NatWest Group names Ruchika Panesar as MD, Head of India

NatWest Group has appointed Ruchika Panesar as Managing Director, Head of India.

She will join on 26 September from American Express, New York, where her most recent role was Vice President and Global Head of Enterprise Communications and Marketing Technology. She succeeds Punit Sood who will retire from the bank at the end of September.

With over two decades of global experience across fintech and payment disciplines, she is a seasoned leader with deep expertise in global technology transformation, building enterprise scale products and technology and leveraging emerging technologies such as AI and Gen AI to drive innovation across digital customer experiences. As Head of India, she will spearhead the design and execution of strategic initiatives in collaboration with senior leaders across the Bank, with an emphasis on delivering world class experiences for our customers. She will be Chair of the India Management Committee and will report directly to the Group Chief Information Officer, Scott Marcar.

“I am delighted to welcome Ruchika to NatWest Group and I look forward to working with her. With over 17,000 colleagues working from our three locations in India, this is an important role for NatWest Group. We have an ambition to hire 3,000 engineers in India by the end of 2026 which means hiring talent with unique skillsets and Ruchika’s appointment, along with investing in our new office in Bengaluru, showcases our commitment to building our capabilities in India. And it would be remiss of me if I didn’t thank Punit for his remarkable leadership of the hubs, and his personal support, over his tenure in role,” said Scott Marcar, Group Chief Information Officer, NatWest Group.
Panesar expressed her enthusiasm for the new role, “I am thrilled to join the NatWest Group. This is an exciting opportunity to strengthen and advance the bank’s digital and strategic capabilities, driving our commitment to delivering exceptional service to our customers. I look forward to working with a very talented team in India, and globally, to achieve our ambitious goals.”