HDFC Bank Appoints Former Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar as Part-Time Chairman

HDFC Bank has appointed former Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar as its new part-time Chairman for a period of three years, according to a regulatory filing by the private sector lender on Monday. The appointment comes months after former chairman Atanu Chakraborty's resignation and follows an interim arrangement led by Keki Mistry.

Leadership Change at HDFC Bank

Rajiv Kumar succeeds Atanu Chakraborty, who stepped down earlier this year, citing concerns over practices that he said were not aligned with his personal values and ethics.

In his resignation letter, Chakraborty said his decision was driven purely by matters of principle and that there were no other material reasons behind his exit. His resignation sparked considerable discussion within the banking sector.

Following his departure in March 2026, Keki Mistry was appointed interim part-time chairman to ensure continuity in board leadership. The arrangement was widely viewed as temporary, with industry observers pointing to potential conflict-of-interest concerns because of Mistry's long association with the HDFC Group.

Who Is Rajiv Kumar?

Rajiv Kumar is a 1984-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer with more than three decades of administrative and financial sector experience.

He retired as Finance Secretary to the Government of India in February 2020 and later served briefly as Chairman of the Public Enterprises Selection Board.