NatWest Group names new head for India GCC business from AmEx

NatWest Group India has appointed former American Express executive Ruchika Panesar as the Head of India operations. Panesar will take on the role starting September 26. She was serving as Vice President and Global Head of Enterprise Communications and Marketing Technology at her previous organisation. Panesar will succeed Punit Sood, who is set to retire at the end of September.

NatWest Group which operates as a global capability center in India has about 20% of the workforce operating from the country. Apart from Poland, India is the only engineering hub for the firm. Half of the India workforce works on technology and data analytics which also accounts for 50% of NatWest’s global tech operations, Sood the head of international hubs at the time, told TechCircle in an earlier interview. 

With over 23 years of experience in the fintech and payments sector, Panesar brings deep expertise in global technology transformation, enterprise-scale product development, and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI. In her new position, Panesar will lead strategic initiatives for NatWest in India, working closely with senior leadership to enhance digital customer experiences and drive innovation. She will also chair the India Management Committee and report directly to Scott Marcar, NatWest Group's Chief Information Officer.

She holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the Punjab University.

“I am delighted to welcome Panesar to NatWest Group,” said Marcar. “With over 17,000 employees across our three locations in India, this role is critical to our success."

Panesar said, “This is a tremendous opportunity to advance the bank’s digital and strategic capabilities while continuing to deliver exceptional service to our customers. I look forward to collaborating with the talented teams in India and globally to achieve our ambitious goals.”

In August, the UK–based relationship bank NatWest Group established a new Bengaluru office, serving as a hub for technology solutions and developments. The new site follows the firm’s announcement last year of recruiting 3,000 software engineers in the country by 2026. The seating capacity in the new office will be three times that of the current office, with the opportunity to increase this further. The state-of-the-art facility spans over 370,000 square feet over 11 floors.