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| Indian bankers back Jain's shot at Deutsche Bank chief's post |
| BS Reporter / Mumbai Aug 20, 2010, 00:05 IST |
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Top global Indians are hot news across the world. Vikram Pandit, the chief executive of Citigroup Inc, Indira Nooyi chief executive of Pepsico, Lakshmi Niwas Mittal of ArcelorMittal, among others have had their share under the sun.
Anshu Jain is the latest to move up the charts. He is the ‘crown prince’ of Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg News cited an analyst as saying in a report that elaborated the challenges the Jaipur-born banker could face to become the chief executive officer of the bank. Could his non-German nationality or his inability to speak the German language diminish the fact that at 47 years of age he heads divisions that earn 80 per cent of the bank’s profit, were among issues it addressed.
Unlike Pandit, Nooyi and others, Jain may have to encounter such unique challenges that bankers and other professionals typically don’t even have to consider in the US or the UK But how much of a challenge is it really going to be? Most bankers in India, from domestic and multinational banks, say it is Jain’s ability to fetch the bank greater amounts of profit which should be seen as the key.
“Performance talks. He has a good chance. If they don’t get it, Deutsche Bank will lose him to some other bank and it’ll only be their loss,” said the chief of a UK-based bank from Mumbai, declining to be identified. “Deutsche Bank is a very international bank and has several foreigners at the top level. I’ll be surprised if being non-German swings against him.”
Deutsche Bank’s revenue from outside Germany has increased to 70 per cent from 25 per cent since 1995 when Jain joined the bank from Merrill Lynch. About two-thirds of its employees are based outside Germany and the word ‘global’ appears 200 times in the bank’s 2009 annual report, the news agency said.
“If you are a good professional, you should be good anywhere as a global citizen,” said the head of investment banking at a Japanese bank in Mumbai. “Jain offers an opportunity for Deutsche Bank to continue with its growth as a multinational bank, and shouldn’t get influenced by domestic politics.”
If a foreigner were to head ICICI Bank or the HDFC Bank after putting in 15 years in it, surely it wouldn’t have raised any eyebrows as it would have been for the good of these organisations. India’s most prestigious business house Tata Group might appoint a foreigner to head it, as they are global, he added. Jain has been the key to the bank’s high rank in the fixed income segment.
Still, another official from a European bank said Jain had proved his credentials and his organisation had promoted him recognising his abilities. So, the knowledge of the German language would be to Jain’s advantage though non-fluency may not necessarily be a hindrance.
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