Kaku Nakhate, 

When she was in college, Nakhate’s father, a stock broker, used to take her along for meetings with lawyers, chartered accountants, and senior officials, at the stock exchange. That helped when she became head of equities at DSP Merrill Lynch and then at JP Morgan India. But as country head of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Nakhate had to pick up corporate banking from scratch. At the same time, she’s had to steer the operations through the downturn. To reduce dependence on big-ticket deals, Nakhate focussed on transaction banking, which now contributes to almost 25% of top line. Known for her hands-on approach, Nakhate often makes presentations, and pitches for mandates, personally.