Acuité Ratings appoints Pankaj Bansal as managing director & CEO

Acuité Ratings & Research on Wednesday announced the appointment of Pankaj Bansal as its new managing director and chief executive officer, marking a planned leadership transition at the credit rating agency after the completion of Sankar Chakraborti's 12-year tenure.

Bansal assumed charge with effect from July 15, 2026, succeeding Chakraborti, who oversaw a period of business expansion, capability building and market growth during his leadership. The company said the transition had been carefully planned to ensure continuity and uninterrupted engagement with clients, regulators, investors, lenders and other stakeholders.

Focus on continuity and growth

Announcing the appointment, Santosh Kumar Mohanty, non-executive chairman of Acuité Ratings & Research, said Bansal's experience across credit ratings, banking and technology-led financial services would help steer the company through its next phase of growth.

"Acuité has strengthened its technological and analytical capabilities and diversified the business in the last twelve years under Sankar's leadership. Pankaj brings vast experience across ratings, banking and technology-led financial services with a deep understanding of the evolving nature of the industry. The Board believes he is well placed to lead Acuité through its next phase of growth," Mohanty said.

Veteran from banking and financial services

Bansal brings more than two decades of experience across credit ratings, banking and financial services. Before joining Acuité, he served as chief business officer at BankBazaar. Over the course of his career, he has also held leadership roles at Mastercard, CRISIL and HDFC Bank, where he worked across lending, risk assessment, business growth and financial markets.

"I am delighted to lead Acuité at an important stage in its growth journey. My immediate priority will be to ensure seamless continuity for all our stakeholders, while building on the strong foundation already in place. We will continue to invest in technology and talent, uphold the highest standards of governance, and remain steadfast in our commitment to providing credible and objective credit opinions," Bansal said.

Reflecting on his tenure, Chakraborti said the organisation remained committed to analytical independence, transparency and investor protection, adding that he was confident Acuité would continue to strengthen stakeholder trust under Bansal's leadership.