Business Person
Meet Ajay Banga: First Indian World Bank Head Nominee!

Ajaypal Singh Banga, popularly known as Ajay Banga is an Indian-American business executive who is currently working as Vice Chairman at General Atlantic. Prior to his current stint, Banga served in the capacity of the executive chairman and Chief executive officer (CEO) of Mastercard, the global financial services behemoth.
On February 23rd, 2023, Banga was nominated by US President Joe Biden to lead the World Bank, the international financial institution. If nominated, Banga will hold the distinction of becoming the first Indian-American to head the World Bank.
Physical Stats
Full Name | Ajaypal Singh Banga |
Birth Place | Pune, Maharashtra, India |
Birth Date | November 10, 1959 |
Age | 63 years |
Height | 5 feet 10 inches |
Weight | 75 Kg |
Eye color | Black |
Hair Color | Black |
Zodiac Sign | Scorpio |
Qualifications | PGP in Management (equivalent to MBA) |
Profession | Entrepreneur, Banker |
Father | Harbhajan Singh Banga |
Mother | Jaswant Banga |
Brother | M. S. Banga |
Wife | Ritu Banga |
Net Worth | About $143 Million |
Ajay Banga Family
Born on November 10, 1959, Banga hails from a Saini Sikh family. His father Harbhajan Singh Banga worked as an officer with Indian Army and his posting was in the Khadki cantonment of Pune, Maharashtra where Banga was born.

Banga’s father is a retired lieutenant-general and his family has roots in Jalandhar, Punjab. Ajay’s brother M. S. Banga is an Indian businessman and senior partner at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, an American private equity company.
Relationships
Ajay Banga met his wife Ritu while they were studying at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. Later, the couple got married and have two daughters Aditi and Jojo.
Ajay Banga Education
Ajay Banga did his schooling at St. Edward’s School, Shimla, and the Hyderabad Public School in Hyderabad. To pursue further studies, he enrolled at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Economics.

