It is a matter of immense pride and joy among the Indian-American population when Nandita Bakhshi was appointed as the President and CEO of Bank of the West – a subsidiary of the French multinational bank, BNP Paribas, which is one of the largest banks in the world.

Bakhshi, 57 will replace her predecessor, Michael Shepherd, who will now take on the role of Chairman of a new holding company encompassing all U.S based BNP Paribas subsidiaries. She is said to officially take the reins as CEO and President on the 1^st of June 2016, after a month of training, scheduled to start on April 1. Nandita Bakhshi’s rich experience and leadership roles in top US banks like Washington Mutual (now JP Morgan Chase), TD Bank, Bank of America, First Data Corp, Home Savings of America and Banc One Corp has won her this spectacular achievement. She currently serves on the board of the Consumers Bankers Association and is the recipient of a New England News “Woman of the Year” award in 2002.

Head of International Retail Banking, BNP Paribas, Mr. Stefaan Decraene said “We are extremely pleased to welcome Nandita Bakhshi to Bank of the West. Her extensive experience in product and distribution, coupled with her visionary thinking, relentless customer focus and values-driven philosophy will serve us well in taking Bank of the West to greater heights.” BNP Paribas is set out to revamp its US operational strategy to meet new regulations. Michael Shepherd is all praises for the new President and CEO, “I am very pleased that Nandita Bakhshi is joining Bank of the West. Her energy, innovative ideas and proven record of accomplishments are a great combination with our strong franchise and corporate culture,” he added.

Nandita Bakhshi graduated with a Bachelor’s in History from University of Kolkatta and holds a master’s degree in International Relations and Affairs from Jadavpur University, India. Her most recent leadership role was VP and Head of North America where she was responsible for driving innovation and improvising the digital channels to provide customers with a unified and seamless banking experience. On that note, USINPAC congratulates Nandita Bakhshi on her new endeavor and journey as CEO and President at Bank of the West. Cheers to that!

During his stint as Senior National Security Adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Richard Verma was called the “Most Influential Indian American Congressional Aide.” After being appointed as the new US envoy to India, he is now referred to as the “Most influential Indian American in India.”  Verma took the lead after Nancy Powell resigned in March, 2014. The extraordinary connection between President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set an ambitious vision for the two economies to accomplish global economic growth and other remarkable developments. In the last decade, the two countries have made dynamic progress in every category to strengthen bilateral relations.

“The future between the two nations is looking brighter than ever with a number of collaborations that are in the process including the second mission to Mars with Nasa to provide navigational support,” Verma stated recently. He also announced that US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter will come to India in April, this being his third visit in less than a year, which marks the dawn of a new era in the Indo-US security relationship, moving to greater heights of partnership in the “not-so-distant” future. The implementation of the Joint Strategic Vision for Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean regions will strengthen the ties between the provinces; explore multilateral opportunities for engagement that will bolster long term peace, prosperity and stability for all.

When questioned about the recent decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan which caused unrest and drew protests in India, he said, “There should be zero tolerance for terrorism and Pakistan should do more to fight terror and safe havens, however, India-US defense ties are qualitatively and quantitatively different from any other country in South Asia. India-US ties are independent of Pakistan”. Moving on to bilateral trade which has grown substantially in 2015, he remarked that there are 500 US companies in India and is hoping that bilateral trade will reach $500 billion a year and that America is waiting to start negotiations on Bilateral Investment Treaty. “Fundamentally, our two countries are stronger when we come together and the global impact we can have on peace and prosperity,” said the US Ambassador.