In Indian banking, the CEO’s chair is less of a role and more of a family heirloom—held onto tightly, passed around selectively, and often leaving everyone wondering if it will ever be vacated.
Tenures stretch, extensions are granted with the casual inevitability of an extra helping at a family dinner, and leadership transitions are treated less as an institutional necessity and more as an unfortunate disturbance to the status quo.
The reluctance to prepare for leadership transitions isn’t about a lack of options—it’s about a lack of will.
Indian banking needs to learn from its past mistakes in succession planning to ensure smooth and effective leadership transitions.