The First Woman To Be A Chairman And Leader Of The State Bank of India: Arundhati Bhattacharya

From having a dream to become a journalist to being the first woman chairman of State Bank Of India, this lady’s journey is as inspiring as it can get!

Arundhati Bhattacharya is a woman who changed the SBI bank's fortune forever! And she has an impressive list of achievements to her credit:

• Listed as the 25th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes

• Named as the 4th most powerful woman in the Asia Pacific by Fortune.

• India Today ranked her 19th in India's 50 most influential people on the 2017 list. In 2018, she was named the Business Leader of the year at the Asian Awards.

  Her work as the chairman of SBI was filled with achievements too. So much so that SBI even granted her an extension after her retirement as the chairman. This superwoman took up this opportunity too!

  Arundhati Bhattacharya brought about a profound change in the history of the state bank of India. She has done many beneficial things for the bank's employees as well as the customers.

• She introduced a sabbatical leave policy for women employees of the bank. So that women could be granted an extended leave for the desired period and join the office again.

• Made the bank go digital by introducing the YONO app. This step towards becoming technologically savvy proved to be highly valuable and helpful for both - the bank and its customers.

  And yet, banking was never her first choice.... She wanted to be a journalist!

  Banking was considered a secure job for women; journalism could be chosen if you have strong contacts. So when Arundhati cleared her exam as SBI probationary officer, she decided to take up the job. She sacrificed her dream of becoming a journalist someday.

  At that time, it wasn't easy to pursue a career in journalism. But even today, many people find it challenging to choose a job. There are so many things to consider - what does one like, salary, actual life in the field. Going for Career guidance counselling and psychometric tests is a good idea to know the different career options available today.

  A little bit of guidance goes a long way in making your dream career real!

  Though banking was not her first choice, Arundhati gave it her 100%! ...

  She started as a junior manager at the Kolkata branch. She got three consecutive promotions at the Kharagpur branch and left the branch as the assistant general manager.

  Over time, Arundhati developed a passion for banking. She started climbing the ladder of success through her hard work and dedication.

  She got posted as the branch manager at Nirampura. Arundhati's efforts and hard work further helped her become a Vice President at the New York Branch of SBI. She was there for four years.

  When she was back in India, she got posted in the foreign exchange department in Kolkata.

  Later in 2008, she got transferred to Mumbai. Here she worked as a deputy MD, then MD, CFO, and then finally, her dedication got her to become a Chairman of SBI.