Kalpana Ajayan is the Regional Head for South Asia at Women’s World Banking, where she leads efforts to advance women’s economic opportunity by expanding access to financial services, products, and solutions that strengthen financial security and resilience. She drives strategic partnerships across financial institutions, policymakers, donors, and ecosystem actors, mobilising stakeholders and fostering collaboration to accelerate women’s financial inclusion and economic empowerment at scale.
With over 25 years of leadership experience across retail banking and insurance at institutions including Citibank, HSBC, and Edelweiss Financial Services, Kalpana brings deep expertise in customer-centric strategy, sales and distribution, human resources, and leadership development. Her cross-functional insight informs her gender-intentional approach to embedding women's needs into financial systems, especially within Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
Beyond her professional role, Kalpana is a certified mental health counsellor dedicated to supporting low-income women. She also serves on the board of a women-focused fintech company and contributes in advisory capacities to Bank Innovation Hub’s Gender Committee, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor India, and Fintech Fusion India. Her insights have shaped policy discussions for Ministry of Rural Development, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, NABARD, SIDBI, and Sa-Dhan. A passionate advocate for women's economic empowerment, she is a regular speaker at leading fintech, leadership, livelihoods, and financial inclusion platforms such as the Global Fintech Festival, Singapore Fintech Festival, GSMA M360, and the Global Inclusive Finance Summit. Her thought leadership is featured in media such as CNBCTV 18, Economic Times, Times of India, Moneycontrol, etc. She was recently awarded Champion of Women’s Financial Inclusion by Women Achievers’ Awards 2.0. Kalpana’s work reflects Women’s World Banking’s mission to drive systemic change and demonstrate the value of investing in women as customers, entrepreneurs, and leaders.
