Senior cooperator and Sahakar Bharati founder member Satish Marathe has been appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
The appointment has been made by the Ministry of Finance’s Department of Financial Services, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, for a period of three years from the date of notification or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Marathe, who currently serves as a Director on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India, will bring his decades of experience in banking, cooperative development, and rural finance to NABARD.
As soon as the news of his appointment spread, social media platforms were flooded with congratulatory messages from his colleagues, friends, and admirers. Noted cooperator Jyotindra Mehta wrote, “Director of Reserve Bank, National Housing Bank and now NABARD. Your accomplishments are truly inspiring. Bahut Bahut Badhai.”
Others also expressed their delight, praising Marathe’s long service in the cooperative movement and his deep knowledge of banking and rural development.
Born on February 1, 1950, Marathe holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Law (Gen) from the University of Bombay and a Diploma in Journalism (Gold Medalist) from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
He began his career with the Bank of India and later became the CEO of Janakalyan Sahakari Bank Ltd., which recorded high growth under his leadership. He went on to become the Chairman and CEO of United Western Bank Ltd. (2002–2006).
Marathe is also the Founder Member of Sahakar Bharati, established in 1979, which has since grown into the largest cooperative sector NGO in India, with over 35,000 cooperatives associated with it.
He has been closely involved with national-level policy discussions and has represented the cooperative sector in pre-budget meetings with Finance Ministers for several years.
In addition to his role on the RBI Central Board, Marathe also serves as Director of the National Housing Bank, Independent Director of the Indian Institute of Insolvency Professionals of ICAI, Vice Chairman of the Laxmanrao Inamdar National Academy for Cooperative Research and Development (LINAC), and Member of the National Committee for Drafting the New Cooperation Policy. He is also actively engaged in several social and educational initiatives.
In recognition of his contributions, Marathe was honored with the Sahakarita Ratna Award by IFFCO in 2015, making him the only recipient of the award from Maharashtra.
With his appointment to NABARD, he is expected to bring valuable insights to rural credit, agricultural financing, and cooperative banking, further strengthening NABARD’s mission of advancing rural prosperity and financial inclusion across India.
Great News ! Soft spoken but great man at the most required post.
best wishes to Senior Cooperator Shri.Sahakar Bharati who has been appointed as one of the board of directors of NABARD.We , the senior promoter of FPO (South Coast Fisher Producer Company) in marine sector , expect the new team to formulate new policies by eliminating some of the hurdles faced by FPOs in India and take our country in next level by facing challenges in both domestic market system, international marketing system , legal formalities, impact of GST and bottlenecks.
Congratulations Sathish Marathe ji, on your appointment as Director on the Board of NABARD. With your rich experience in banking, cooperative banking and at Sahakara Bharathi, besides on the Boards of NHB, RBI, will stand you in good stead, to guide the policies related to rural credit and cooperative development.
Wishing you all the best.
Dr Kummur
Ex – CGM NABARD
& President, AFNI, Bengaluru