Kamath, the force behind ICICI’s rise (Profile)
May 1st, 2011 - 3:52 am ICT by IANSBangalore, April 30 (IANS) K.V. Kamath, the new chairman of India’s second largest IT company Infosys, is a mechanical engineer-turned banker who is best known for turning ICICI into India’s largest private bank.
Kamath was born Dec 2, 1947, in Mangalore, about 350 km from Bangalore on the west coast, a land of bankers from where Canara Bank, Syndicate Bank, Corporation Bank and Karnataka Bank started decades ago.
He spent early years in Mangalore, completing schooling and pre-college studies from St. Aloysius School.
Kamath acquired a degree in mechanical engineering from the Karnataka Regional Educational College, Surathkal.
After graduating in 1969, he joined the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) to do an MBA.
Armed with the two degrees, Kamath began his working career with ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India) in 1971.
Kamath had break in service with the ICICI Group when he went to Asian Development Bank in 1988. He returned to ICICI eight years later as its managing director and CEO.
In ICICI, Kamath is remembered for setting up branches, ATMs, selling various kinds of loan products aggressively.
He retired in April 2009 and became its non-executive chairman. Soon he was also taken on the board of Infosys by the outgoing chairman and founder N.R. Narayan Murthy.
Kamath has won many awards, including India’s third highest civilian honour Padma Bhushan.
He has been named “Businessman of the Year” by Forbes Asia and “Business Leader of the Year” by the Economic Times and CNBC’s “Asian Business Leader of the Year” in 2001.
He was also the president of the Confederation of Indian Industry in 2008-09. He is also on the board of directors of several companies such Lupin Limited, the Great Eastern Shipping Company Limited and Schlumberger Limited.
Kamath is married and has a son and a daughter.
- K.V. Kamath to head Infosys (Lead) - Apr 30, 2011
- K.V. Kamath named Infosys chairman (Second Lead, correcting date in Para 2) - Apr 30, 2011
- Banker Kamath to succeed Narayana Murthy at Infosys (Roundup) - May 01, 2011
- Infosys names K.V. Kamath as new chairman (Third Lead) - Apr 30, 2011
- Can Kamath, the risk taker, change the de-risking mindset in Infosys? (Comment) - May 01, 2011
- ICICI Bank's Kamath joins Infosys as director - May 02, 2009
- Bill Gates wishes Murthy as he retires from Infosys - Aug 20, 2011
- Renowned banker K.V. Kamath new Infosys chairman (Night Lead) - May 01, 2011
- Infosys drops 'Technologies' from name - May 01, 2011
- Infosys inducts four new directors - Jun 11, 2011
- PNB to finalise life insurance joint venture - Jul 07, 2011
- Co-founder Narayana Murthy bids adieu to Infosys - Aug 19, 2011
- Infosys to have non-founder chairman up to age of 70 - May 01, 2011
- Infosys swaps global business heads - Feb 03, 2012
- Infosys' Pune campus gets CISF cover - Apr 22, 2011
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