City of London Freedom honours for leading Indian bankers

THE City of London Corporation has honoured eight senior figures from Indian banks based in the Square Mile to mark 75 years of India’s independence.

The award recognises the trade relationship between the UK and India’s financial services sectors.

The leaders who received the Freedom of the City honours on December 13 were: Madhur Kumar (Bank of Baroda), Manish Gupta, (Bank of India), Ashok Kumar Vartia (Export-Import Bank of India), Sharukh T Wadia (IndusInd Bank), Rakesh Kumar (India Infrastructure Finance Company), Loknath Mishra (ICICI Bank), Sudhir Kumar Sharma (State Bank of India) and Arbind Kumar Choudhary (Union Bank of India).

Lord Mayor of the City of London, Michael Mainelli, said: "British and Indian investments support over a million jobs in both India and the UK. The City of London is grateful for the invaluable contribution of Indian bankers to the Square Mile."

Chair of the Freedom Applications Policy & Resources Sub-Committee, Rehana Ameer, said the occasion signalled “a shared commitment to unlocking new opportunities, fostering innovation and deepening ties between the City and India to embark on a journey of mutual prosperity and strengthened financial cooperation.”