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Deepan Bafna steps up as director at Citi India
MUMBAI: Citi India has tapped a familiar hand to steer one of its most dynamic businesses. Deepan Bafna has been elevated to director, taking the reins of the bank’s local currency credit trading desk in Mumbai.
In his new role, Bafna will oversee trading across investment-grade and high-yield credit bonds, along with key rates products such as government bonds and interest rate swaps. The brief is clear and unapologetically market-facing: generate absolute trading profits while navigating India’s fast-evolving credit landscape.
But this is not just about buying and selling bonds. Bafna will also lead Citi India’s structured credit financing efforts, spanning bonds, securities financing transactions, credit derivatives and loans. A key part of his mandate is to keep the product cupboard fresh, introducing new credit structures that deepen Citi’s onshore franchise and sharpen its competitive edge.
The promotion caps a steady rise at Citi, where Bafna joined as vice president in late 2022 and quickly became a key figure in local currency credit and financing. Before that, he spent over six years at HDFC Bank, managing proprietary credit books, trading government securities and overseeing corporate bond portfolios across the rating spectrum.
His career began in the insurance and asset management world, with fixed income roles at ICICI Lombard, before expanding into market making, trading and portfolio strategy. Along the way, Bafna has built a reputation for blending macro insight with hands-on trading instincts.
With India’s credit markets growing deeper and more complex, Citi’s choice signals a bet on experience, range and an appetite for innovation. For Bafna, it is a bigger seat at a faster table, where spreads, structures and split-second decisions set the pace.
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Sun Pharma launches ‘Heart ke Liye 8’ heart health drive
New campaign urges daily habits to build a stronger heart
MUMBAI: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited has launched its ‘Heart ke Liye 8 – Making India Heart Strong’ campaign, urging Indians to prioritise heart health through simple, consistent daily actions.
The initiative comes at a crucial time. Cardiovascular disease accounts for nearly one-fifth of global heart-related deaths, with Indians often affected almost a decade earlier than many Western populations. The campaign reinforces a clear message: heart health is not built overnight, but through everyday choices.
Speaking on the launch, Sun Pharma senior vice president, marketing and sales Shailesh Joshi, said the company believes prevention is just as important as treatment. He noted that the campaign aims to spark regular conversations around heart health and encourage people to adopt small habits that can make a lasting difference.
At the centre of the campaign is the ‘Heart-strong Man’, a relatable and optimistic character symbolising a well-cared-for heart. The tone remains positive and practical, encouraging individuals to take charge of their wellbeing without fear. The campaign film has been created in multiple Indian languages to ensure wider accessibility.
The initiative is anchored around eight essential pillars of heart health, including eating better, staying physically active, managing weight, keeping blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol in check, avoiding tobacco, going for regular health check-ups, managing stress, and getting quality sleep.
Beyond awareness, the company’s Making India Heart Strong initiative takes an integrated approach to prevention and response. Sun Pharma organises around 10,000 heart screening camps annually, screening over 1.2 lakh people each year.
In addition, it conducts CPR training for more than 1.5 lakh individuals annually to strengthen emergency preparedness, while also investing in evidence generation to improve risk assessment and patient outcomes.
Its patient education efforts further extend to more than 15 million individuals every year through in-clinic print materials and awareness programmes, contributing to a broader, long-term effort to reduce the cardiovascular disease burden in India.
