Looming uncertainties, inflationary pressures, geostrategic challenges, inflationary pressures were some of the issues flagged by a banker for India’s growth story at the 8th Ravi Mathai Memorial Lecture in Hyderabad. In his keynote address, Amitabh Chaudhury, an alumni of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, who is currently Managing Director of Axis Bank, dwelt on a host of issues about India’s potential to grow and the headwinds that may lie ahead.
“India has to act like a crouching tiger as there are high risks and the impact is coming in short bursts. We have to watch for the risks in crouching position and watch and grab when an opportunity comes our way,” said Mr. Chaudhury to the assembled alumni. The lecture was organised in memory of Ravi Matthai, the legendary first Director of the Institute who was instrumental in building IIMA into what it is today.
“Urbanisation is a big challenge in India about how we manage our cities and tier-II cities. Some of our States are larger than some countries. How do we manage their growth?” said Mr. Chaudhury as he spoke about leadership and lessons required in this age. He spoke about how the banking sector has matched pace with India’s growth with digital offerings ranging from apps and UPI payments even as cyber crimes have surged in the sector.