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{{short description|Leading Indian Banker, Independent candidate for South Mumbai, President Indian Liberal Group}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Meerasanyal1.jpg
| caption =
| birth_name = Meera Hiranandani
| birth_date = {{birth date |df=yes|1961|10|15}}
| office = CEO and Chairperson of the [[Royal Bank of Scotland]] (India)
| term_start = 1983
| term_end = 2013
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2019|01|11|1961|10|15}}
| birth_place = [[Kochi, India|Cochin]], [[Kerala]], India
| death_place = [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], India
| residence = Mumbai, India
| parents = [[Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani]] <br/> Banu Hiranandani
| party = [[Aam Aadmi Party]]
| spouse = Ashish J Sanyal
| children =
| nationality = Indian
| alma_mater = [[Cathedral and John Connon School]] <br/> [[University of Mumbai]]<br />[[INSEAD]]
| footnotes =
| website = {{URL|meerasanyal.com}}
}}
'''Meera Sanyal''' (née '''Hiranandani'''; 15 October 1961 – 11 January 2019) was an Indian banker and politician. She served as CEO and chairperson of the [[Royal Bank of Scotland]] in India. The daughter of a highly decorated Naval officer, Vice Admiral [[Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani]], she was involved in banking for over 30 years before stepping down from RBS to stand as the [[Aam Aadmi Party]] candidate in South Mumbai in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, which she lost. She had earlier contested as an independent candidate in the [[2009 Lok Sabha elections]] from the Mumbai South constituency.

She served on the board of Pradan, an Indian NGO that works to empower women through entrepreneurship and on the international board of Right to Play, a global organisation that has helped over 1 million children through the transformative power of play. She was also on the boards of [[Jai Hind College]] and the [[Indian Liberal Group]].<ref>[http://www.cppr.in/uncategorized/talk-on-governance-by-meera-sanyal-former-country-head-of-rbs/ Talk on Governance by Meera Sanyal, Former Country Head of RBS] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529052144/http://www.cppr.in/uncategorized/talk-on-governance-by-meera-sanyal-former-country-head-of-rbs/ |date=29 May 2014 }}, CPPR</ref> She was a member of various national committees at the CII and FICCI. She was the former chairperson of the Indian Advisory Board of ''AIESEC'', the world's largest student organisation. On 11 January 2019, Sanyal died of cancer.

== Early life ==
Sanyal was born in 1961 to [[Indian Navy]] officer, [[Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani]], and his wife, Banu Hiranandani; a Sindhi family who migrated from Sindh to India at the time of the [[Partition of India]]. Her father was the mastermind of [[Operation Trident (1971)|Operation Trident]], the crippling Naval attack on [[Karachi]], [[Pakistan]] during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]].<ref name=hindu-cremated>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article14650.ece|title=Vice-Admiral Hiranandani cremated with full Naval honours|newspaper=The Hindu|date=3 September 2009|accessdate=13 January 2012}}</ref>

Sanyal graduated in commerce (B.Com.) from Sydenham college Bombay<ref name="www.meerasanyal.com" /> in 1982 with an MBA from [[INSEAD]], [[Fontainebleau]], France,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/supplement/story/20080616-iron-maidens-736487-2008-06-04|title=Iron maidens|last=Subramanyam|first=Chitra|last2=Ahmed|first2=Bushra|date=4 June 2008|website=India Today|language=en|access-date=13 January 2019|last3=Malhotra|first3=Purvi|last4=Khatri|first4=Deepika}}</ref> in 1983. She attended the six-week Advanced Management Program at [[Harvard Business School]] in 2006. She was a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (UK).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://amritt.com/india-business-guide/meera-sanyal/|title=Meera Sanyal {{!}} Prominent Indian Women Executives {{!}} India Business Women|website=Amritt, Inc.|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-13}}</ref>

