S. S. Bhat is the Chief Executive Officer of Friends of Women's World Banking (FWWB), India, a role he has held since 24 February 2020, leading the organization's strategy and operations to deepen financial inclusion, women's economic empowerment, and institutional strengthening across India. Under his leadership, FWWB continues to scale catalytic interventions that support low-income women, emerging financial institutions, and community-based organizations. In 2025, he actively participated in field engagements - in various states across India, focusing on strengthening self-help groups, federations, and convergence with government schemes to build resilient ecosystems for women entrepreneurs.

A veteran banker with over 37 years of experience, Mr. Bhat began his career at Canara Bank in 1980 and rose through leadership positions encompassing priority sector lending, financial inclusion, and strategic business initiatives. Before joining FWWB, he was Managing Director of Ananya Finance for Inclusive Growth Pvt. Ltd., where he successfully stabilized and expanded operations, achieving a fourfold increase in business and profitability while staying true to its social impact mission. During his distinguished tenure at Canara Bank, he served as Chief General Manager and Country Head of the Priority Sector and Financial Inclusion Wing, where he strengthened portfolios in agriculture, affordable housing, education loans, and MSME lending, and consistently met regulatory mandates. Mr. Bhat also provided strategic direction as an advisor on inclusive development initiatives and led key regional, zonal, and functional roles, including heading sub-committees on agriculture, rural development, and educational loans.

He serves on the boards of MYRADA and Sanghamithra Rural Financial Services, and is a member of the Management Committee of the Government of India's Educational Loan Guarantee Scheme. Mr. Bhat holds a postgraduate degree in Agricultural Science, is a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers (CAIIB), and has completed advanced Programmes in project planning and management at the University of Bradford (UK), as well as executive education at Kellogg School of Management (USA), Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (Germany), and APRACA (Philippines). He has been recognized with the Aryabhata International Award for Excellence in Banking for his contributions to the financial sector.