Kotak Mahindra Bank CTO Resigns, New CTO & AI Head Appointed Effective February 9

Mumbai, February 9, 2026: Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited has announced a major change in its senior technology leadership, following the resignation of its Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Mr. Bhavnish Lathia, citing personal reasons.

The bank disclosed under Regulation 30 of SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015 that Mr. Lathia’s resignation was accepted on February 9, 2026, which also marked his last working day as CTO.

🔹 What Triggered the Leadership Change?

In his resignation email to the bank’s management, Mr. Lathia stated that Kotak’s technology platform is currently “in the best shape it has ever been,” and that the leadership team is now ready to take on expanded responsibilities. He also cited his need to relocate to the United States for personal reasons.

🔹 Board Approves New Technology Leadership

To ensure a smooth transition, the Board of Directors, at its meeting held on February 9, 2026 (6:38 PM IST), approved the following senior management appointments, effective February 10, 2026:

✅ Mr. Nilesh Chaudhari appointed as Chief Technology Officer

Mr. Chaudhari brings 29 years of global banking and technology experience, having worked with leading institutions such as JPMorgan, Barclays, Citigroup and IDFC First Bank. His expertise spans payments, core banking, treasury, digital platforms, data and large-scale technology transformation across 20+ countries.

At Kotak Mahindra Bank, he has been closely involved in driving strategic technology initiatives across Wholesale Banking, Commercial Banking, Treasury, GIFT City operations and assurance platforms.

✅ Mr. Aravamudham (Vijay) Narayanan appointed Head – Innovation and AI

Mr. Narayanan has 24 years of technology leadership experience, with prior stints at Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Merrill Lynch and Medscape WebMD. He specializes in AI platforms, cloud engineering, API ecosystems, software resilience and developer productivity.

At Kotak Bank, he has played a key role in implementing AI-led initiatives, strengthening branch transaction authorization systems, and driving innovation across physical and digital distribution channels.

🔹 Market & Investor Takeaway

The leadership reshuffle signals Kotak Mahindra Bank’s continued focus on technology modernization, AI adoption and digital resilience, at a time when banks are aggressively investing in cloud-native and AI-driven platforms.

The bank has confirmed that the disclosure has also been uploaded on its official website in compliance with SEBI regulations.