Vikram Pandit

Vikram Pandit is the CEO of Citigroup, an international bank which has around 200 million customer accounts and activities in nearly 160 countries and jurisdictions. This Indian American hailing from Nagpur is in charge of this prestigious position since 2007 and he has been successful in recapitalizing and reforming the firm during the period of the toughest economic climate since Great Depression.

Two years after joining the firm, in the year 2009 Pandit declared to the company’s board of directors that "my salary should be $1 per year with no bonus until we return to profitability."He kept his word and served the company for just $1 per annum for two long years till 2011, when the company made progress under his guidance .As a result, his salary was raised to $1.75 million, making him one of the highest paid CEO’s.

Pandit began his career as an associate in Morgan Stanley, being the first Indian to join the company and with time he got promoted to other major posts. Pandit serves on various prominent boards such as that of Columbia University, Columbia Business School, the Indian School of Business and the Trinity School. He is also the director of the Institute of Finance and was a board member of NASDAQ OMX.

Pandit was honoured with the prestigious Padma Bhushan by the Indian government in the year 2008. He received B.S and M.S degree in Electrical engineering from the University of Columbia and later on he completed M.B.A and Ph.D. from Columbia Business School.