India supplies Wall Street with CEOs but has a shortage at home
Executive Take
India produces global CEO talent but its own top companies lack ready successors at home. Boards that skip succession planning end up scrambling under pressure, with no internal candidate ready to step in.
Executive Summary
HDFC Bank Ltd. is searching for a new CEO after its current chief declined an extension. Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. is running its second CEO search in three years. Neither bank had a clear internal successor ready, highlighting a succession planning gap at major Indian financial institutions.
Why It Matters
HR and leadership executives should note that two of India's largest banks lack succession plans despite ample leadership talent. This points to a governance gap, not a talent gap, in Indian corporate boardrooms.
Bizquad Perspective
The real gap isn't a talent shortage, it's that boards treat succession planning as a crisis response instead of an ongoing discipline.