Banking veteran Anup Kumar Saha joins Kotak Mahindra as Whole-time Director

As per an exchange filing, Saha will initially serve as Designate Whole-time Director and join the Senior Management effective January 12, 2026, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals. 

In his new role, Saha brings over two decades of experience in consumer and retail banking. He most recently served as Managing Director at Bajaj Finserv, where over eight years he played a pivotal role in transforming the company into one of India’s most profitable NBFCs. He led business transformation, digital innovation, and customer-centric strategies, expanding the customer base to over 100 million and diversifying the product portfolio. 

Prior to Bajaj Finance, Saha spent 14 years at ICICI Bank in senior leadership roles, building deep expertise in retail and structured finance, data analytics, and digital transformation. 

At Kotak Mahindra Bank, Saha will oversee Consumer Banking, Marketing, and Data Analytics, reinforcing the bank’s focus on customer-centric growth, digital innovation, and data-led decision-making. 

Welcoming him, CS Rajan, Chairman of Kotak Mahindra Bank, said, "We are delighted to welcome Anup to Kotak’s Board. His leadership in scaling businesses, driving digital transformation, and building customer-centric organizations will be invaluable as we strengthen our position in the financial sector." 

Ashok Vaswani, MD & CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank, added, "Anup’s appointment underscores our commitment to building a market-leading financial services business and a strong bench of experienced leaders. His deep understanding of retail finance, data-driven growth, and innovation will help accelerate our strategy and deliver greater value to our customers." 

Saha expressed, "I am excited and honored to join Kotak, one of India’s most trusted financial services conglomerates. I look forward to working with the leadership team to build on this strong foundation, drive innovation, deepen customer relationships, and create value for all stakeholders."