The Reserve Bank of India has appointed Ravi Shankar as Executive Director. A career central banker with over three decades of experience, he will now head the Department of Statistics and Information Management.
He steps into the role after serving as Adviser-in-Charge of the same department the Department of Statistics and Information Management (DSIM) making this a natural elevation rather than a lateral shift.
Who Is Ravi Shankar?
Ravi Shankar is a career central banker and statistician who has spent over three decades within the RBI. Over the years, he has worked across corporate and banking statistics, the government securities market, settlement systems, debt management, and economic surveys giving him a wide-lens view of how data flows through India's banking system.
What Role Will He Take at RBI?
As Executive Director, Shankar will now formally head the Department of Statistics and Information Management (DSIM), the same department where he most recently served as Adviser-in-Charge. DSIM plays a critical role in RBI's internal analytics, economic surveys, and data-backed policy decisions.
What Experience Does He Bring?
Shankar has also served as a member of several committees and working groups related to macroeconomic statistics and policy issues over the course of his RBI career. Academically, he holds a Master's degree in Statistics from Banaras Hindu University, a diploma in Development Policy and Planning from the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, and is a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance (CAIIB).
Why Does This Appointment Matter?
The appointment comes at a time when data management and statistical infrastructure are becoming increasingly central to RBI's policy formulation from inflation and GDP measurement to tracking emerging risks like NBFC growth and gold loan exposure. Promoting an internal statistician with three decades of institutional knowledge signals continuity in how RBI approaches data-driven policymaking.
