Naina Lal Kidwai is executive director on the board of HSBC Asia-Pacific and chairman of HSBC India. She is also a non-executive director of Nestle SA and was the first woman president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), India’s leading and oldest industry association. She has served on several government committees and is India’s representative on the BRICs Business Council, the India-Malaysia CEO Forum and on the governing boards of the National Council of Applied Economic Research and the National Institute of Bank Management. She is also a global advisor for Harvard Business School and chairs its India advisory board.
An MBA from Harvard Business School, Naina has made a regular appearance over the years on listings by Fortune, The Wall Street Journal and Time as one of the most powerful women in business in the world. She believes in empowering women through livelihoods. Her interests in the environment and water are evident through her engagements—as chair of FICCI’s Water Mission; vice chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Water; and board member of Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, The Energy and Resources Institute, and the International Advisory Council of UNEP’s Inquiry for Sustainable Financing. Naina has edited the book Contemporary Banking in India and is the recipient of many awards and honours, including the Padma Shri in 2007, for her contribution to trade and industry
