Renu Sud Karnad: Renu Sud Karnad is the Managing Director of the Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC). She pursued her graduation in Law from the University of Mumbai and earned a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Delhi. She is associated with HDFC since 1978. Karnad has an extensive financial expertise and significant international business experience.

She became the Executive Director of the Corporation in 2000, then the Joint Managing Director of the Corporation in October 2007. On 1st January, 2010, she became the Managing Director of the Corporation for a period of 5 years.  She is in-charge of the Operations, Strategy, and Budget, Human Resources, Product Development, Communication Functions and the distribution functions of the Corporation.

Shikha Sharma: She is the Managing Director and CEO of Axis Bank since 2009. She was formerly in ICICI and laid the basics of ICICI Bank’s personal financial services. Mr. Narayanan Vaghul, the former chairman of the bank suggested Sharma’s name for heading the retail business. He says, “A lot of people were skeptical, but Shikha Sharma proved them wrong. She built an entire new business in insurance and became a leader in no time.”

She completed her MBA from IIM Ahmadabad. During the placement period, she couldn’t make out to any job for 8-9 days. She reminds those days by saying, “Foreign Banks rejected me, I was losing confidence, I was good at academics but an introvert. I was self aware enough not to get dejected. But I still felt bad.” She says about her experience of becoming the MD and CEO, “It was completely psyching, we had global competition, but early success gives you confidence”. 

On asked what price is paid by her for this successful career of hers by Business Today, she says, “Not getting as much time with my children as I would have liked.” She further adds, “I consider my children my most enduring embodiments of achievement. But I haven’t focused on them in the last 20 years.”