Our Leaders: Guiding markets with trust and foresight

A seasoned banker and a financial market veteran with over three decades of experience, Mr. Chandok brings a wealth of expertise in the BFSI sector. Prior to joining NSDL, he held pivotal roles at the ICICI Group, including on the Board of ICICI Bank as an Executive Director. Apart from these, he is on the Boards of NSDL and its subsidiaries and a member of various committees at SEBI.

Mr. Vijay Chandok holds a master's degree in management studies (MMS) from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai. He also holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University) (IIT-BHU), Varanasi (formerly IT-BHU). He was conferred with the Distinguished Alumnus Award from NMIMS University in 2017. 

Shri Kothandaraman Prabhakaran is the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL). is responsible for formulating and implementing the IT Strategy and leading all aspects of NSDL’s technology development, ensuring new solutions in application development and infrastructure, consolidation of technology platforms, review, modernise and create technology solutions for various products of NSDL, oversee all system design and changes in system architecture and working with all stakeholders, regulators, business partners and system integration partners to deliver technology solutions.

He holds a diploma in telecommunication (S&TV) from Department of Technical Education, Government of Karnataka and a bachelor’s degree in engineering (computer science) from the Bangalore University. He has over 30 years of experience in the field of technology. Prior to joining NSDL, he was associated with Adecco India Private Limited and Cisco Systems (India) Private Limited. 

Shri Prashant Vagal serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL). He holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Business Administration in Finance and brings with him over 30 years of distinguished experience in the Capital Markets.

Having been associated with NSDL for more than 29 years, Shri Vagal has played a pivotal role in shaping the organisation’s strategic and operational landscape. His extensive portfolio includes leadership across key domains such as Business Development, Participant and CC Interface, Issuer Services, New Product developments, Settlements, Training, Investor Education, Marketing, Corporate Communications, etc.

Shri Vagal is a frequent speaker at international forums and seminars, reflecting his thought leadership and deep industry insight. He also contributes to the broader financial ecosystem as a member of various committees constituted by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Shri Sameer Patil is a distinguished business leader with over 27 years of experience across India’s capital markets, commodity exchanges, and market infrastructure institutions. He is widely recognised for translating strategic intent into scalable outcomes and for building high-growth, trust-led institutions within complex and tightly regulated market environments.

He has a verifiable track record of creating exponential business growth, pioneering product innovation, optimising revenue models, building new business streams, and converting long-term strategies into commercially successful products and platforms.

Jigar Shah is a seasoned finance professional with over 18 years of comprehensive experience across finance, accounts, and strategic management. A Chartered Accountant by qualification and an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta, he brings deep expertise in financial reporting, management reporting, taxation, financial modelling, auditing, treasury operations, investor relations, and strategic planning.

Currently serving as the Chief Financial Officer at NSDL, Jigar has played a pivotal role in successfully listing the company and overseeing a broad spectrum of functions including Finance & Accounts, Investor Relations, Collections, Procurement and Technology implementation within Finance. His leadership extends to driving operational excellence, building tech led finance and business growth across NSDL’s subsidiaries, NDML and NSDL Payments Bank.

Jigar’s career trajectory includes impactful tenures at leading institutions such as IDFC First Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Ernst & Young, and KPMG, where he honed his capabilities in fundraising, financial strategy, audits, governance, and organizational development. His ability to build financial frameworks from the ground up, optimize capital efficiency, and manage working capital with precision has earned him industry-wide recognition.

Among his accolades, Jigar has been honoured with the Leading CFO in BFSI sector and excellence in Capital & Fund Management by CII, CFO Impact Award by CXO Verse in 2025 & 2026 and was featured in CFO India’s Top 100 CFOs Roll of Honor in 2025, underscoring his influence and excellence in the domain. He is actively involved with the industry and institutions as a speaker on several topics across platforms like Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), ICAI - WOFA, Bombay Chartered Accountants Society (BCA) and college institutions like NMIMS, as a jury panel at MPSTM and similar other platforms.

Suresh Nair is a senior Legal, Regulatory & Governance professional with over three decades of experience across India’s securities and commodities market ecosystem. Prior to joining NSDL, he has held leadership roles at National Stock Exchange of India Ltd, National Commodity Clearing Limited, National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Ltd, and the Forward Markets Commission.  He brings deep expertise in regulatory supervision, enforcement, compliance frameworks, and litigation strategy.

Building Robust compliance architectures, leading enforcement actions, and ensuring institutional alignment with evolving regulatory standards while safeguarding market integrity and investor interests are the key responsibilities handled during his previous tenure. He is a Post Graduate in Law and Commerce from the University of Mumbai, along with a PG Diploma in Securities Law and certifications in computer forensics.

Sandip Navdhare is a seasoned Risk Management professional with over two decades of experience across the Banking, Asset Management, Insurance, and Market Infrastructure Institution (MII) ecosystem. He brings deep expertise in enterprise risk management, operational resilience, and governance frameworks, with a strong understanding of risk management within systemically important and highly regulated institutions.

Currently serving as the Chief Risk Officer at NSDL, Sandip oversees enterprise-wide risk management. In this role, he works closely with senior management and the Board to strengthen risk governance, enhance control frameworks, and ensure alignment with evolving regulatory expectations, while supporting NSDL’s long term strategic objectives. Prior to joining NSDL, Sandip held several senior risk leadership roles across the BFSI sector at leading institutions, including Mahindra Manulife Investment Management Limited, Bajaj Finserv Asset Management Limited, HSBC Global Asset Management (India) Limited, and HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company Limited. During these tenures, he played a key role in institutionalising risk management practices and strengthening governance frameworks.

Sandip is a Certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM®) from the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), USA, and also holds multiple professional certifications aligned to ISO standards covering risk management, information security, and business continuity.

Alen Ferns is the Company Secretary of NSDL and also acts as the Compliance Officer in accordance with SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015. He is a qualified Company Secretary and has over 21 years of experience in managing corporate secretarial, regulatory and compliance functions of listed companies. He is responsible for overseeing the Company’s secretarial and compliance function. He played a key role in the successful listing of NSDL’s shares on the Stock Exchange, ensuring full compliance with SEBI and Stock Exchange requirements.

Mr. Ferns is an associate member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). He holds a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from ICFAI University and a Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) degree from the University of Mumbai. Prior to joining the Company, he was associated with reputed organizations such as CG Power and Industrial Solutions Limited, HLV Limited, Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited, GOL Offshore Limited and JSW Steel Limited.