Later, Banga joined IIM, Ahmedabad, and completed his PGP in Management (equivalent to MBA).
Controversies
In February 2022, Banga withdrew from Libra, the cryptocurrency created by Facebook. Following his decision, the then-Mastercard CEO mentioned in an interview that Libra’s leaders wouldn’t commit to observing laws.
He was skeptical about how the digital currency would generate money and stated that when you are not clear about how money is made, it will be made in ways you don’t like. In fact, Banga was shocked by the social media giant’s decision to store the coins in its Calibra digital wallets.
Tattoos
There is no information available in the public domain regarding whether Banga has inked any body tattoos.
Ajay Banga Profession
In 1981, Banga started his career by joining Nestle, the Swiss foods and beverages major. During his stint there, Banga worked in multiple domains such as sales, marketing, and general management and continued his association with the organization for a long 13 years.
Later, he joined Pepsico and played an integral role in launching the global food and drinks giant’s fast-food franchises in the country during the time of economic liberalization.
In 1996, Banga joined Citigroup and worked in diverse top-level roles. It ranged from Chairman and Chief executive officer of the International Global Consumer Group; President of Retail Banking North America and Business head for CitiFinancial and the U.S. Consumer Assets Division.
In August 2009, the high-profile executive joined MasterCard as its President and Chief Operating Officer (COO). Banga’s growth was pretty fast and he was named the President and CEO of the company in April 2010.
He worked in this role until December 31, 2020. After retiring from this position, Banga went on to join General Atlantic for an astronomical pay package of $27.77 million. He also serves as Chairman of Exor, the Netherlands-based investment holding company, and Chairman of the public-private Partnership for Central America with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
Banga is a recipient of the Padma Shri award and got the award in 2016.
Ajay Banga Source Of Income
According to CNBC as of 2021, his net worth stood at 206 million US dollars.
Lesser Known Facts About Ajay Banga
- Banga loves to read. Due to his frequent travels, he reads a lot and feels that he is becoming a nerd. As he gets older, his reading has become serious.
- He has kept it a rule that he should respond to both phone calls and emails within 24 hours.
- Banga enjoys listening to music and a typical day starts with kirtans. However, he is more passionate about jazz whether it is in the office or somewhere else. His favorite musicians are AR Rehman and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
- He found the Hindi movie Lagaan “terrific”.
- Earlier people tend to mistake Ajay for his brother at airports, on the street, and in the office. However, nowadays there are no such problems as Ajay wears a turban and has a beard in sharp contrast to his brother who spots a mustache and has a hairline that has receded.
- Except for occasional sleepless nights, Ajay sleeps fabulously. He says that he can sleep anywhere, an old talent he picked up in his sales career.
- Banga was a part of US President Barack Obama’s Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity.
- According to him, the most interesting cities in the world are London and New York.
- Both Ajay and his brother M. S. Banga went to IIM – Ahmedabad. One more coincidence is that both of them started their career in the same FMCG industry as well.
- While delivering a lecture to students at NYU Stern in 2014, a business college, Banga humorously remarked that he enjoyed his time at IIM-A “perhaps a little too much!”
- Banga loves living abroad and cannot think of returning to India for work purposes. His family has been living overseas for many years and Banga does not think they will be able to adjust to living in India.
- In 1998, the Banga brothers were living in London. It had been a long time since both of them lived in the same city. Ajay recollects that it was quite funny when both of them met each other while going to their offices.
- Though he enjoyed working in India, he is of the opinion that working overseas is great just for the simple reason that it is a “bigger world outside.”
Read More:
Vivek Ramaswamy: Indian-American Tech Entrepreneur!
Honnavar: Explore the Scenic Beauty Of Uttara Kannada, Karnataka
Bettina Tinker Comedy Writer
June 14, 2025 at 12:54 am
The weirder the premise, the straighter the delivery — comedywriter.info
Ericka Shick Comedy Writer
June 14, 2025 at 4:34 pm
Comedy is about the things we wish we could say — comedywriter.info
Shantell Gugerty
June 14, 2025 at 6:57 pm
The best jokes are the ones that feel inevitable — comedywriter.info
Agripina Hartson Comedy Writer
June 14, 2025 at 9:07 pm
This has the energy of a TED Talk delivered by someone holding a margarita. — comedywriter.info
Lavera Teaff
June 14, 2025 at 9:45 pm
I came to improve my comedy and stayed to confront my inner demons. — comedywriter.info
https://lancelutherboelter.com/
June 15, 2025 at 2:09 am
A joke is funnier when it’s visual and specific — comedywriter.info
Madalyn Gilton Comedy Writer
June 15, 2025 at 7:03 pm
My brain now has six new laugh wrinkles, thanks. — comedywriter.info
Why people are fleeing Tehran right now
June 18, 2025 at 1:20 am
I’m crying and I don’t know if it’s the laughter or the brutal honesty. — comedywriter.info
Ezequiel Wittenburg
June 18, 2025 at 6:55 pm
A well-placed “Moving on…” can be a punchline — comedywriter.info
Janette Bamberg
June 18, 2025 at 7:05 pm
Comedy is about surprise—avoid predictability — comedywriter.info
Quincy Rosette
June 18, 2025 at 7:14 pm
This is like comedy comfort food served on a plate of existential dread. — comedywriter.info
Dayna Ellenberger
June 18, 2025 at 7:24 pm
The more you believe in the joke, the more they will — comedywriter.info
Rusty Siwiec
June 18, 2025 at 7:43 pm
I don’t know whether to take notes or just hang this above my desk and salute. — comedywriter.info
Bryon Moul
June 18, 2025 at 8:02 pm
This was so painfully accurate I’m filing an emotional claim. — comedywriter.info
Janise Ellens
June 18, 2025 at 8:20 pm
Irony is comedy’s best friend — comedywriter.info
Jonathan Ozimek
June 18, 2025 at 8:38 pm
The best humor is in the specificity — comedywriter.info
Kevin Thy
June 18, 2025 at 8:47 pm
The only thing tighter than your setup was my jeans after quarantine. — comedywriter.info
Lisbeth Gesell
June 18, 2025 at 8:57 pm
I feel emotionally exfoliated by your sense of humor. — comedywriter.info
Salvador Swainston
June 18, 2025 at 9:06 pm
A well-placed “So there’s that…” can end a joke perfectly — comedywriter.info
Kasey Germinaro
June 18, 2025 at 9:36 pm
You’ve crafted the literary equivalent of a mic drop at a group therapy session. — comedywriter.info
comedy writing techniques
June 19, 2025 at 9:35 pm
Your writing is like a shot of espresso mixed with regret and timing. — pluscomedy.com
? Medium-Tail Keywords (more specific, strong SEO targeting)
June 19, 2025 at 10:01 pm
A good callback makes the audience feel smart — pluscomedy.com
sketch writing
June 19, 2025 at 10:18 pm
This was so educational I want to claim it on my taxes as tuition. — pluscomedy.com
comedy writing
June 19, 2025 at 11:00 pm
The more you trim, the funnier it becomes — pluscomedy.com
? Medium-Tail Keywords (more specific, strong SEO targeting)
June 19, 2025 at 11:35 pm
This made me feel like a better writer and a worse person and I love it. — pluscomedy.com
joke writing workshop online
June 19, 2025 at 11:44 pm
I’m forwarding this to everyone I know who thinks they’re funny. — pluscomedy.com