Chief People Officer — Wealth Division

The mandate

Following two years of uneven execution, the board is addressing leadership and workforce redesign as the strategy changes within a multinational-owned regulated universal or specialist bank. The immediate arena is the wealth division during a succession transition. For mandate 054, the successful executive inherits decisions that have been deferred, competing stakeholder expectations and a need to establish facts before committing further capital.

The Chief People Officer operating perimeter covers approximately ₹83,650 crore in loan and deposit book, with activity spanning several wealth division customer, product and delivery clusters rather than a single asset. The Chief People Officer Banking remit carries direct influence over roughly 500 colleagues and third-party capacity.

The board and its investment committee want a Chief People Officer who can convert ambiguity into a short list of explicit choices for the wealth division. The Chief People Officer Banking seat must resolve a succession transition, while preserving the underlying strengths of the wealth division. For mandate 054, value will come through sharper allocation, stronger leaders and an operating cadence that exposes variance early.

The Chief People Officer’s first year on the wealth division is expected to end with critical-role depth, productivity and an executable people plan. In mandate 054, authority covers resources and leadership appointments; material trade-offs go directly to the board sponsor.

Why this seat is open

This is a newly created Chief People Officer — Wealth Division seat approved as part of the next operating model; it is not an incumbent replacement. The board is running a planned 4–6 month search so the appointee can join ahead of the next capital and talent cycle. Current leaders retain their existing accountabilities until the wealth division remit is formally activated. Confidentiality protects organisation design choices while the board compares external and adjacent-sector talent.

What you will own

• Set the Chief People Officer value-creation thesis for the wealth division, translate it into no more than five enterprise priorities and stop work that does not support them.
• Carry stewardship of approximately ₹83,650 crore in loan and deposit book, including allocation, risk acceptance and board forecasts.
• Lead the Chief People Officer Banking organisation of about 500 employees and partners, appointing a team with clear decision rights and credible succession for every critical seat.
• Resolve the wealth division economics and execution constraints created by a succession transition, with Chief People Officer-approved owners, dated milestones and transparent escalation thresholds.
• Establish one Chief People Officer operating review across commercial, customer, financial, people, technology and risk outcomes for the wealth division; remove reconciliations that obscure accountability.
• Have changed an executive structure and workforce economics while sustaining critical talent and employee relations in mandate 054.
• Build the Chief People Officer’s three-year succession and capability plan for the wealth division, reducing dependence on individual executives and improving mobility across the wider Banking organisation.

The first 12 months

• Days 1–90: Validate the wealth division baseline, meet the 30 stakeholders most consequential to leadership and workforce redesign as the strategy changes, assess the leadership team, stabilise immediate delivery risks and agree a board-owned scorecard with explicit decision gates.
• Months 4–9: Make the principal Chief People Officer portfolio and organisation choices for the wealth division, install the new operating cadence, fill critical leadership gaps and deliver the first measurable release of cash, capacity or customer value.
• Months 10–12: Demonstrate a repeatable wealth division trend against critical-role depth, productivity and an executable people plan, lock the following year’s capital and talent plan, evidence control sustainability and present a credible three-year value case with downside actions.

What the board will measure

• Delivery of the Chief People Officer’s agreed first-year wealth division value case within a 10% tolerance, with variance explained before rather than after the relevant quarter closes.
• A Chief People Officer forecast that remains decision-useful across three consecutive quarters and reconciles the wealth division’s operating, cash, customer and people assumptions.
• Closure of the Chief People Officer mandate’s highest-priority wealth division risk and execution issues by their board-approved dates, with independent evidence that fixes are sustained.
• Retention of at least 90% of critical wealth division talent and ready-now successors for at least 70% of the Chief People Officer’s direct reports.
• A quantified Chief People Officer-owned improvement in the wealth division operating constraint behind a succession transition, supported by a clean baseline and named data owner.
• Clear stakeholder confidence in mandate 054: no unresolved high-severity escalation older than 30 days and no material surprise withheld from its agreed governance forum.

The person

You are currently a CHRO, Chief People Officer or Regional HR Director in a multinational-owned Banking or adjacent enterprise. In relation to the wealth division, your Chief People Officer track record includes a transition where the original plan was no longer sufficient; you can explain your choices, evidence and numerical impact. Candidates from financial services, payments, lending, insurance or regulated fintech will be considered where the operating model, customer stakes and governance intensity match this Chief People Officer brief.

As a Chief People Officer candidate, you bring 22–28 years of progressive Banking or adjacent-sector experience, consistent with the 22-28 experience band. At minimum, you have carried a P&L, book, budget or accountable portfolio of ₹48,500 crore and led an organisation of at least 350 people.

For mandate 054, the board wants two transitions: a difficult wealth division portfolio choice and a leadership-system change during a succession transition. As the prospective Chief People Officer for this wealth division, you must challenge optimistic cases and still create followership. References for mandate 054 must distinguish your contribution from the institution around you.

The Chief People Officer role in Banking is based in Bengaluru; relocation is expected, although a structured weekly commute may be considered during the first quarter.

Non-negotiables

• Current or recent accountability at the level of CHRO, Chief People Officer or Regional HR Director, with direct exposure to a board, investment committee or equivalent Banking governance forum.
• Proven Chief People Officer ownership of at least ₹48,500 crore and leadership of no fewer than 350 employees in a comparable wealth division context.
• One completed Banking or adjacent-sector example of leadership and workforce redesign as the strategy changes with outcomes sustained for at least two reporting periods after the initial intervention.
• Sector credibility from financial services, payments, lending, insurance or regulated fintech; experience that is purely functional and lacks Chief People Officer-level wealth division consequences will not meet the bar.
• Willingness to meet the Bengaluru location expectation, complete conflicts and background diligence, and protect the confidentiality of mandate 054.

Compensation and terms

The anticipated Chief People Officer package is ₹2.2–3.0 crore fixed + performance variable, calibrated to the final wealth division scope and the candidate’s current mix. Any long-term participation for mandate 054 follows standard vesting and performance conditions. The Chief People Officer appointment in Bengaluru, centred on the wealth division, offers regular exposure to the board and its investment committee. A notice period of up to 6 months can be accommodated for the selected executive in mandate 054.

Confidentiality

The client name, precise footprint and transaction history are outside this brief for mandate 054. They will be shared with qualified candidates under a mutual undertaking, and the composite facts here must not be reverse-engineered or circulated for mandate 054.