Published on: July 15, 2026
Mumbai, July 14, 2026: Acuité Ratings & Research Limited today announced a planned leadership transition, with Mr. Pankaj Bansal set to assume charge as Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer effective from July 15, 2026. He succeeds Mr. Sankar Chakraborti, who will step down after leading the organisation for twelve years and overseeing a period of significant growth, capability building and market expansion.
Given the critical nature of the business and Acuité’s role in India’s financial ecosystem, the transition has been carefully planned to ensure leadership continuity, a seamless handover and uninterrupted engagement with clients, regulators, investors, lenders and other stakeholders.
Commenting on the transition, Mr. Santosh Kumar Mohanty, Non-Executive Chairman, said: “Acuité has strengthened its technological and analytical capabilities and diversified the business in the last twelve years under Sankar’s leadership. Pankaj brings in 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.”
Reflecting on his tenure, Mr. Chakraborti said: “It has been an honour to serve capital market investors, issuers and lenders through Acuité Group’s Bond Ratings, Bank Loan Ratings, ESG Ratings, SME Ratings, Structured Finance and Credit Enhancement services. Throughout this journey, our commitment to analytical independence, transparency, regulatory discipline and investor protection has remained a priority and will continue to be so. I am confident that under Pankaj’s leadership, Acuité will continue to strengthen stakeholder trust and build on this strong foundation.”
Mr. Chakraborti joined Acuité in 2014 and led the organisation through a period that saw the company broaden its presence across the ratings and research ecosystem.
“I am delighted to lead Acuité at an important stage in its growth journey. The organisation has built a strong reputation for technological prowess, analytical rigour and stakeholder trust under Sankar’s leadership. 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 that support the development of India’s financial markets.”, said Mr. Bansal.
Mr. Bansal brings more than two decades of experience across credit ratings, banking and financial services. Before joining Acuité, he was the Chief Business Officer of BankBazaar. Over the course of his career at organisations including BankBazaar, Mastercard, CRISIL and HDFC Bank, he has led business growth initiatives, built client franchises and worked extensively across lending, risk assessment and financial market ecosystems.
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