Urjit Patel (Indian Economist) Age, Biography, Family

Quick Info

Profession	Economist
Nationality	Indian
Date of Birth	28/10/1963
Age	62 years
Birthplace	Nairobi, Kenya

Latest News about Urjit Patel

29/08/2025

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment of former RBI Governor Urjit Patel as Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), representing India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka for a three-year term. This appointment marks a return to the international stage for Patel, who began his career at the IMF over 30 years ago. The appointment followed the abrupt termination of his predecessor Krishnamurthy V. Subramanian's term six months early.

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Bio/Wiki

Full Name	Urjit Ravindra Patel
Nickname	Dr Patel

Physical Stats & More

Height	178 cm
Eye Color	Black
Hair Color	Black

Educational Qualification(s)

BA	London School of Economics, London, United Kingdom
M. Phil.	University of Oxford, England, United Kingdom
Doctorate	Yale University, Connecticut, USA
BSc	London School of Economics, London, United Kingdom

Personal Life

Schools	Gujarati community run Visa Oswal Primary School in Nairobi Jamhuri High School in Nairobi
College	London School of Economics, London, United Kingdom University of Oxford, England, United Kingdom Yale University, Connecticut, USA
Religion	Hinduism
Hobbies	Reading, Traveling
Current Residence	Mumbai, India

Relationships & More

Marital Status	Not Known
Wife	Not Known

Family

Father	Ravindra Patel
Mother	Manjula
Siblings	1 (lives in New Jersey, United States)

Career

Facts	Joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a Kenyan citizen Became the 24th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Appointed Deputy Governor of RBI on 11 January 2013 for three years, reappointed in January 2016 Served as RBI Governor from September 2016 to December 2018, resigning on 10 December 2018 citing personal reasons Appointed Vice President for investment-operations at Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in June 2022 Serves as Chairman of National Institute of Public Finance and Policy Serves as additional director of Britannia Industries Serves as independent director of John Cockerill India Appointed Executive Director at IMF representing India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka in August 2025 for three years Served as IMF Deputy Resident Representative in New Delhi from 1996-1997, providing advice on debt market development, banking sector reforms, pension fund reforms, and foreign exchange market evolution Became a naturalised Indian citizen in 2013 Appointed Governor of Reserve Bank of India on 20 August 2016 Served as the 24th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from September 2016 to December 2018 Established the Monetary Policy Committee and implemented a flexible inflation targeting framework during RBI tenure Resigned from RBI on 10 December 2018 citing personal reasons, becoming the first RBI governor since 1990 to step down before completion of tenure Served as Chairman of National Institute of Public Finance and Policy from 2020 Worked as a consultant in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance from 1998 to 2001 Served the shortest RBI governor term since 1992

Facts

Joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a Kenyan citizen
Became the 24th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Appointed Deputy Governor of RBI on 11 January 2013 for three years, reappointed in January 2016
Served as RBI Governor from September 2016 to December 2018, resigning on 10 December 2018 citing personal reasons
Appointed Vice President for investment-operations at Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in June 2022
Serves as Chairman of National Institute of Public Finance and Policy
Serves as additional director of Britannia Industries
Serves as independent director of John Cockerill India
Appointed Executive Director at IMF representing India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka in August 2025 for three years
Served as IMF Deputy Resident Representative in New Delhi from 1996-1997, providing advice on debt market development, banking sector reforms, pension fund reforms, and foreign exchange market evolution
Became a naturalised Indian citizen in 2013
Appointed Governor of Reserve Bank of India on 20 August 2016
Served as the 24th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from September 2016 to December 2018
Established the Monetary Policy Committee and implemented a flexible inflation targeting framework during RBI tenure
Resigned from RBI on 10 December 2018 citing personal reasons, becoming the first RBI governor since 1990 to step down before completion of tenure
Served as Chairman of National Institute of Public Finance and Policy from 2020
Worked as a consultant in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance from 1998 to 2001
Served the shortest RBI governor term since 1992

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Nairobi, Kenya is the birthplace of this individual.
2. The individual's grandfather came to Kenya from Gujarat.
3. The individual's father ran a spare parts business in Nairobi.
4. In 1990, the individual earned a Doctorate in Economics from Yale University.
5. The individual learned Gujarati and Hindi after working in India.
6. Known for being a 'jolly fellow,' the individual has a small group of friends.
7. Currently residing in Mumbai, the individual lives in a small apartment with their mother.
8. The individual turned down an opportunity to lead the BRICS bank in Shanghai.
9. In January 2022, the individual was named the vice-president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
10. Became a naturalised Indian citizen in 2013 before joining the RBI.
11. Served the shortest RBI governor term since 1992.
12. Authored a book titled 'Overdraft: Saving the Indian Saver.'

Urjit Patel Economist Indian Nairobi, Kenya