder Lall, Kidwai’s father, was the chief executive of an insurance company. Kidwai’s mother was the daughter of Karamchand Thapar, the Thapar Group of Companies’ founder. The Thapar group was one of India’s most prominent conglomerates, comprising JCT, BILT, Crompton Greaves, Avantha, Oriental Bank of Commerce, The Pioneer newspaper, etc., and Naina grew up in the proximity of great wealth. Kidwai and her only sibling, Nonita, were raised in a permissive and monied environment.
Kidwai has one sister, Nonita Lall Qureshi, who is married to Pakistan’s golf champion Faisal Qureshi. Naina Lall Kidwai is Rashid Kidwai’s second wife, and he heads an NGO called Grassroot Trading Network for Women. They have a daughter together, Kemaya Kidwai. Rashid Kidwai has a son from his former marriage.
In an interview, Kidwai says that she listens to “all music except heavy metal” and describes herself as a nature lover who enjoys trekking in the Himalayas.
Education
Kidwai graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, a women’s college at the University of Delhi, in 1977. Her mother’s rich family funded her education, and she eventually graduated from Harvard Business School in 1982. She is also a qualified chartered accountant.
Career
Kidwai’s first job was with ANZ Grindlays, where she worked from 1982 to 1994. Her roles included Head of Investment Bank, Head of Global NRI Services, and Head of Western India Retail Bank. She worked for Standard Chartered Bank from 1982 to 1994 (the same years? how?), and then as Chief Manager of Retail Bank from 1984 to 1991. Kidwai served as Chief Manager and Head of Investment Bank India from 1989 to 1991, and as Manager of Investment Bank’s North India from 1987 to 1989. Kidwai was also the Manager of West India Investment Bank, situated in Bombay, from 1984 until 1987. From 1977 to 1980, she worked for Price Waterhouse & Co.From 1994 to 2002, Kidwai was the Head of Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley India and JM Morgan Stanley.
She is now the Chairman of Max Financial Services Limited. In addition to serving as Chairman of HSBC Asset Management (India) Pvt Ltd and HSBC InvestDirect (India) Ltd, she is a non-executive director on the boards of Nestle SA and Altico Capital Partners, Chairwoman of the City of London’s Advisory Council for India, and Global Advisor at Harvard Business School. She serves on the Governing Board of NCAER, the Audit Advisory Board of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, and the National Executive Committees of CII and FICCI. She is an independent director at Nayara Energy Limited (formerly Essar Oil Limited).
Kidwai has served as HSBC Holdings Plc’s Group General Manager since October 1, 2006. She has also served as the CEO of HSBC India of HSBC Holdings Plc from May 5, 2006. Kidwai has also held the position of Country Head of HSBC India since April 15, 2009. She also worked as the Head of Corporate & Custodial Services at HSBC Bank. Kidwai also worked as the Group General Manager of HSBC India until April 15, 2009. Kidwai has also served as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Holdings Plc from May 21, 2004. She also worked as managing director of HSBC Securities and Capital Markets India. She also served as HSBC’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer from November 2002 to May 5, 2006.
Kidwai is a National Advisory Board Member for AIESEC India. She also serves on the Board of Advisors for India’s International Movement to Unite Nations (I.I.M.U.N.).
Recognition
Kidwai earned the Padma Shri Award for her contributions to trade and industry.
She also earned the ALL Ladies League’s Delhi Women of the Decade Achievers Award 2013 for Excellence in Banking.
Kidwai is consistently featured in the Fortune global list of Top Women in Business, 12th on the Wall Street Journal 2006 Global Listing of Women to Watch, and listed by Time Magazine as one of their 15 Global Influentials 2002.
Naina Lal Kidwai is the Chairman of the Advent Private Equity India Advisory Board, a Non-Executive Director on the boards of LafargeHolcim, Max Financial Services, CIPLA, Nayara Energy, and Larsen and Toubro, and a former President of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry). She retired in December 2015 as Executive Director of HSBC Asia Pacific and Chairman of HSBC India, as well as from Nestle’s worldwide board in April 2018. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and has received various accolades and honours, including the Padma Shri, for her contributions to trade and commerce. She works with environmental, water, and sanitation organisations and has written three books, including the best-sellers “30 Women in Power: Their Voices, Their Stories” and “Survive Or Sink: An Action Agenda for Sanitation, Water, Pollution, and Green Finance”.