Axis Bank has appointed Rajeev Mantri as Group Head and Chief Financial Officer, with the appointment taking effect from September 28, 2026. Mantri will be part of the bank’s senior management and will serve as a Key Managerial Personnel.
Mantri joins Axis Bank after serving as Executive President and Chief Financial Officer at Bandhan Bank. He brings nearly three decades of experience across banking, financial services, credit information, consumer goods and international financial institutions.
In his previous role at Bandhan Bank, Mantri led the finance and strategy functions with a team of more than 150 members. His responsibilities covered financial planning and analysis, accounting, controls, reporting, balance sheet management, capital and cost management, tax, procurement, payments and investor relations.
His professional experience also includes senior roles with Citibank, Standard Chartered and Mashreq across India, Singapore and the UAE. His career has given him experience across banking finance, strategy, regulatory engagement, capital management, governance and business transformation.
At Axis Bank, Mantri takes over the Group Head and CFO position following the resignation of Puneet Sharma. Sharma had served as Axis Bank’s Group Head and Chief Financial Officer since March 2020 and resigned from the bank in June 2026 to pursue the next phase of his professional journey.
Axis Bank’s Board approved Mantri’s appointment at its meeting held on July 18, 2026, based on recommendations from the Nomination and Remuneration Committee and the Audit Committee. The bank said he meets the qualifications and conditions prescribed under the Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Governance) Directions, 2025, for appointment as a CFO.
Mantri is a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and holds a Global Executive MBA from INSEAD Business School, Singapore. His background combines financial management with strategic planning, governance and financial controls.
His appointment comes as Axis Bank continues to strengthen its senior finance leadership. In the CFO role, Mantri will bring his experience in financial planning, capital and cost management, investor relations, regulatory engagement and business transformation to the private-sector lender.
The appointment also marks a move between two major Indian private-sector banks for Mantri. He had announced his departure from Bandhan Bank earlier in 2026 to pursue another career opportunity, with his last working day there set for September 25 under the bank’s notice-period policy. He then took up the Axis Bank position effective September 28.
With his experience across Indian and international financial institutions and his previous leadership of finance and strategy at Bandhan Bank, Mantri will now oversee the finance leadership function at Axis Bank as Group Head and Chief Financial Officer.
