Right, the best way to predict one's future is to create it. Indeed, he has created his future by dint of sheer vision, hard work and impeccable strategic move. Today, he is the leading banker in India, who has transformed a staid, midsize corporate lender into a market leader in Indian retail credit. Yes, the man of the moment is Kundapur Vaman Kamath, MD and CEO of Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI). It's not that Kamath's vision and action have merely ensured a healthy growth of his company.

Rather, the entire financial services sector in India has banked upon his innovations in this industry and got hugely benefitted. His big vision, quick action helped ICICI earn $460 million on revenues of $1.4 billion and $39 billion in assets in 2004 and no wonder, it has now become India's biggest private-sector bank! Some men are born to grow. But the secret of their success is their untiring appetite to learn, and learn more. Taking over as the MD of the ICICI from his legendary predecessor N. Vaghul, Kamath began contributing to the Indian banking industry and to the economy as a whole.

Started his career in 1971 at ICICI, he has ceaselessly worked to stretch the borders of ICICI's businesses to evolve it into a modern, savvy and technology-enabled financial organisation catering to almost all financial needs of corporate and retail customers. Thanks to his visionary approach, ICICI has already become a people's bank with a vibrant team of top staff to captain initiatives. He also tied pay to performance and cut the deadwood. ICICI has been spreading wings with 560 branches all over the country. He understands the cost-conscious culture of India and the core competence is keeping costs down.

He's achieved it by rolling out technology-driven banking in cities, and will do the same in rural India. The 'Finance Man of the Year' is indeed the most 'e-savvy CEO amongst Asian bankers'. Kamath was also awarded the Asian Business Leader of the Year at the Asian Business Leader Award 2001, organized by the business television network CNBC Asia Pacific and the leading business logistics Solutions Company TNT. What makes Kamath a force to reckon with is that he has technologically revolutionized India's banking paradigm. He has indeed come a long way in carving a niche for himself in the global banking circle and building ICICI a bank with international standards.