Slice appoints Samir Sawhney executive director, Ramesh Kumar independent director
Digital bank Slice has added veteran bankers Samir Sawhney and Ramesh Kumar to its board following its merger with North East Small Finance Bank. The company said it will focus on growth, responsible underwriting and technology investment.
What happened
Slice · Digital bank slice appointed Samir Sawhney as executive director and Ramesh Kumar as independent director, strengthening its board following its merger
Key facts
- Samir Sawhney appointed Executive Director
- Ramesh Kumar appointed Independent Director
- Sawhney has over 30 years of banking experience
- Sawhney spent over 34 years at State Bank of India
- Kumar has over 30 years of experience
- Kumar spent two decades at ICICI Bank
Why this matters
Slice is reinforcing board-level banking expertise to de-risk integration and scale its combined digital bank platform.
What to watch
- RBI approvals, observations or disclosures related to the Slice-North East Small Finance Bank merger and operating structure.
- Appointments to risk, audit, compliance, technology and credit committees.
- Quarterly trends in deposits, CASA ratio, loan-book mix, net interest margin, GNPA/NNPA and credit costs.
- Evidence of revised lending policies, reduced unsecured-credit exposure or stronger collections performance.
- Launch of integrated Slice-bank accounts, deposits, cards, payments or SME products.
- Capital-raising plans, promoter ownership changes or plans to transition toward universal-bank eligibility.
- Add further banking, risk, compliance and audit leadership to board and senior management.
- Publish clearer post-merger operating priorities, including deposit mobilization, branch strategy and product roadmap.
- Tighten underwriting thresholds and enhance collections, fraud and credit-monitoring capabilities.
- Invest in core banking, data infrastructure and digital onboarding integration.
- Pursue regulatory engagement to demonstrate governance, capital discipline and small-finance-bank compliance.