NAME: RANA TALWAR AGE: 58 DESIGNATION: Chairman STATE: Centurion Bank of Punjab

Rana Talwar is in news yet again. This ex-Citibanker and former group CEO of Standard Chartered seems to have a prescient sixth sense for deals. The man who foresaw the virtues of being present in emerging markets long before others did is at it yet again. Only, his arena is now private sector Indian banks. Talwar's Centurion Bank of Punjab is planning to merge with Lord Krishna Bank. The deal would be approved by the boards of the banks in September. This would be the third deal in Indian banking space that Talwar has swung in less than four years-some track record in the restricted and over-regulated banking sector where both public sector and foreign banks are hamstrung by a host of policy restrictions.

Talwar primary business vehicle is his private equity firm Sabre Capital Worldwide Inc., which he set up after stepping down as the group CEO of Standard Chartered Bank in 2001. One of the landmark deals during his Stanchart stint (from June 1997 to December 2001) was the $1.3-billion (Rs 5,720-crore) acquisition of ANZ Grindlays' in West Asia and South Asia. In India, the deal catapulted Stanchart to the pole position among foreign banks in India even as it sharpened its global focus on emerging markets. In 2002, Talwar set up Sabre as a fund focussed on acquisition of financial institutions. He roped in financial investors Keppel Corp. and Bank Muscat for a painful but ultimately fruitful recapitalisation of the ailing Centurion Bank. Once the bank turned around, Talwar spearheaded a merger with Bank of Punjab in 2005. Barely a year later, the merged entity, Centurion Bank of Punjab (CBOP), is in merger mode again.

Talwar's plans for an asset management company took some time for fruition. Last time around, when Talwar was close to launching the fund, its head, Samir Arora, ran into regulatory trouble. Lotus India Asset Management Company, a joint venture between Fullerton Fund Management Group and Sabre, is at last ready to roll. The fund is expected to kick off sometime this year. Given Talwar's penchant for deals it would be no surprise if he manages to pull off another acquisition here.