NatWest Group Appoints Ruchika Panesar as New Head of India Operations

NatWest Group appoints Ruchika Panesar as Managing Director, Head of India

NatWest Group has announced the appointment of Ruchika Panesar as Managing Director, Head of India. She will join on 26th September from American Express, New York where her most recent role was Vice President and Global Head of Enterprise Communications and Marketing Technology. She succeeds Punit Sood who will retire from the bank at the end of September. With over two decades of global experience across fintech and payment disciplines, Ruchika is a seasoned leader with deep expertise in global technology transformation, building enterprise scale products and technology and leveraging emerging technologies such as AI and Gen AI to drive innovation across digital customer experiences. As Head of India, Ruchika will spearhead the design and execution of strategic initiatives in collaboration with senior leaders across the Bank, with an emphasis on delivering world class experiences for our customers. Ruchika will be Chair of the India Management Committee and will report directly to the Group Chief Information Officer, Scott Marcar. "I am delighted to welcome Ruchika to NatWest Group and I look forward to working with her. With over 17,000 colleagues working from our three locations in India, this is an important role for NatWest Group. We have an ambition to hire 3,000 engineers in India by the end of 2026 which means hiring talent with unique skillsets and Ruchika's appointment, along with investing in our new office in Bengaluru, showcases our commitment to building our capabilities in India. And it would be remiss of me if I didn't thank Punit for his remarkable leadership of the hubs, and his personal support, over his tenure in role." said Scott Marcar, Group Chief Information Officer, NatWest Group. Ruchika expressed her enthusiasm for the new role, "I am thrilled to join the NatWest Group. This is an exciting opportunity to strengthen and advance the bank's digital and strategic capabilities, driving our commitment to delivering exceptional service to our customers. I look forward to working with a very talented team in India, and globally, to achieve our ambitious goals." About NatWest Group India: NatWest Group India provides world-class services and solutions to 19 million banking customers globally, by leveraging India's technology talent and fast-growing FinTech eco-system. As the largest employee base outside the UK, NatWest Group India builds differentiated value through excellence in innovation and operational transformation.

NatWest Group appoints former Amex exec Ruchika Panesar as India head

As head of India, Panesar will be based in Gurugram and will spearhead the design and execution of strategic initiatives in collaboration with senior leaders across the Bank, with an emphasis on delivering world class experiences for our customers. Ruchika will be Chair of the India Management Committee and will report directly to the group chief information officer, Scott Marcar, the statement added.The UK's NatWest Group has appointed former American Express executive Ruchika Panesar as the new head and managing director for India effective September 26. She succeeds Punit Sood who will retire from the bank at the end of September, NatWest group said in a statement. Based in New York at American Express, Panesar was the vice president and global head of enterprise communications and marketing technology. She has over two decades of global experience across fintech and payment disciplines with deep expertise in global technology transformation, building enterprise scale products and technology and leveraging emerging technologies such as AI and Gen AI to drive innovation across digital customer experiences, NatWest said in a statement. As head of India, Panesar will be based in Gurugram and will spearhead the design and execution of strategic initiatives in collaboration with senior leaders across the Bank, with an emphasis on delivering world class experiences for our customers. Ruchika will be Chair of the India Management Committee and will report directly to the group chief information officer, Scott Marcar, the statement added. In August, the UK's retail banking NatWest Group had announced plans to hire around 4000 engineers in Bengaluru over the next two years following its latest expansion in the southern city with its capability centre. The company leased an office in the country's Silicon Valley city's Bagmane Constellation Business Park, with facility spanning across 370,000 square feet over 11 floors, to expand its engineering and innovation hub. NatWest Group India leverages technology and talent to provide services and solutions to the group's 19 million banking customers globally. In India, it operates across three centres including Gurugram, Chennai and Bengaluru, which has 2,000 employees at present and will be hiring additional 4,000 people by 2026. India is its second-largest employee base outside the UK. "With over 17,000 colleagues working from our three locations in India, this is an important role for NatWest Group. We have an ambition to hire 3,000 engineers in India by the end of 2026 which means hiring talent with unique skillsets and Ruchika's appointment, along with investing in our new office in Bengaluru, showcases our commitment to building our capabilities in India," said Scott Marcar, group chief information officer, NatWest Group. On her new role, Panesar said, "I am thrilled to join the NatWest Group. This is an exciting opportunity to strengthen and advance the bank's digital and strategic capabilities, driving our commitment to delivering exceptional service to our customers. I look forward to working with a very talented team in India, and globally, to achieve our ambitious goals."

NatWest Group appoints ex-American Express executive Ruchika Panesar to head India operations

In her new role, Panesar will spearhead the design and execution of strategic initiatives in collaboration with senior leaders across the bank.NatWest Group has named Ruchika Panesar as managing director and head of India. Panesar was vice-president and global head of enterprise communications and marketing technology at American Express in New York until recently. She will join on September 26, NatWest said in a statement. Panesar succeeds Punit Sood, who will retire from the bank at the end of September. "With over 17,000 colleagues working from our three locations in India, this is an important role for NatWest Group," said Scott Marcar, group chief information officer, NatWest Group. "We have an ambition to hire 3,000 engineers in India by the end of 2026, which means hiring talent with unique skillsets and Ruchika's appointment, along with investing in our new office in Bengaluru, showcases our commitment to building our capabilities in India." In her new role, Panesar will spearhead the design and execution of strategic initiatives in collaboration with senior leaders across the bank. She will be chair of the India management committee and will report directly to Marcar. "This is an exciting opportunity to strengthen and advance the bank's digital and strategic capabilities, driving our commitment to delivering exceptional service to our customers," said Panesar. With over two decades of global experience across fintech and payment disciplines, Panesar has deep expertise in global technology transformation, building enterprise scale products and technology and leveraging emerging technologies such as AI and Gen AI to drive innovation across digital customer experiences.