India’s most powerful women bankers

With women empowerment being the theme of today’s banking world, India has stood out in the race because of the representation of women in the top most positions in the top most banks of the country. They take decisions that affect millions of people apart from raising the level of profit for their banks. Under the able leadership of these people, all the banks have flourished and reached new heights. Now, let us see the list of the most powerful financial women in our country.

The List of topmost women bankers who have made it big in the financial world:

Indian banking sector is great example of women empowerment in the country. The glass ceiling has been broken so many times in this sector that it has now become common to see women in the top most positions of various leading banks in our country. This itself says the importance of women in the banking sector of our country.

Arundhati Bhattacharya Mrs Bhattacharya was the first ever woman chairman of the State Bank of India (SBI) in its 208-year-old history. She joined the bank as a probationary officer way back in 1977 and had been instrumental in building various verticals of the bank such as General Insurance, Mobile Banking, Financial planning,etc. The biggest success of her term was undoubtedly the merger of the five associate banks with SBI. In 2016, she was listed as the 25th most powerful woman in the world by the Forbes magazine. She retired as chairman of the State Bank of India (SBI) in October 2017.

Chanda Kochhar is the MD and CEO of the largest private sector bank in the country i.e. ICICI Bank. She joined ICICI Limited in 1984 and was elevated to the board of the bank in 2001. She has been phenomenal in her role with the overhaul of the retail business of the country.

Shikha Sharma She began her career in ICICI Limited and represented the company in various capacities before joining the Axis Bank. She has been at the helm of the third largest private sector of the bank since 2009 and has made the bank one of the most profitable companies during her tenure with an increase in a number of branches as well as assets creation.

Usha Ananthasubramanian MD and CEO of Allahabad Bank, has been elected the first woman chairman of Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) recently.  Prior to this, she had been the MD and CEO of Bharatiya Mahila Bank. She has completed her Bachelors in Statistics and joined Life Insurance Corporation of India in the actuarial department. Later, she started her banking career as a planning officer with Bank of Baroda(BOB).

Naina Lal Kidwai is the Group General Manager and the Country Head of HSBC India and also the former chairperson of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) India. She has served in various positions in HSBC as well as other companies. Having an MBA Degree from Harvard University, she has served the banking industry as well as the financial industry in our country for the last few decades. The distinguished lady has also received the Padma Shri Award for her contribution to trade and assets in India.

Archana Bhargava: Archana Bhargava got one of the most unenviable tasks in the banking industry way back in 2013 when she was offered the role of the MD and CEO of United Bank of India. The bank was grappling with rising Non-performing Asset (NPA) that almost stifled the growth of the bank. She left the bank in 2015. She got the bank stand on its feet and also turned around the business of the bank. She joined the industry as an officer at Punjab National Bank (PNB) and after 34 years at PNB, she got into Canara Bank as an Executive Director (ED) in 2011. She is often referred to as the turnaround woman of the Indian banking industry.

Vijayalakshmi Iyer: Vijayalakshmi Iyer started her career as a management trainee at Union Bank of India in 1975. She has a commerce degree with Chartered Associate of Indian Institute of Banker (CAIIB) . She has served as the ED of Central Bank of India before joining Bank of India as the MD and CEO of Bank of India. Under her stewardship, Bank of India has increased its business manifold and also has made its presence felt in the already crowded banking sector of the country.

Kalpana Morparia: Kalpana Morparia is the CEO of JP Morgan India.  She is also a member of the strategic group that takes all the important decisions for the bank. Morparia is a law graduate from the University of Bombay and served at ICICI Group for 30 years before taking over in her current position at JP Morgan India.

Kaku Nakhate: Kaku Nakhate is the present country head of Bank of America Merill Lynch India. She has turned around the bank by tripling its balance sheet after taking over. Under her leadership, the bank has been able to carve out a niche for itself in the corporate finance market of the country. Before joining the bank, she has also served as the VP of the JP Morgan Chase and Co.

These ladies have  managed to make it a point that they get the positions by their own merit and not by any other means. They are an inspiration in themselves to the budding generation of the country. Take heart from their efforts and success and you can also be one of them very soon.

Happy International Women’s Day!! #Be Bold For Change.