Current Responsibilities Rahul N. Merchant is Fannie Mae's executive vice president and chief information officer (CIO). Merchant oversees all of the company's technology efforts and manages the employees in the CIO organization, which includes more than a third of the company's work force. His duties include the build-out and management of the company's technology operations and networks, designing and building new technology platforms to support the businesses, development of the Internet technology architecture, and Internet technology risk management.

Past Experience Before joining Fannie Mae in November 2006, Merchant served as head of global business technology for Merrill Lynch & Company, where he had direct oversight of more than 6,000 employees and was responsible for the technology and platform support of the company's three main divisions. In addition, he supported global acquisitions in different business areas, and negotiated third-party contracts with large vendors. Merchant also supported the company's compliance with regulatory requirements, including Sarbanes-Oxley, and developed technology initiatives and provided senior counsel to more fully integrate and optimize the company's business strategies. He also worked with the company's senior bankers and financial advisors, providing insight on technology trends and challenges.

Before Merrill Lynch, Merchant was executive vice president at Dresdner, Kleinwort and Benson, a leading global investment bank, managing technology, operations, and cash management business for their North American operation. Before that, he served as senior vice president at Sanwa Financial Products, and first vice president at Lehman Brothers, Inc. He began his career as a control systems programmer at Leeds & Northrop Company in 1980.

Education Merchant has a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Bombay University, a master of science in computer science from Memphis State University, and a master of business administration from Temple University. He is a member of the board of directors of GCI, Inc., and serves on the board of advisors of the American India Foundation.