Who is Ajay Singh Banga?

Ajaypal Singh Banga, born on November 10, 1959, is an Indian-American business executive.

Recently, US President Joe Biden announced that he will be nominating Ajay Banga as the next head of the World Bank.

Ajay Banga has previously served as the executive chairman of Mastercard. He resigned from the position on December 31, 2021, to join General Atlantic.

Banga belongs to a Saini Sikh family, originating from Jalandhar, Punjab. His father, Harbhajan Singh Banga is a retired lieutenant general who served in the Indian Army. He is the younger brother of businessman M. S. Banga. Before finishing his schooling at St. Edward’s School, Shimla, Banga attended schools across India, like Jalandhar, Delhi, and Ahmedabad.

He did his graduation in a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from St. Stephens College, Delhi University. Then, he did a PGP in management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

He started his business career with Nestle in 1981 and spent the following working in jobs spanning sales, marketing, and general management.

Former US President, Barak Obama appointed Banga In 2015 to serve as a member of the President’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.

In 2016, Ajay Banga was awarded the civilian honor of Padma Shri.

He is currently a Vice Chairman at General Atlantic.

Prabhnoor Kaur