Board of Directors

Mr. Gurpreet Chhatwal has over 25 years’ experience in the financial sector. He joined CRISIL in 1999 and has experience in setting up and managing large teams in India and globally, setting up and growing key businesses (BLR and R&A practices) and has spearheaded the innovation agenda at CRISIL Ratings.

Mr. Chhatwal,Managing Director of CRISIL Ratings Limited leads the Ratings business. He is responsible for analytical execution, managing client relationships, and enhancing CRISIL Ratings’s franchise through thought leadership and outreach.He is also responsible for spearheading the innovation agenda at CRISIL Ratings, while continuing to focus on raising the rating standards at anindustry level. Prior to this, he set up the Risk and Analytics (R&A) practice globally for CRISIL Global Research and Risk Solutions (GR&RS) that now provides risk modelling, model validation, stress testing and regulatory support to global clients. Mr Chhatwal has held various positions with CRISIL’s ratings business, across the analytical and the business development teams, and has played a key role in its growth over the years.

He joined CRISIL as an analyst in the ratings division and led ratings assignments for large clients in various sectors. From 2008 to 2012, Mr. Chhatwal led the Bank Loan Ratings (BLR) business – he was part of the team that set up CRISIL’s BLR business and reached a milestone of over 10,000 outstanding ratings by April 2012.

Mr. Chhatwal has also been a part of CRISIL’s Global Analytical Centre and worked with S&P Global, New York.

Mr. Gurpreet Chhatwal holds a postgraduate diploma in management from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, and an engineering degree from PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh.

Mr. Diwakar Gupta is a seasoned and highly respected banking and financial services professional with over 49 years of experience in this field.

Mr. Gupta was Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of the State Bank of India, where he was responsible for setting strategies and direction alongside other members of the State Bank’s Central Management Committee. He joined the State Bank of India in 1974 and held several positions at its various units and subsidiaries. From August 2015 to August, 2020 Mr. Gupta was  Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Vice-President for Private Sector and Cofinancing Operations. In this role, Mr. Gupta had oversight over ADB's assistance to private sector projects with a clear development impact but limited access to capital. Mr. Gupta has also worked as Independent Director on the boards of various business councils, financial services companies and other private organizations in India. Mr. Gupta is also a Non-Executive Independent Director of CRISIL Ratings Limited.

He is currently the non-executive Chairman of National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL), besides being Independent Director and Advisor for few reputed Indian entities.

Mr. Gupta holds a Master of Science degree in Physics from the University of Delhi, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics (with Honors) from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi.

Preeti Balwani is a seasoned commercial attorney with over 19 years of experience both in house and in private practice. In her most recent roles, she has served as the General Counsel and Executive Director for Coca-Cola Bottling (Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages) and Kraft Heinz in India. Ms. Balwani is also a general counsel of CRISIL Limited.

Preeti is a graduate from Indian Law Society’s (ILS) Law College, Pune University (BSL.LLB) and also holds a Masters’ Degree in Maritime Law (LLM) from the University of Southampton.

Prior to moving in-house Ms. Balwani served as an external counsel for Indian companies providing them legal advice on M&A, for over a decade.

Preeti has been recognised by Legal 500 as part of their GC Power List (India, 2022 & 2018), Indian National Bar Association as the GC of the Year (2019), Forbes India Legal Power List (2020) & Business World Legal as one of the Top 100 GCs of India (2021 and 2020) and Most Influential Women in the Legal Ecosystem (2023). She routinely speaks at forums on gender diversity and inclusion, women leaders and women on the board, brand protection and legal operations.