AU Small Finance Bank is laying the groundwork for its next generation of leadership, with its MD and CEO Sanjay Agarwal saying succession planning is the biggest challenge he will face over the next six years.
Emphasising the importance of internal talent, he said the bank aims to create a strong leadership bench comprising of 20 people including two executive directors, two deputy CEOs and multiple business heads.
In a conversation with Managing Editor of NDTV Profit Tamanna Inamdar at NDTV Profit Business Leadership Awards 2026, Agarwal said, "The biggest challenge I'll face now is in the next six years. I'll not be the CEO of the company and I'll be only 60 years."
He further explained, "We want to have two EDs, two deputy CEOs in the bank and group heads. So there will be around 20 people available in the next 10 years who can run the business for the next 30-40 years."
Speaking on the lender's financials, Agarwal said the its balance sheet has grown 20-fold over the past 10 years. He mentioned that the April to June quarter of fiscal 2027 has been one of the bank's strongest in the past decade, while warning that the crisis in West Asia could affect some sectors of the economy.
Highlighting AU Bank's long term ambitions, the MD and CEO said it aims to be among India's top three private sector banks by 2047.
AU Small Finance Bank was founded by Sanjay Agarwal along with co-promoter Uttam Tibrewal. The institution was established in 1996 as a vehicle finance company called AU Financiers and later transitioned into a small finance bank in 2017.
Elaborating on building business in India, Agarwal said it requires capable leadership backed by accountability and honesty. He said these values remain essential for creating and sustaining a successful enterprise.
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