== Professional and public life ==
After a 30-year banking career, Sanyal stepped down from her position as CEO and chairperson of Royal Bank of Scotland India, in 2013, to focus on public service.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-04-10/news/38434030_1_milind-deora-mecklai-financial-services-south-mumbai|title=Meera Sanyal to quit Royal Bank of Scotland for a full-time career in politics|newspaper=The Economic Times|date=10 April 2013|author=Anita Bhoir|agency=ET Bureau|page=1}}</ref> During her time at the bank, she mentored the MicroFinance program, which financed over 650,000 women in rural India. She also chaired the bank's Foundation, providing livelihood assistance to 75,000 women-led households in threatened ecosystems.<ref>{{cite web|title=Meera Sanyal Interview- Globalinvesther|url=http://www.globalinvesther.com/women-leaders-in-the-spotlight/women-in-leadership-series-an-interview-with-meera-h-sanyal-indian-public-figure-former-ceo-of-rbs-india/|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320174840/http://www.globalinvesther.com/women-leaders-in-the-spotlight/women-in-leadership-series-an-interview-with-meera-h-sanyal-indian-public-figure-former-ceo-of-rbs-india/|archivedate=20 March 2014}}</ref> Her banking career was distinguished both in India and overseas. She was the head of Corporate Finance and later the COO for ABN AMRO in Asia. She also started and led the global BPO and ITes for ABN AMRO / RBS in India.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

Sanyal was a board member of Pradan,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pradan.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=10|title=Meera Sanyal on Pradan board|date=31 January 2014|website=Pradan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423072729/http://www.pradan.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=10|archive-date=23 April 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=18 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="https://www.outlookindia.com/ 2019">{{cite web | title=Meera Sanyal, Former Banker And AAP Leader, Dies At 57 | website=Outlook (India) | date=2019-07-06 | url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-meera-sanyal-former-banker-and-aap-leader-dies-at-57/323388 | access-date=2019-07-07}}</ref> a member of the International Board of [[Right To Play]], a global NGO that uses the transformative power of play to educate and empower children facing adversity. She was also a Board member of [[Indian Liberal Group|LiberalsIndia]] for Good Governance – the [[Indian Liberal Group]], and served on the Supervisory Board of Jaihind College. She was a member of various National Committees of both FICCI and CII.<ref name="www.meerasanyal.com" /> In 2011, Secretary of State [[Hillary Clinton]], invited her as the sole Indian representative on her International Council on Women's Business Leadership.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linkedin.com/pub/meera-sanyal/36/61/974|title=Meera Sanyal LinkedIn profile}}</ref>{{Secondary source needed|date=January 2019}}

She was invited to speak at global seminars including:<ref name="www.meerasanyal.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.meerasanyal.com |title=Meera Sanyal |publisher=Meera Sanyal |accessdate=22 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322140959/http://www.meerasanyal.com/ |archivedate=22 March 2014 }}</ref>{{Secondary source needed|date=January 2019}}

*Climate Summit in Copenhagen
*Swedish Agency for Economic & Regional Growth<ref>{{cite web |url=http://barrskog.se/894/ |title=Golden Rules of Leadership – Tillsammans skapar vi bättre möjligheter |publisher=Barrskog Konsult |date=23 April 2013 |accessdate=22 March 2014 |language=se |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407105038/http://barrskog.se/894/ |archive-date=7 April 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Women of the Future summit in the UK<ref>{{cite web|title=The women of Future Summit, UK|url=http://summit.womenofthefuture.co.uk/#speakers|access-date=20 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407031712/http://summit.womenofthefuture.co.uk/#speakers#speakers|archive-date=7 April 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Asian Institute of Finance]], Kuala Lumpur<ref>{{cite web|title=AIF symposium speakers list|url=http://www.symposium.aif.org.my/speaker.html|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317040434/http://www.symposium.aif.org.my/speaker.html|archivedate=17 March 2014}}</ref>
*Nikkei Summit for Asian Women Leaders, Tokyo
*Global Competitiveness Summit, Seoul, Korea

