Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, born in 1960 at Bishalgarh in Tripura, India, is the founder, CEO and managing director of Bandhan Bank.[1]
Education and early years
Ghosh's father Haripada Ghosh owned a sweet shop in Tripura.[2] Ghosh used to support his father at the shop along with his studies. Ghosh completed his Master's in statistics from Dhaka University. After completing his education he joined BRAC an NGO (non government organisation) in Bangladesh. After returning to India, Ghosh worked with several NGOs. He quit his last job at Village Welfare Society and established Bandhan-Konnagar, an NGO in West Bengal, which aimed to provide microfinance services to the marginalised and drive financial inclusion.[3]
Bandhan and Bandhan Bank
Ghosh started Bandhan-Konnagar in 2001 with a capital of INR 2,00,000 and three employees in Kolkata, West Bengal. The NGO provided microfinance services to small and marginalised women entrepreneurs in areas not assisted by formal banking services. In 2009, Ghosh transferred the microfinance portfolio of the NGO to the NBFC that he had acquired. in 2010, Bandhan was recognised as the largest microfinance entity in India.[4]
In 2014, the Reserve Bank of India granted an approval for banking licence to Bandhan.[5][6][7] Bandhan Bank started operations on August 23, 2015, with Ghosh as the MD & CEO. This is the first instance of a microfinance enterprise getting the banking licence in India and also the first instance of a universal bank being set up in Eastern India since Independence.
Industry Affiliations
Mr. Ghosh is the Past Chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Eastern Region. He is also Past Chairman of CII’s Economic Affairs, Finance & Taxation Committee, presently a Member at the same. He also Co-Chairs the Financial Inclusion Committee of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He is the Past President of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCC&I).
Awards
- Senior Ashoka Fellow - 2007[8]
- Forbes Entrepreneur with Social Impact 2014[9]
- ET Entrepreneur of the Year 2014[10]
- Lifetime contribution to the microfinance sector by an individual - 2015
- C. Rangarajan Award for Excellence in Banking - 2017
- Business World Magna Awards - Banker of the Year 2019 [11]
Family
Ghosh lives in Kolkata along with his wife Nilima Ghosh and 21-year-old son Angsuman Ghosh.
References
- ↑ Meet Bandhan CMD Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, the man who pipped Birlas and Ambanis for a bank license. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ↑ Bandhan founder Chandra Shekhar Ghosh: From sweet shop to bank owner. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ↑ Chandra Shekhar Ghosh's Bandhan banks on building ties with the underprivileged. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ↑ Bandhan microfinance overtakes SKS as India's largest MFI - News Digest. India Microfinance(2011-11-15). Retrieved 2019-09-24.
- ↑ For Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, it was not easy to start off Bandhan. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ↑ Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, microlender to banker who beat titans. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ↑ Lunch with BS: Chandra Shekhar Ghosh. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ↑ Winners - 2007. Ashoka | Awards.
- ↑ Winners - 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ↑ ET Awards 2014: Chandra Shekhar Ghosh is Entrepreneur of the Year for building Bandhan from scratch. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ↑ We Need More Bandhans Across India, Says Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, Jha, Suman K.. BW Businessworld. Retrieved 2019-09-24.