Shikha Sharma, 

In April this year, Axis Bank released a "watch list" of Rs 22,000 crore in loans—4% of its total lending—that were expected to sour. A fair number of those were sanctioned under Sharma’s watch, but the move won her praise from investors. The stock had corrected by almost 40% in January this year on the back of lingering doubts on asset quality. After Sharma's watch list was released, brokerages increased price targets on the Axis stock. Sharma has been driving digital transformation at the bank, launching mobile- and tablet-based corporate banking solutions. Sharma's focus on building the retail business for the past three years has helped counter the pressures of bad loans. She aims to continue growing the business at 25% a year. While medium and small enterprises have been an important part of Axis's business, Sharma set up a new economy group this year to tap into the demands from startups and e-commerce. Axis was the only bank chosen by the RBI to set up a platform for facilitating cash flow to micro, small, and medium enterprises. She has also set her sights on green finance, and raised $500 million through green bonds on the London Stock Exchange, the first such issue from Asia.