Smita Bhagat

As Country Head of Government and Institutional Business, E-Commerce, and Start-ups, Ms. Smita Bhagat is responsible for taking HDFC Bank’s world-class suite of products and services to Government bodies and large organisations ranging from educational to healthcare, to religious among others. This includes creating customised services where ever necessary to implement solutions like digital payments to panchayats, municipalities, state and central government and autonomous bodies. Smita’s penchant for building strong networks makes her a significant contributor to the growth of the business.

A prominent figure in the organization with over 25 years of industry experience, she has led various teams and functions and pushed boundaries with her goal-oriented approach. She has been instrumental in ensuring that the bank works closely with the start-up ecosystem in India, alongside boosting relations its business relationships with government and other entities.

She is working closely with start-ups and e-commerce businesses to create tailor-made solutions for these sectors. A pioneer in the introduction of e-commerce to banking, Smita has played a phenomenal role in the expansion of HDFC Bank’s footprint across the country.

She has also spearheaded another landmark initiative to further augment the Bank’s presence to nearly 4.99 lakh semi-urban and rural locations. This was made possible through the association of HDFC Bank with Common Service Centres as part of a Government of India programme. With her extensive network across the country, she has taken the bank’s range of financial services to over 2 lakh villages, a mammoth initiative in providing financial services to remote parts of the country.

Yet another notable contribution has been the conceptualization and launch of Smart Up, a tailor-made banking solution for start-ups, and Smart Hub, a comprehensive payment and collection solution for educational, religious and healthcare institutions, including societies and government organizations.

As part of the HR and CSR Board Committees, some of her other key contributions have been the digitization of the recruitment process, broadening of the talent pool, the grooming of talent, and simplification of the claim process. She also strongly champions women’s causes and is an influential woman leader in the Bank.