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Chanda Kochhar Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 4, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth17 November 1961

Age63 Years

BirthplaceJodhpur, Rajasthan, India

ProfessionBanker

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseDeepak Kochhar

FamilySon - Arjun Kochhar; Daughter - Aarti Kochhar; Father - Roopchand Advani

Net worthRs. 24 crores (as of 2022)

Chanda Kochhar Biography

Chanda Kochhar is an Indian banker best known for her long career at ICICI, where she rose from a management trainee to become managing director and CEO. A

Early life and background

Chanda Advani Kochhar was born on 17 November 1961 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, and grew up in Jaipur. She attended St. Angela Sophia School in Jaipur before moving to Mumbai for higher studies. She earned a B.Com degree from Jai Hind College, studied cost accountancy at the Institute of Cost Accountants of India, and completed a master's degree at the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies. During her school years she was active in sports, particularly basketball and badminton, and took part in dramatics and radio programs while at college.

Career

Kochhar began her banking career in 1984 as a management trainee with the then ICICI Limited at age 22. Early responsibilities included appraisal and project management across industries such as petrochemicals, textiles, paper and cement. In the 1990s she was part of the core team that established ICICI Bank, helping to define retail and corporate strategies, branch rollout plans and the bank's technology architecture.

Her rise through the organisation continued through the 1990s and 2000s. She was appointed assistant general manager in 1994, deputy general manager in 1996 where she led the Infrastructure Industry Group, and became general manager in 1998 with responsibility for top corporate clients and, later, the bank’s strategy and e-commerce activities. In April 2001 she was named executive director and led the bank’s retail business; under her leadership the bank won multiple Best Retail Bank awards from The Asian Banker in the early 2000s and she joined the bank’s board the same year.

Kochhar became deputy managing director in April 2006, overseeing corporate and international banking, and subsequently headed corporate banking and infrastructure finance. She served as chief financial officer and joint managing director from October 2007 until October 2009. In 2009 she was appointed managing director and CEO of ICICI Bank, a role in which she managed international banking operations and customer relationships across India and abroad.

Beyond her executive roles at the bank, Kochhar held a number of prominent industry and advisory positions. She served as one of the chairpersons for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in 2011, was a member of the US-India CEO Forum and the India-Russia Business Leaders Forum, and served as president of the International Monetary Conference from 2015 to 2016. She was deputy chairman of the Indian Banks' Association and chaired the board of governors at IIIT Vadodara. Kochhar has also been a board member of the National Institute of Securities Markets and the Institute of International Finance, and she served on national bodies such as the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade & Industry and the Board of Trade.

Public profile

Over several years Kochhar received widespread recognition for her leadership in banking. She featured repeatedly on lists of powerful businesswomen published by Fortune, Forbes and other organisations, and in 2011 she was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honours. Carleton University awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2014. Her inclusion on international lists and receipt of multiple awards reflect a long-running public profile as a leading figure in global finance.

Personal life

Chanda Kochhar is married to businessman Deepak Kochhar; the couple have two children, a son Arjun and a daughter Aarti. Her father, Roopchand Advani, worked as a professor at an engineering college. The family background and her early life in Rajasthan are frequently noted alongside her professional achievements.

Latest updates

Kochhar's career and public standing have been the subject of legal and regulatory attention related to lending decisions made while she was at ICICI Bank. Investigations and proceedings connected to those matters have been reported in the public record. Separately, media and industry sources have continued to track developments involving the case and related court orders.

Physical and personal details

Reported physical details include a height of approximately 165 cm (about 5'5") and a weight around 55 kg. She is described as having black hair and black eyes. Her hometown is cited as Jaipur, Rajasthan, and her stated religion is Hinduism with Sindhi ethnicity. Known personal interests include watching Bollywood films.

Legacy

Chanda Kochhar's trajectory from a management trainee to the CEO of one of India’s largest private banks, combined with numerous national and international honours, made her one of the most widely recognised Indian bankers of her generation. Her professional record includes major roles in building ICICI Bank’s retail, corporate and international businesses and contributing to policy and industry bodies at national and global levels.
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Recent Work

Managing Director & CEO, ICICI Bank

Served as managing director and chief executive officer of ICICI Bank, overseeing domestic and international banking operations and customer relationships.

2009 (appointed)
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Career Highlights

  1. Joined ICICI as a management trainee in 1984 and helped establish ICICI Bank in the 1990s
  2. Led retail, corporate and international banking divisions at ICICI Bank
  3. Appointed managing director and CEO of ICICI Bank in 2009
  4. Received the Padma Bhushan in 2011 and an honorary doctorate from Carleton University in 2014
  5. Held advisory and leadership roles with the World Economic Forum, US-India CEO Forum and Indian Banks' Association
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Net Worth

Rs. 24 crores (as of 2022)

Figures are editorial estimates based on publicly available reporting and may change as new information emerges.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Chanda Kochhar born?

17 November 1961

What is Chanda Kochhar known for?

Banker

What is Chanda Kochhar’s marital status?

Married

Who is Chanda Kochhar married to?

Deepak Kochhar

What is Chanda Kochhar’s net worth?

Rs. 24 crores (as of 2022)