Cluster CEO of India and South Asia of Standard Chartered Zarin Daruwala arrived in Dhaka recently for her first official visit to Bangladesh.
Zarin was accompanied by Regional Co-Head, Client Coverage, Asia, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking (CCIB) Heidi Toribio, reads a press release.
Over the course of the four-day visit, they met with regulators, the bank’s clients, and other important stakeholders. In addition to being Zarin’s first official visit to Bangladesh, the trip marked the first visit by the bank’s senior regional heads since 2020.
The key agenda for the visit was to further deepen the bank’s long-standing strategic partnership with the nation’s public and private sectors and to help drive forward the nation’s economic aspirations and journey towards prosperity.
Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bangladesh Naser Ezaz Bijoy said: “The pandemic has shed a light on our nation’s resilience and determination – one that was bright enough for the whole world to see. This visit by two global leaders of the Bank is a testament to the important role Bangladesh continues to play as a part of the bank’s footprint in Asia and well beyond it. It also highlights our commitment to international collaboration and to showcase the achievements of Bangladesh on the global stage.”
Zarin Daruwala is the Cluster CEO for India and South Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka). With a career spanning 31 years, Zarin has worked across a number of banking functions from wholesale banking, agri-finance, corporate finance, corporate planning to investment banking and credit.
Zarin has been featured as part of the “Top 100 Most Influential BFSI Leaders” list, released by the World BFSI Congress and Awards. She has been recognised as being one of the Top 30 Most Powerful Women in Indian Business by Business Today a grand total of seven times and has been featured as part of the coveted “BT Hall of Fame.”
She was also listed as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune India in 2021 and was recognised as being one of the 50 Most Influential Women in India by Business World.
Prior to working at Standard Chartered, Zarin spent 26 years at ICICI Bank, where she started out as a management trainee and eventually became President and Head of Wholesale Banking. She has also served on the Board of Directors for key ICICI group companies and for JSW, one of the largest steel companies in India.
Heidi Toribio was appointed Regional Co-Head of Client Coverage, Asia, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking (CCIB) in February 2021. In her role, Heidi is responsible for Standard Chartered’s CCIB business as well as for managing the relationships with the Bank’s corporate and institutional clients in the region.
Heidi joined Standard Chartered in 2013 as Regional Head of Financial Institutions, North America and went on to become the Global Head of Banks and Broker Dealers before being appointed as Global Head of Financial Institutions. Prior to joining Standard Chartered, Heidi held various senior management roles including Global Head of Strategic Partnerships and Co-Global Treasurer with leading global financial institutions.
Heidi is a member of the CCIB Client Coverage Management Team and the Chairwoman of the Board of Standard Chartered Bank (Thai) PCL since September 2021.