Solid experience

Kaushal has 33 years of banking experience in diverse markets across North Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. In nearly 23 years with the group, he has held senior roles across wholesale, retail, SME banking and country management. Kaushal has served as the head of Corporate Banking in the UAE; head of Originations and Client Coverage in Singapore; global head SMEs and New Ventures in Singapore; and CEO of Standard Chartered Bank (Taiwan).

He has led the acceleration of Standard Chartered’s digital transformation in the AME region, with the launch of digital banks across nine key African markets.

The bank also digitised its wealth management offering and has grown accounts by 500,000. The successful establishment of these digital banks through Kaushal’s leadership testifies to the bank’s growing digital footprint in the region and presence as a leader in digital banking technologies. 

In 2018 and 2019, he was named Banking CEO of the Year by EMEA Finance and CEO Middle East, and was also featured amongst Forbes’ Middle East Top Indian Leaders in 2019 and 2020. Kaushal was also awarded Forbes’ Global Meets Local Top 50 Executives Regional Executives Heading International Companies in 2020, and featured in Gulf Business’ top Indian leaders in the GCC during the same year.

Prior to joining Standard Chartered in 1998, Kaushal held positions in corporate finance and commercial banking and foreign exchange at NatWest Markets, SocGen-Crosby and American Express Bank in Mumbai.

Kaushal holds a bachelor of commerce degree from Bombay University and a post-graduate qualification as a chartered accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He has also completed general management courses at Harvard Business School, INSEAD, Oxford University and London Business School.

Leadership lessons of 2020 

By far the greatest leadership lesson that 2020 has taught us is the importance of decisiveness, communication and compassion. The extraordinary turbulence of a once-in-a-century pandemic has affected the health and livelihood of so many worldwide while impacting the global economy and changing the way we work and interact with one another.

In this unchartered territory, trust and regular open communication matter more than ever before. No one anticipated a world completely shut for weeks on end. People, staff and clients went through a huge amount of stress, job uncertainty and of course health concerns. As a team, we focused on the issues collectively from the onset of the pandemic, taking swift steps to ensure the safety of staff.

Our continuity of operations was paramount so that we were able to service our customers seamlessly. He credits the bank’s investment in digital and technology, initiated a few years before the pandemic, for allowing a seamless shift to remote working and client support.

Keeping the client at the core of our priorities and supporting government relief efforts across the footprint were really important for us. Throughout this period, our desire to reinforce the bank’s brand promise, Here for Good, has never been more important. We have been able to act upon this for our clients, colleagues and communities.

Clients have been provided financial flexibility and support measures that will aid their continued stability and growth; staff well-being has been addressed through mental health programmes and inclusion initiatives; and numerous charitable initiatives, including the donation of medical equipment and financial aid, have been launched to directly support the ongoing efforts of local authorities and philanthropic entities in the fight against Covid-19.

Trade opportunities between India and the UAE 

The UAE continues to look at opportunities in India as part of the growing FDI interest into the country. India is a strategic partner to the UAE, and it is estimated that the trade relationship can touch an overall figure of $100bn per annum.

Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investor, recently announced an investment of $840m into Reliance Retail Ventures, a subsidiary of India’s Reliance Industries. The sovereign wealth fund also invested $1.2bn in the Indian telco and digital services firm, Jio Platforms.

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world, also identified India as a key growth market for 2021, citing climate change and data centres as investment opportunities. ADIA will also target India’s real estate sector, where a growing consumer class could provide attractive investment opportunities.

The UAE’s best-in-class regulatory frameworks and international standard business ecosystem make it an ideal launch pad for Indian companies looking to expand to the Middle East.