Who is Kotak Mahindra Bank’s next CEO, and when will Anup Kumar Saha start?

Who is the next Kotak Mahindra Bank CEO?

**Anup Kumar Saha** is the approved successor. Kotak’s announcement dated **1 October 2026** says the RBI cleared a three-year term beginning **1 January 2027**.

Who leads the bank until then?

Ashok Vaswani is the current MD and CEO. Reuters reports that his term ends on **31 December 2026**, with Saha succeeding him the next day. Approval announced in October does not mean the leadership change has already happened.

Which approvals remain?

Kotak says its board will take further steps to formalise the appointment and seek members’ approval. The announcement therefore should not be described as confirmation that every approval step is complete.

What is Saha’s background?

He joined Kotak in January 2026 as a whole-time director. Since March he has overseen its retail bank, data analytics and marketing. His earlier career includes Bajaj Finance and ICICI Bank; he studied at IIT Kharagpur and IIM Lucknow.

Is this the same appointment as HDFC Bank’s?

No. The two announcements concern different people and banks: **Anup Kumar Saha** is Kotak’s successor, while **Anup Bagchi** is HDFC Bank’s. Readers comparing headlines should check the full name and effective date.

Verified on **2 October 2026** against Kotak’s release and Reuters.