Chief Information Officer — Digital Bank

The mandate

The investment committee has withheld further expansion pending clarity on renewal of a high-cost and brittle enterprise technology estate within a listed regulated universal or specialist bank. The immediate arena is the digital bank during a cost-to-income reset. For mandate 067, the successful executive inherits decisions that have been deferred, competing stakeholder expectations and a need to establish facts before committing further capital.

The Chief Information Officer operating perimeter covers approximately ₹78,900 crore in loan and deposit book, with activity spanning several digital bank customer, product and delivery clusters rather than a single asset. The Chief Information Officer Banking remit carries direct influence over roughly 500 colleagues and third-party capacity.

The chair, executive committee and principal capital sponsors want a Chief Information Officer who can convert ambiguity into a short list of explicit choices for the digital bank. The Chief Information Officer Banking seat must resolve a cost-to-income reset, while preserving the underlying strengths of the digital bank. For mandate 067, value will come through sharper allocation, stronger leaders and an operating cadence that exposes variance early.

The Chief Information Officer’s first year on the digital bank is expected to end with service stability, cyber hygiene and transparent technology economics. In mandate 067, 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 Information Officer — Digital Bank seat, established because a cost-to-income reset now requires one accountable executive rather than distributed ownership. The board has classified the appointment as urgent and intends to move from qualified shortlist to offer within 6–8 weeks. Interim governance protects the digital bank, but it is not a substitute for a permanent appointee. The external search remains confidential to avoid unnecessary disruption before the appointment is agreed.

What you will own

• Set the Chief Information Officer value-creation thesis for the digital bank, translate it into no more than five enterprise priorities and stop work that does not support them.
• Carry stewardship of approximately ₹78,900 crore in loan and deposit book, including allocation, risk acceptance and board forecasts.
• Lead the Chief Information 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 digital bank economics and execution constraints created by a cost-to-income reset, with Chief Information Officer-approved owners, dated milestones and transparent escalation thresholds.
• Establish one Chief Information Officer operating review across commercial, customer, financial, people, technology and risk outcomes for the digital bank; remove reconciliations that obscure accountability.
• Have owned enterprise service, cyber, architecture and technology economics rather than a single application tower in mandate 067.
• Build the Chief Information Officer’s three-year succession and capability plan for the digital bank, reducing dependence on individual executives and improving mobility across the wider Banking organisation.

The first 12 months

• Days 1–90: Validate the digital bank baseline, meet the 30 stakeholders most consequential to renewal of a high-cost and brittle enterprise technology estate, 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 Information Officer portfolio and organisation choices for the digital bank, 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 digital bank trend against service stability, cyber hygiene and transparent technology economics, 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 Information Officer’s agreed first-year digital bank value case within a 10% tolerance, with variance explained before rather than after the relevant quarter closes.
• A Chief Information Officer forecast that remains decision-useful across three consecutive quarters and reconciles the digital bank’s operating, cash, customer and people assumptions.
• Closure of the Chief Information Officer mandate’s highest-priority digital bank risk and execution issues by their board-approved dates, with independent evidence that fixes are sustained.
• Retention of at least 90% of critical digital bank talent and ready-now successors for at least 70% of the Chief Information Officer’s direct reports.
• A quantified Chief Information Officer-owned improvement in the digital bank operating constraint behind a cost-to-income reset, supported by a clean baseline and named data owner.
• Clear stakeholder confidence in mandate 067: 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 CIO, Regional CIO or Enterprise Technology Head in a listed Banking or adjacent enterprise. In relation to the digital bank, your Chief Information 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 Information Officer brief.

As a Chief Information Officer candidate, you bring 18–22 years of progressive Banking or adjacent-sector experience, consistent with the 18-22 experience band. At minimum, you have carried a P&L, book, budget or accountable portfolio of ₹45,750 crore and led an organisation of at least 500 people.

For mandate 067, the board wants two transitions: a difficult digital bank portfolio choice and a leadership-system change during a cost-to-income reset. As the prospective Chief Information Officer for this digital bank, you must challenge optimistic cases and still create followership. References for mandate 067 must distinguish your contribution from the institution around you.

The Chief Information Officer role in Banking is based in Gurugram; 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 CIO, Regional CIO or Enterprise Technology Head, with direct exposure to a board, investment committee or equivalent Banking governance forum.
• Proven Chief Information Officer ownership of at least ₹45,750 crore and leadership of no fewer than 500 employees in a comparable digital bank context.
• One completed Banking or adjacent-sector example of renewal of a high-cost and brittle enterprise technology estate 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 Information Officer-level digital bank consequences will not meet the bar.
• Willingness to meet the Gurugram location expectation, complete conflicts and background diligence, and protect the confidentiality of mandate 067.

Compensation and terms

The anticipated Chief Information Officer package is ₹3.2–4.6 crore fixed + performance variable and LTI, calibrated to the final digital bank scope and the candidate’s current mix. Any long-term participation for mandate 067 follows standard vesting and performance conditions. The Chief Information Officer appointment in Gurugram, centred on the digital bank, offers regular exposure to the chair, executive committee and principal capital sponsors. A notice period of up to 6 months can be accommodated for the selected executive in mandate 067.

Confidentiality

Client identity is withheld at this stage and will be disclosed under mutual confidentiality after an initial fit discussion for mandate 067. Rounded ranges and blended context prevent this document from being used to triangulate the organisation for mandate 067.