Sebi gets first woman chief

New Delhi: Former banker Madhabi Puri Buch has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) - the first-ever woman to head the capital markets regulator.

Buch, 57, who was not only the first woman whole-time member of Sebi, but also the first person working at the regulator from the private sector, has been appointed for a three-year term, finance ministry sources said.

She replaces bureaucrat Ajay Tyagi whose tenure as Sebi chairman ends on Monday. A graduate from Delhi's prestigious St Stephen's College and an MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad, Buch has three decades of financial market experience.

Starting her career with ICICI Bank, she went on to become the managing director and CEO at ICICI Securities from February 2009 to May 2011.