Naina Lal Kidwai is a distinguished leader with nearly four decades of experience in banking and finance, having held key leadership roles across global financial institutions. As an Advisor at Lightspeed, Naina guides the firm’s efforts in supporting and shaping startups and entrepreneurs by offering strategic insights derived from her decades-long experience and expertise in banking, finance, leadership and governance.

Naina has served as Group General Manager and Country Head of HSBC India, where she was instrumental in steering the bank’s growth. In 2015, she retired as Executive Director on the Board of HSBC Asia Pacific and Chairperson of HSBC India. Her illustrious career also includes roles at PwC, ANZ Grindlays, and Morgan Stanley.  

Naina is currently Chairperson of Rothschild India, Senior Advisor at Advent Private Equity and TPG Rise Climate, and member of the Mission Board of EQT Future Fund. She has been the President of FICCI and has served on numerous boards and advisory councils, including the global board of Nestlé,  the Prime Minister’s Trade and Industry Council and chaired SEBI’s Primary Markets Advisory Committee.

Her deep interest in sustainability and environment is reflected in her several past and current engagements with global and Indian Think-Tanks, including currently as chair of the FICCI Water Mission and as founder and chair of the India Sanitation Coalition which works in sanitation and waste management.

Naina was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007 for her outstanding contributions to trade and industry. She has repeatedly ranked in the Fortune Global List of Top Women in Business. She has authored three books, including the highly-acclaimed ‘30 Women in Power: Their Voices, Their Stories’ and ‘Survive or Sink: An Action Agenda for Sanitation, Water, Pollution, and Green Finance’. 

She is an MBA from Harvard Business School and an Economics graduate from Lady Shri Ram College. 

When she isn’t mentoring founders, Naina enjoys listening to music, wildlife trips and trekking in the Himalayas.