British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor, has announced the appointment of Shilpa Kumar as Managing Director and Head of India. Based in Mumbai, Ms. Kumar will oversee the DFI’s operations in India to deliver climate finance and investments designed to foster inclusive growth.
Ms. Kumar will lead a 58-strong team across two offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru. She will report directly to Srini Nagarajan, Managing Director and Head of Asia at BII.
Ms. Kumar has over three decades of leadership experience in the banking and financial services sector, as well as in building businesses and working with entrepreneurs and policymakers. She joins BII from Omidyar Network India, a social impact investment fund, where she directed strategy and investments as a Partner across the areas of responsible tech, cities & climate, and inclusive property initiatives. She also led policy work in financial inclusion.
Prior to that, Ms. Kumar spent a large part of her career with the ICICI Bank group, India’s largest private sector bank, particularly in building and shaping it’s treasury and global markets business. She served as MD and CEO of ICICI Securities, India’s pioneering digital equity brokerage and a leading investment bank in the country.
She has held board positions in several organisations including ICICI Securities, ICICI Securities Prime Dealership, ICICI Home Finance, Clearing Corporation of India, and National Investment and Infrastructure Fund. She has also served on regulatory committees and held positions in industry bodies such as FIMMDA’s Chairperson and FICCI’s Co-Chair at its Capital Markets Committee.
Commenting on her new role, Ms. Kumar said: “I am honoured to join BII.. This is a pivotal time for climate finance and inclusive growth in the region, and I look forward to working with our talented team to drive impactful investments that benefits not only communities, but also the planet.”
Mr. Nagarajan said: “We are pleased to welcome Ms. Kumar to BII. Her extensive experience and leadership in the financial sector will be invaluable as we continue to deliver our commitment to climate finance and inclusive growth in India, which is our biggest investment market globally. Ms. Kumar’s appointment underscores our dedication to fostering strong partnerships and driving transformative change in the region.”
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About British International Investment
British International Investment is the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor. As a trusted investment partner to businesses in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, BII invests to create productive, sustainable and inclusive economies in our markets. Between 2022-2026, at least 30 per cent of BII’s total new commitments by value will be in climate finance. BII is also a founding member of the 2X Challenge which has raised over $33.6 billion to empower women’s economic development. The company has investments in over 1,580 businesses across 65 countries and total net assets of £8.5 billion. For more information, visit: www.bii.co.uk | watch here. Follow British International Investment on LinkedIn and X.
