Outgoing CEO of HDFC Bank, Aditya Puri told CNBC-TV18 that he was grateful to Deepak Parekh, now non-executive Chairman of HDFC, for giving him a free hand to build the bank.

“Told Deepak I want a free hand, I want to build an institution, so I will only come if I have a free hand in running it because then you have fun; if you believe in the vision, you go on with the vision then it’s great,” Puri said

“To his credit he (Deepak Parekh) said yes and I must say if I asked for his help or used him as a sounding board, he came on board but other than that he never once interfered,” Puri said.

Puri said the management team at HDFC Bank was fortunate to inherit the best financial services brand in HDFC, and that the bank in turn built its brand on trust, safety and transparency.

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