
Dr. Rajiv Yadav, DBA
Board Strategy & Governance Advisor
Bangkok, Thailand
Executive and Board Profile
Boardroom and executive leadership across four continents.
Dr. Rajiv Yadav, DBA is an international Board Strategy & Governance Advisor and Global Thought Leader in Board Stewardship, with more than 35 years of leadership across banking, financial services, infrastructure, insurance, fintech / regtech and technology.
A former Board Director and senior banking executive, he advises Boards, CEOs and regulators across Asia and the Middle East on enterprise strategy, governance, risk oversight, technology transformation and long-term value creation.
He has led organisations and portfolios ranging from USD 0.9B to USD 3.5B, scaled operations from start-up to 5,000 employees and supported businesses generating more than USD 100M in annual revenue.
He is the creator of STEWARD-AI™, a Board-level framework that translates AI strategy, risk, ethics, regulatory accountability and workforce readiness into practical questions and decision principles for Directors.
Board experience
Oversight from inside the boardroom.
Board Director, AIG Retail Bank (Thailand)
Served as Board Director during a major business turnaround, contributing to governance, risk oversight and enterprise performance while delivering a USD 28M improvement in profitability within one year.
Management Board, Vietnam International Bank
Member of the Bank Management Board, overseeing institutional operations, technology, risk controls and consolidation across 117 cities and 500+ employees.
Governance, risk and resilience
Established governance structures, executive steering mechanisms, escalation processes, performance controls and operating-model improvements supporting stronger oversight, institutional resilience and informed management decisions.
Board committee-relevant experience
Evidence-based experience relevant to these areas of oversight includes enterprise risk controls, regulatory compliance, credit and collections governance, portfolio assessment, capital allocation, strategic planning, technology modernisation and performance oversight. It includes active participation in Technology / IT Steering Committees across ASEAN banking subsidiaries, including Hattha Bank (Cambodia), SHB Finance (Vietnam), Home Credit Indonesia and Home Credit Philippines. Workforce planning and leadership-governance experience also provides relevant exposure to Nomination & Remuneration considerations.
Governance philosophy
Independent judgement, constructive challenge and evidence-based decision-making in service of long-term enterprise value.
Read the governance and leadership philosophyCareer
Roles, institutions and outcomes.
Open a role for its scope and responsibilities.
- Scope of responsibility
- Thought leadership on board governance across India and APAC.
- Strategic context
- Creator of STEWARD-AI™, with Board Stewardship initiatives in Singapore and Cambodia.
Contributions and outcomes
- Created STEWARD-AI™, a Board-level framework helping Directors oversee AI strategy, risk, ethics, regulatory accountability, workforce readiness and responsible adoption.
- Converts complex AI, regulatory, risk and ethical issues into practical questions and decision principles for Directors.
- Built international Board governance engagement through Singapore and Cambodia Board Stewardship initiatives, advancing Director education and readiness for AI-related decisions.
- Scope of responsibility
- Group-level strategy, transformation and governance across six ASEAN banking subsidiaries.
- Strategic context
- Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Laos and Myanmar.
Contributions and outcomes
- Advised senior leadership on business performance, risk, technology and regulatory priorities across six ASEAN banking subsidiaries.
- Acted as de facto Group COO / Transformation Lead for selected subsidiaries, strengthening asset quality, operating models, governance and enterprise performance.
- Led modernisation of lending and collections platforms, overseeing RFPs, vendor selection, implementation governance and execution readiness, while participating in subsidiary IT Steering Committees.
- Instituted Board-aligned performance scorecards and enterprise management controls supporting operational resilience, regulatory alignment and business continuity.
- Scope of responsibility
- Group strategy, performance management and governance across a USD 30+ billion infrastructure portfolio.
- Strategic context
- Power, water, healthcare, education, aviation, transportation and industrial sectors.
Contributions and outcomes
- Restructured governance and performance systems across subsidiaries and holding companies, giving CEOs and Boards clearer visibility into results, operating issues and business risks.
- Led annual P&L planning, market-entry decisions, growth programmes and strategic partnerships with CEOs, supporting capital allocation toward priority businesses.
- Built group-wide governance structures and shared-service platforms that reduced duplication, strengthened controls and improved revenue and profit performance.
- Scope of responsibility
- Multi-country operations and technology platforms across regulated life insurance and financial services.
