Chanda Kochhar (born 17 November 1961) is an Indian banker who was managing director and chief executive of ICICI Bank from 2009 to 2018. She joined the group as a trainee in 1984, built its retail business and became one of the most prominent women in world banking. Her career ended in a conflict-of-interest scandal over loans to the Videocon group, which led to criminal cases that are still before the courts.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Chanda Kochhar (née Advani) |
| Born | 17 November 1961, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India |
| Age | 64 |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Post | Managing Director and CEO, ICICI Bank (2009–2018) |
| Education | Jai Hind College, Mumbai; Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (MMS); cost accountancy |
| Spouse | Deepak Kochhar |
| Children | 2 |
| Honour | Padma Bhushan (2011) |
Early Life
Chanda Advani was born in Jodhpur and raised in Jaipur, where her father was principal of an engineering college. He died when she was thirteen, and the family moved to Mumbai. She topped her management course and won a gold medal in cost accountancy.
Career
She joined ICICI as a management trainee in 1984 and worked on project appraisal in textiles, paper and cement. She was part of the team that set up ICICI Bank in the 1990s. From 2000 she ran the retail business, and within a few years it was the largest retail lender among India’s private banks. She became chief financial officer and joint managing director.
She succeeded K. V. Kamath on 1 May 2009, just after the global financial crisis, and concentrated on stabilising the bank’s deposits and costs before growing again. She appeared for years near the top of Fortune‘s and Forbes‘s lists of powerful women.
In 2018 a whistleblower alleged that Videocon’s owner had invested in a company run by her husband, Deepak Kochhar, around the time ICICI sanctioned loans to Videocon in 2012. She went on leave in June 2018 and resigned that October. An inquiry by a retired Supreme Court judge found that she had broken the bank’s code of conduct by not disclosing the conflict, and the bank treated her exit as a dismissal and sought to recover her bonuses.
The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested the couple in December 2022. The Bombay High Court released them the next month and in 2024 held the arrest unlawful. An appellate tribunal in a related money-laundering matter ruled against her in 2025. The criminal trial has not concluded, and she denies wrongdoing.
Personal Life
She is married to Deepak Kochhar, a businessman in wind energy, and they have a daughter and a son.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Chanda Kochhar born?
Chanda Kochhar was born on 17 November 1961 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India and is 64 years old.
What is Chanda Kochhar’s occupation?
Occupation: Banker.
Featured image: Chanda Kochhar, then managing director of ICICI Bank, at the World Economic Forum’s India Economic Summit, Mumbai, 13 November 2011. Photo by World Economic Forum, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
