Mr. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh is the Founder of Bandhan and the architect behind its remarkable journey from a not-for-profit organization to a leading financial institution. With a vision to drive women empowerment and poverty alleviation, Mr. Ghosh conceptualized and established Bandhan as a society in 2001. Under his leadership, Bandhan evolved into an NBFC in 2006, emerged as the largest microfinance institution in India by 2010, and transitioned into a universal bank in August 2015.
In June 2015, the Reserve Bank of India granted Bandhan a banking licence under Mr. Ghosh’s leadership — making it the first-ever microfinance institution in India to achieve universal bank status. As the Founder, Managing Director & CEO, he led Bandhan Bank from its inception until July 2024, steering its growth with a strong focus on financial inclusion, sustainability, and social impact.
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Mr. Ghosh’s pioneering work in inclusive finance has been widely recognized through numerous awards and accolades, including:
Entrepreneur with Social Impact (2014) by Forbes India Leadership Awards
Entrepreneur of the Year (2014) by The Economic Times
Senior Ashoka Fellow (2007) by Ashoka Foundation for social entrepreneurship
Lifetime Achievement Award (2023)at India’s Best Bank Awards by Financial Express
In addition to his professional achievements, Mr. Ghosh is actively associated with several industry bodies and policy forums, including the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) – Eastern Region, the Sectoral Committee on Private Sector Banks, the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), the Corporate Governance Council (CII), and the Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, Government of West Bengal.
He is also a Director on the Board of other Companies.