- Strategic context
- Regulatory compliance and technology-enabled business transformation.
Contributions and outcomes
- Launched new insurance products through close regulatory engagement, securing approvals, strengthening underwriting and accelerating policy issuance and onboarding.
- Managed USD 40M in annual budgets across technology, operations and growth initiatives while delivering 22% business growth and tighter cost control.
- Scope of responsibility
- Dual COO/CIO accountability for a USD 3.5B commercial and consumer bank, as a member of the Bank Management Board.
- Strategic context
- Operations, technology and enterprise risk.
Contributions and outcomes
- Established the Bank’s COO/CIO function, governance framework and enterprise-wide performance measurement.
- Consolidated operations across 117 cities and 500+ employees, standardising processes and strengthening controls across the branch network.
- Built a common credit and collections platform for commercial and consumer lending, strengthening oversight of credit decisions, recoveries and portfolio governance.
- Scope of responsibility
- Dual COO and CIO accountability for a USD 0.9B consumer finance bank serving approximately 500,000 customers.
- Strategic context
- Operations, technology, enterprise risk and business transformation; later acquired by Bank of Ayudhya.
Contributions and outcomes
- Delivered a USD 28M improvement in profitability by strengthening credit underwriting, collections governance, risk controls and operating discipline.
- Reduced operating costs by USD 5.5M through process optimisation, technology modernisation, organisational simplification and cost management.
- Served as Board Director and led the post-acquisition integration following acquisition by Bank of Ayudhya.
- Scope of responsibility
- Global workforce strategy, capacity planning and delivery fulfilment within a USD 250M consulting and applications services business.
- Strategic context
- Multiple geographies.
Contributions and outcomes
- Increased workforce utilisation from 64% to 78% within six months.
- Member of the Global PeopleSoft HR Executive Steering Committee, supporting the global rollout of the Workforce Management Program.
- Scope of responsibility
- P&L ownership of the GE Global Development Center, a greenfield operation.
- Strategic context
- Grew from inception to USD 100M in annual revenue and 5,000 employees within five years.
Contributions and outcomes
- Won USD 150M+ in annual IT outsourcing contracts across GE businesses while improving utilisation and controlling delivery cost.
- Established global delivery capabilities across India, Australia and the United States, including a 150+ professional Development Centre in Melbourne, later transitioned to India as part of the global delivery strategy.
- Scope of responsibility
- Operations and delivery.
- Strategic context
- Process maturity and operational excellence.
Contributions and outcomes
- Grew revenue from USD 6M to USD 16M in two years by expanding business, improving delivery and strengthening operating controls.
- Improved workforce utilisation to over 90% and led process initiatives that achieved CMM Level 4/5 maturity.
- Scope of responsibility
- A USD 200M asset-backed securitisation and national auto-lending business.
- Strategic context
- Portfolios acquired from 23 NBFCs; financing partnerships with leading automotive OEMs.
Contributions and outcomes
- Built and led the securitisation and national auto-lending business, expanding distribution and portfolio growth.
- Selected for GE Capital’s global due diligence team supporting a USD 250M retail acquisition in Japan.
- Scope of responsibility
- Corporate lending origination and deal structuring across the Western region.
- Strategic context
- Credit assessments and Board-level proposals for new facilities.
Contributions and outcomes
- Led corporate lending origination and deal structuring, preparing credit assessments and Board-level proposals for new facilities.
Cross-border experience
Experience across markets.
Experience across four continents, from ASEAN banking subsidiaries to infrastructure in the Middle East and global delivery from India, Australia and the United States.
ASEAN
Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia, Laos and Myanmar
Krungsri · AIG Retail Bank Thailand · AIA · Vietnam International Bank
Middle East
Infrastructure portfolio from Riyadh and Dubai
Vision Invest / ACWA Holding
India
Financial services, technology delivery and board communities
GE Capital · Tata Interactive · Birlasoft · Perot Systems · Board Stewardship
Australia & the United States
Global delivery operations
Birlasoft (Melbourne)
Education & credentials
Academic and professional grounding.
Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
Doctorate, Business Administration
Institute of Directors
Fellow & Life Member
Imperial College Business School, London
Certificate, Digital Transformation
JBIMS, Mumbai
Master of Marketing Management
NIT Rourkela
B.Sc., Electrical Engineering
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