Who is Shabnam Sinha? Former World Bank professional named Airtel Payments Bank Chairperson

Airtel Payments Bank is undergoing a leadership transition —Shabnam Sinha will succeed Sunil Mittal as the Chairperson of Airtel Payments Bank from 1 October 2026, an exchange filing by the parent firm, Bharti Airtel, said on Monday.

Sunil Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, will conclude his tenure as non-executive Chairman and step down from the board, effective 30 September 2026. He has served as chairman since Airtel Payments Bank was appointed in April 2016.

“Under his leadership, the Bank grew to become India's largest payments bank by revenue, with a strong presence across both consumer and enterprise businesses,” the release further said.

Shabnam Sinha, currently an independent director on the Airtel Payments Bank's board, will assume the role for a three-year term beginning 1 October 2026, following her appointment by the Board and approval by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), according to a company release.

At Airtel Payments Bank, Sinha chairs the Special Committee of the Board for Monitoring Frauds and serves on the Risk Management and Information Technology committees.

Today, the bank serves over 121 million monthly active users and nearly 30 million bank account customers through the Airtel Thanks App, supported by a network of over 500,000 banking points, the largest network in the country, reaching three out of four villages across India, the release added.

The bank has expanded access to formal banking services across the country and has also emerged as the country's second-largest mobile bank and UPI Autopay player, it added.

Who is Shabnam Sinha?

Shabnam Sinha is a prominent executive and institutional development professional with over three decades of leadership experience spanning financial services, public policy, and development finance.

She is prominently known for her work at the World Bank, where she has advised governments and institutions across Asia, Africa, and Europe on governance, operational effectiveness, and risk management.

She leads the World Bank's India program concerning school education and skills development, which includes support for the Indian government's Samagra Shiksha program (through the STARS project) and the Ministry of Skills.

Her work has focused heavily on results-based financing and analytical tasks in countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Korea.

Before joining the World Bank, Sinha served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PPP Education at a large private-sector company. She has also worked as a Senior Program Advisor for Education with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in New Delhi.

Earlier in her career, she worked at India's National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), focusing on curriculum development, textbook writing, and educational planning.