Uday Kotak success story

        While India was still a closed economy and economic growth was muted, Uday Kotak decided to start out on his own, refusing a lucrative job option from a multinational. Over the next few years, he diversified his business into various areas of financial services, establishing a prominent presence in bills discounting, stock broking, investment banking, car finance, life insurance and mutual funds. On 22 March 2003, Kotak Mahindra Finance Ltd. became the first company in India’s corporate history to receive a banking license from Reserve Bank of India. Uday Kotak born 15 March 1959 is Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank.

CHILDHOOD
            Kotak was raised in an upper middle class Gujarati joint-family household with 60 persons sharing a common kitchen under one roof. The family was originally into cotton trading. His two pastimes had been cricket and playing the sitar. In a 2014 interview with NDTV he admitted that he was no longer pursing his playing of the sitar.

 CAREER
            After completing his MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai in 1982, Kotak started Kotak Capital Management Finance Ltd. (which later became Kotak Mahindra Finance Ltd.) From a seed capital of less than US$80,000 borrowed from family and friends, he adroitly led a bill-discounting start-up into a financial services conglomerate with assets of US$19 billion (as on March 31, 2014), and the fourth largest private bank by market capitalization in India with over 600 branches.
 PHILANTHROPY

            Kotak has a strong focus on community development and inclusive growth which is reflected by the group’s initiatives to provide low cost services to rural customers and its welfare programmes. Kotak feels strongly that education is key to the alleviation of the social malaise afflicting India's under-privileged. In a bid to address this issue, he has established the Kotak Education Foundation that focuses on the educational needs of underprivileged children.

 MEMBERSHIPS
            Kotak is a member of the Government of India’s High Level Committee on Financing Infrastructure, the Primary Market Advisory Committee of the Securities & Exchange Board of India, Member of the Board of Governors of the National Institute of Securities Markets and ICRIER. He is also Governing Member of the Mahindra United World College of India, and Member of National Council of CII.

 NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
#  Recognised as Banker of the Year 2014 by Businessworld
#  Won Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 Award
#  Won Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 Award (India)
#  Received a special award for his contribution in the growth of India’s equity markets
 #  India’s Best Market Analyst Awards 2012 by Zee Business in 2012
#  Felicitated with ‘Financial Leadership Award’ at NDTV Profit's Business Leadership Awards 2011 in 2012
#  Recognised as CNBC Asia’s Business Leader of the Year in 2008
#  Recognised as CNBC TV18’s ‘Innovator of the Year award’ in 2006
#  Euromoney listed him amongst the financial leaders of the 21st Century
#  Recognised as ‘Global Leader for tomorrow’ by World Economic Forum’s annual met at Davos in 1996