Ruchika Panesar

Ruchika Panesar is the Chief Digital and Information Officer for Group Functions and Country Head for India at NatWest Group, one of the UK’s leading banking institutions. She is responsible for driving technology strategy, digital transformation, engineering excellence, and innovation across the bank’s Group Functions while leading NatWest’s India operations.

With more than two decades of experience spanning banking, fintech, and payments, Panesar has built a career at the intersection of technology, business transformation, and customer experience. Her expertise includes enterprise technology modernisation, platform engineering, digital product development, and the adoption of emerging technologies to deliver business outcomes at scale.

Prior to joining NatWest, Panesar held a series of global leadership positions at American Express in both New York and India, where she led product development, technology strategy, and engineering teams focused on enhancing customer and employee experiences across markets.

At NatWest, she has played a key role in scaling the organisation’s AI capabilities across the enterprise. AI tools, including Microsoft Copilot and internally developed large language models, are now available to approximately 60,000 colleagues. AI is embedded across multiple business functions, from customer-facing services such as the bank’s virtual assistant Cora to software engineering, where thousands of developers use AI-assisted coding tools as part of their daily workflows. These initiatives have helped improve productivity, streamline operations, and enhance customer engagement while maintaining a strong focus on responsible AI adoption, supported by governance frameworks, ethics standards, and workforce training.

Panesar also serves on the Executive Council of NASSCOM and is an active advocate for STEM education, inclusion, and the development of future technology talent.