== Political life ==
Sanyal stood in 2009 as an independent candidate for the Lok Sabha elections in the aftermath of the [[2008 Mumbai attacks]] but lost the election.<ref>Anita Bhoir, [http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-04-10/news/38434030_1_milind-deora-mecklai-financial-services-south-mumbai Meera Sanyal to quit Royal Bank of Scotland for a full-time career in politics] ''The Economic Times'', 10 April 2013</ref> Along with her husband, she campaigned and raised funds for the [[Aam Aadmi Party|AAP]] in the 2013 Delhi elections.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Meera-Sanyal-canvassing-for-AAP/articleshow/24557502.cms |title=Meera Sanyal canvassing for AAP |work=Times of India |date=23 October 2013 |accessdate=8 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810091536/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Meera-Sanyal-canvassing-for-AAP/articleshow/24557502.cms |archive-date=10 August 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> She was a member of AAP's National Committee on Economic Policy.<ref>{{cite news|title=AAP's National Economic Committee|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/news/arvind-kejriwals-aap-forms-panel-to-finalise-economic-policy/1219227|newspaper=The Financial Express|date=19 January 2014|access-date=20 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322050430/http://www.financialexpress.com/news/arvind-kejriwals-aap-forms-panel-to-finalise-economic-policy/1219227|archive-date=22 March 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2014, Sanyal contested [[2014 Indian general election|2014 Lok Sabha election]] from the [[Mumbai]] South constituency, as an Aam Aadmi Party candidate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aamaadmiparty.org/lok-sabha-elections-2014-first-candidate-list|title=Meera Sanyal on AAP candidate list|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320180547/http://aamaadmiparty.org/lok-sabha-elections-2014-first-candidate-list|archivedate=20 March 2014}}</ref> She lost, receiving 5.2%<ref>[http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/arvind-kejriwals-aap-needs-a-future-plan-fatigue-sets-in-for-partys-small-time-drama/articleshow/35568186.cms Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP needs a future plan; fatigue sets in for party’s small-time drama] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528143504/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/arvind-kejriwals-aap-needs-a-future-plan-fatigue-sets-in-for-partys-small-time-drama/articleshow/35568186.cms |date=28 May 2014 }} The Economic Times</ref> of the vote cast in South Mumbai constituency, trailing at fourth position behind [[Arvind Sawant]] (Shiv Sena candidate, winner), [[Milind Deora]] (INC candidate) and Bala Nandgaokar (MNS candidate).<ref name=eci>[http://eciresults.ap.nic.in/ConstituencywiseS1331.htm?ac=31 Maharashtra – Mumbai South, Results Declared] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529051537/http://eciresults.ap.nic.in/ConstituencywiseS1331.htm?ac=31 |date=29 May 2014 }} Election Commission of India, 2014</ref>

== Death ==
On 11 January 2019, Sanyal died due to cancer after two years of treatment.<ref>{{cite news|title=Meera Sanyal, Top Banker-Turned-AAP Leader, Dies After Battling Cancer|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/meera-sanyal-banker-turned-aap-leader-dies-after-battling-cancer-1976605|last=Nair|first=Arun|website=NDTV|date=12 January 2019|accessdate=12 January 2019}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Meera Sanyal}}
* {{Official website|http://www.meerasanyal.com}}
* [http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200903202188.htm Banking to Politics – ''The Hindu'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090307183423/http://www.snmcpn.org/RBS-wildlife-awards-2008.html Sanctuary Awards 2008]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080907021300/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NAVY/History/2000s/Hiranandani.pdf Admiral Hiranandani]

{{Aam Aadmi Party}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanyal, Meera}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:Women in Maharashtra politics]]
[[Category:Aam Aadmi Party candidates in the 2014 Indian general election]]
[[Category:INSEAD alumni]]
[[Category:Politicians from Kochi]]
[[Category:Indian women bankers]]
[[Category:Sindhi people]]
[[Category:Indian bankers]]
[[Category:Aam Aadmi Party politicians]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Kochi]]
[[Category:Indian women business executives]]
[[Category:Indian chief executives]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian businesspeople]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian businesspeople]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian businesswomen]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian businesswomen]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Businesswomen from Kerala]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in India]]
[[Category:Women chief executives]]

Meera Sanyal - Revision history

imported>JJMC89 bot III at 18:55, 9 May 2021