How SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya banks on breakthroughs

Arundhati Bhattacharya chairman State Bank of India SBIIn 1977 when Arundhati Bhattacharya a student of Jadavpur University in Kolkata learnt that the entrance exams for State Bank of India SBI jobs were being conducted in her college she took a chance Today 37 years on she heads the 208yearold biggest public sector bank in the countrySBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya at her Mumbai officeldquoI used to live in a hostel and my friends and I decided it was time to get a job I ended up doing fairly well in the group discussions and interview too I joined the company as a probationary officer It was my first job and it will be my last toordquo says the SBI chief who took charge in October 2013 before which she held the post of Chief Financial Officer and Managing DirectorRecalling her first day as chairman Bhattacharya says it was over before she knew it ldquoI was so busy that I had no time to let the feeling sink in I only remember that I had to attend the International Monetary Fund IMF meeting the next dayrdquo says the 58yearold leaderArundhati Bhattacharya took charge as SBI chief in October 2013Interestingly a career in banking was never her first option ldquoWhen I was in college I wanted to take up print journalism and even harboured a dream to write a book An MA in English literature was my obvious choicerdquo says the Kurla residentBorn to a Bengali family Bhattacharya grew up in Bokaro before moving to Kolkata for higher studies ldquoI wasnrsquot good in academics till Class 5 My grades improved once I got admission in St Xavierrsquos school in Bokarordquo says Bhattacharya whose father was an engineer at the Bhilai Steel Plant ldquoThankfully I was never forced to take up engineeringrdquo she confessesItrsquos all about prioritising Being posted in offices across India the banker used to travel back and forth to spend time with her family during her early years In spite of having missed out a lot of birthdays and important occasions on the personal front Bhattacharya comes across as refreshingly optimisticAfter the birth of their daughter Sukrita now 19 her husband Pritimoy Bhattacharya former IIT Kharagpur Professor took charge on the personal front ldquoI have had to give up a lot of things but given a chance I would not do a single thing differently Itrsquos only a question of prioritising your responsibilities It depends on what you really want to do and how you want to do it I believe one should have their own standards to live up to not those that society thrusts upon themrdquo she saysTo be able to climb the ladder of success her loved ones have been an immense support to Bhattacharya ldquoI give credit to my family members who have made a lot of sacrifices for what I am today My husband my parents and my daughter are very understanding When I was posted in New York from 19962000 in charge of the branchrsquos performance and audit my aunt came to help me look after my daughter Owing to visa problems she had to go back I had no choice but to send my daughter back to Kolkata My aunt moved in with my mother and sister to take care of my daughter back home in Bokaro I will be forever indebted to herrdquo recalls BhattacharyaTaking chargeThe turning point of Bhattacharyarsquos career came when she was appointed the Chief General Manager of New Businesses at SBI in 2009 ldquoIt was a particularly productive year for me as I introduced the option of general insurance and the platform of mobile banking The latter in particular had a great impact because of the enormous profit it generatedrdquo says the bankerLiving up to her quest of setting up new ventures she recently added another feather to her hat with SBIrsquos intouch technology to provide advanced digital banking services in July this year ldquoThe technology offers a lsquocashless branchrsquo One can open an account through a kiosk that will take your picture and scan your fingerprints and documents It can immediately open an account registering your digital signaturerdquo elaborates Bhattacharya who wants to attract the youth of the nation to use a simpler form of banking ldquoTodayrsquos youth live in a digital world I want to break their myth that banks are busy and crowded and create a space where they will be comfortablerdquo says the visionaryWhile banking happened by chance Bhattacharya dreamt of becoming a museologist ldquoI love antiques and I have always fancied the art of looking after antiques and artefacts at a museum I enjoy reading up on them toordquo she smilesTaking a breakWith a sevenday work schedule and not too many holidays to spare Bhattacharya likes to spend her lsquome timersquo reading and listening to music ldquoI am an omnivorous reader and end up reading two to three books at a time Earlier I used to read only fiction but now I have taken to nonfiction toordquoIn a career spanning across 37 years a lot has changed in terms of work and leisure ldquoIf you are a woman you invariably end up doing a lot of work Earlier I juggled household responsibilities too but now I donrsquot get the time Today I have to fight to make time to spend with my daughter My husband who works in Kolkata gives her company whenever he is here It can get quite challengingrdquosays BhattacharyaWhen the diligent banker is not busy heading a Fortune 500 company she likes to try new restaurants ldquoI love to try different cuisines at different places A foodie at heart I donrsquot have a favourite cuisinerdquo she smilesReminiscing her early days when there were no institutions nor formal training for entrance exams for a bank job Bhattacharya says ldquoI only went through a general knowledge book to crack the exam I hope more women join the banking sector The greatest lesson I have learnt in my career is that you have to create a good reputation for yourself for people to appreciate yourdquo