Renu Sud Karnad – HDFC Ltd

Today’s ratna is the managing director of India’s leading housing finance companies. She started her career with the organization way back in 1978 when she was 26 and today, she is leading the same organization as MD and is in charge of the lending operations of the Company. Yes, we are discussing Renu Sud karnad the MD of HDFC limited.

She completed her post-graduation in economics from the University of Delhi and she is also a degree holder of law from the University of Mumbai. After joining the organization, she also took a sabbatical to study international affairs at Princeton University in 1984.

Ms. Karnad has had a thorough grounding in operations as this was where she began 30 years ago as an assistant manager hand-picked by HDFC founder HT Parekh. Although Mr. Parekh was the face and voice of HDFC, it was Ms. Karnad who had been drawing up business plans on various fronts.

Within the group, Ms. Karnad is seen as a brand guardian. When HDFC decided to change the way it sells products — from lending to walk-in customers to actively chasing them — Ms. Karnad played a key role. She ensured that while the systems were modified, the quality controls were never diluted.

Ms. Karnad instituted a system of mentoring within the organization to ensure that HDFC standards were not compromised. Some of the softer issues within the organizations also reflect Ms. Karnad’s hand. Take for instance the institution’s annual report which is always different from those of other companies in the finance sector. She feels that the annual report is not just about numbers, but should reflect the persona of the organization.

Besides being on the board of several HDFC companies she also served on the boards of ABB limited, Bosch Ltd, Maruti Suzuki India, and the international board of WNS. In addition to this, she also served as the president of the International Union of Housing Finance (IUHF) an association of housing finance firms present across the globe.

Over the years Ms. Karnad had to her credit, numerous awards, prominent among them being featured in the list of “25 top nonbanking women in finance” by the US banker magazine. She also got listed by wall street journal Asia as among the “Top ten powerful women to watch out for in Asia”.

Known for her wit and diplomacy Ms. Karnad always had a humane approach to solving complex issues. She firmly believes that people are key to an organization’s success, especially in the service domain, and propagates ‘self-belief’ as the strongest weapon to achieving excellence.

A quintessential woman and a role model for many, her message to young professionals is elicited by a famous quote ‘Don’t aim for success if you want it, just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally’.

This was the last ratna for you from our special series ‘Woman Navratnas in Indian Corporate’. As Dusshera is celebrated to highlight the victory of good over evil all of our navratnas have overcome multiple barriers to mark victory in their respective fields. I hope you liked and are inspired by our special blog series. This Dusshera may you all reach the heights of success by overcoming the evils of your life. I wish you a very Happy and Prosperous Dusshera!