Arundhati Bhattacharya - Women of the year 2013

Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson, State Bank of India Acumen plus experience adds up to success. It is this simple calculation that led to Arundhati Bhattacharya´s appointment as chairperson of the State Bank of India. Armed with her expertise, employee-friendly approach and transformative communication skills, the 57-year-old career banker will lead the 207-year-old bank into a new era. After joining SBI as a direct recruit officer in 1977, she has served in metros and rural areas, crisscrossing the length and breadth of the country. Her experience runs across almost all major business segments, ranging from retail and corporate finance, treasury and international operations. Indeed, Bhattacharya was instrumental in creating three of the bank´s newest subsidiaries: general insurance, custodial services and the SBI Macquarie Infrastructure Fund. Having served as managing director and CFO of SBI and deputy managing director and corporate development officer, she has been actively involved in setting up several new companies and initiatives of the bank. These include SBI General Insurance, SBI Macquarie Infrastructure Fund and SBI SG Global Securities Services as well as the launch of IT platforms such as mobile banking. As the corporate development officer and deputy managing director, she has handled large corporate credit as well as initiatives like financial inclusion and financing of self-help groups. During her 36 years at SBI, she also had a stint in the bank´s New York office where she was in charge of monitoring branch performance, overseeing external audit and correspondent relations. Here´s another significant fact: Bhattacharya is the first woman to ever lead a Fortune 500 company in India, and the only woman banker on that list of giants anywhere in the world. And if you consider the fact that SBI is the largest bank in India with over 15,000 branches and almost 22 per cent of the country´s total deposits, you will figure out that Bhattacharya is now one of the most powerful women in India. So what are the priorities for the new SBI chief, who will be the first one ever to get a three-year tenure? With her track record, we know she will deliver.