Indian-origin Sushmita Shukla named First VP of Federal Reserve Bank Of New York(PHOTO CREDIT: New York Fed)
As First Vice President, Shukla, 54, will be the institution’s second ranking officer…reports Asian Lite News
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has appointed Indian-origin insurance veteran Sushmita Shukla as First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
As First Vice President, Shukla, 54, will be the institution’s second ranking officer.
Her appointment was approved by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the New York Fed said in a statement on Thursday.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to work for a mission-driven organisation like the New York Fed,” Shukla said in a statement.
“I look forward to applying all that I’ve learned in my career, including my technology, operations, and risk-focused experiences, to furthering the key activities and supporting the dedicated leadership of this critical institution,” she added.
Together with the Bank’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Shukla will establish, communicate, and execute the strategic direction of the organisation.
She will also serve as an alternate voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee.
“Sushmita is a dynamic, inspiring, and highly effective leader who brings extensive experience leading large-scale enterprises and transformation initiatives to the Bank,” said John C Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Fed.
“She has an in-depth knowledge of technology and agile innovation methods and is passionate about creating a truly diverse and inclusive culture,” he added.
Shukla has served in leadership roles in the insurance industry for nearly 20 years, primarily leading operations, technology, and enterprise-wide transformation efforts.
For the past five years, she has been Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for International Accident & Health at Chubb — the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company.
Shukla, who resides in Connecticut, is an MBA from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Mumbai.
Roma Agrawal, is best known for her work with The Shard — London’s landmark 95 storey high skyscraper which is the tallest building in Western Europe…reports Asian Lite News
An Indian-origin structural engineer, who designed London’s tallest building – The Shard, has been awarded an honorary degree by Northumbria University in England.
Roma Agrawal, 39, was conferred the degree of Doctor of Science in recognition of her career as a leading female structural engineer, as well as for her work in striving to promote engineering, scientific and technical careers to young people and under-represented groups.
“It’s a real honour and joy to receive this award from Northumbria University, a place that I hold close to my heart,” Agrawal said after receiving the award.
UK University honors Indian-origin woman engineer.(PHOTO CREDIT: Northumbria University/Newcastle)
Agrawal’s first job after graduating from university was to design and build the distinctive footbridge that crosses Newcastle Central Motorway. “I often refer to the footbridge, which was my first ever engineering project, as my baby, so it means a lot to me to come back here and receive this generous recognition,” the award-winning engineer, author and broadcaster, said.
The bridge was installed in 2007, linking Northumbria University’s east and west city campuses and providing a safe pedestrian and cycle route into the centre of Newcastle.
However, she is best known for her work with The Shard — London’s landmark 95 storey high skyscraper which is the tallest building in Western Europe.
Apart from delivering hundreds of talks in schools, universities, and organisations, Agrawal also hosts her own podcast and has published books for adults and children telling fascinating stories of how some of the world’s most famous buildings were built.
She was awarded the MBE in 2018 for services to engineering. Also, she is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
Agrawal received her honorary degree during the university’s winter graduation ceremonies, which were held on Northumbria’s Newcastle City Campus.
Honorary degrees are awarded each year to inspiring people who merit special recognition for their achievements, their links to the University and for inspirational qualities.
That same evening of November 13, 2020, Johnson and his partner Carrie were allegedly violating the lockdown by partying with friends to celebrate the downfall of his then-chief advisor Dominic Cummings…reports Asian Lite News
British finance minister Rishi Sunak is on a meteoric trajectory that could, if Boris Johnson is forced out, propel him next door to 10 Downing Street to become Britain’s first Indian-origin prime minister. It would mark a historic landmark, for a descendant of immigrants from Britain’s old empire in India and East Africa, to take command of the world’s fifth largest economy.
A details-oriented policy wonk, the 41-year-old has promoted a carefully curated image on social media since he took over as chancellor of the exchequer two years ago at the beginning of the Covid pandemic.
In India, he is better known through his wife Akshata. She is the daughter of Indian tycoon Narayana Murthy, the billionaire co-founder of information-technology group Infosys.
Already wealthy through his prior business career, Sunak was named as Britain’s first Hindu chancellor on February 13, 2020, and swears his oath of allegiance as an MP on the Bhagavad Gita.
Later that year, he marked the Hindu festival of Diwali by lighting oil lamps on the front step of his official residence at 11 Downing Street — while urging other Hindus to stick to England’s then Covid lockdown.
That same evening of November 13, 2020, Johnson and his partner Carrie were allegedly violating the lockdown by partying with friends to celebrate the downfall of his then-chief advisor Dominic Cummings.
The apparent rule-breaking and history of mendacity attached to the “partygate” premier are in contrast to the teetotal Sunak, who admits only to a fondness for Coca-Cola and sugary confectionaries.
Sunak was barely known to the British public when Johnson made him chancellor, after only five years in Conservative politics. Covid-19 was then spreading, but not yet grounds for panic.
A month later, Johnson ordered the first nationwide lockdown, forcing the young chancellor to craft a massive financial rescue package to safeguard millions of jobs.
But while UK unemployment is now falling, Britons under Sunak’s watch are also facing a cost-of-living squeeze with inflation accelerating at the fastest pace in decades. While Johnson appears happy to splash the cash, Sunak has earned plaudits from Tory backbenchers for insisting that future generations must not be made to pay the bill.
Fiscal rectitude is key, he says, and his family values mark another return to Tory tradition after the thrice-married Johnson. Sunak is also the first person born in the 1980s to hold one of the so-called four great offices of state: prime minister, chancellor, foreign secretary and home secretary.
He is the member of parliament for Richmond in Yorkshire, northern England — a safe Conservative seat he took over in 2015 from former party leader and foreign secretary William Hague, who described Sunak as an “exceptional individual”.
Theresa May gave the Brexit supporter his first job in government in January 2018, making him a junior minister for local government, parks and troubled families. Sunak’s grandparents were from Punjab in northern India and emigrated to Britain from eastern Africa in the 1960s.
They arrived with “very little”, Sunak told MPs in his maiden speech in 2015. Sunak’s father was a family doctor in Southampton on the southern English coast, and his mother ran a local pharmacy.
Born on May 12, 1980 in Southampton, he studied at Winchester College, one of Britain’s leading private boarding schools, where he was head boy.
After waiting tables in a local Indian restaurant, Sunak studied at the University of Oxford, graduating with a first-class degree in philosophy, politics and economics.
In 2006, Sunak gained a master’s degree in business administration from Stanford University in California, on a Fulbright scholarship.
He met Akshata at Stanford and they lived in California and then returned to Britain, where he worked in finance for Goldman Sachs before making millions in hedge funds.
The Sunaks have two young daughters — along with a photogenic dog — and the minister’s Instagram-ready profile has earned him the media nickname of “Dishy Rishi”.
But if Conservative MPs do tire of Johnson, Sunak’s past investments and relative lack of experience will come under the spotlight.
