Indian-American named President, CEO of Bank of the West

Indian-American Nandita Bakshi has been appointed the President and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of the West, a unit of French banking giant BNP Paribas.

Bakshi, 57, will replace Michael Shepherd as Bank of the West's next President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and is expected to join the bank as a CEO-in-training on April 1 and will take the helm officially on June 1.

She earned a bachelor's degree in History at the University of Calcutta and a masters in International Relations and Affairs at Jadavpur University.

A New England News 'Woman of the Year' award recipient in 2002, Bakhshi also serves on the board of the Consumer Bankers Association.

"I am excited to join Bank of the West, one of America's most reputable banks. Bank of the West is well positioned in the US market, and I am thrilled at the prospect of leading an organisation with such a strong focus on customer service," Bakhshi said in a statement.

"We are pleased to welcome Nandita Bakhshi to Bank of the West. Her extensive experience in product and distribution, coupled with her visionary thinking, relentless customer focus and values-driven philosophy will serve us well in taking Bank of the West to greater heights," head of international retail banking for BNP Paribas Stefaan Decraene said.

Bank of the West's parent company BNP Paribas is revamping its US operations to meet new regulations.

"I am very pleased that Nandita Bakhshi is joining Bank of the West. Her energy, innovative ideas and proven record of accomplishments are a great combination with our strong franchise and corporate culture," Shepherd said.

Bakhshi previously held several leadership roles at TD Bank, the most recent being executive vice president and head of North American direct channels where she was responsible for driving innovation in direct and electronic channels to improve digital adoption and provide customers a unified banking experience.

She also held executive positions at Washington Mutual in Seattle which is now JP Morgan Chase; FleetBoston, which is now Bank of America; First Data Corp, Home Savings of America and Banc One Corp.