Arundhati Bhattacharya

Arundhati Bhattacharya joined the State Bank of India as a probationary officer and rose, four decades later, to become the first woman to lead it. In 2025 she was named for the Padma Shri in the field of trade and industry, from Maharashtra ^[1].

Forty years at SBI

Bhattacharya was born on 18 March 1956. She went to school in Bokaro Steel City, studied English literature at Lady Brabourne College in Kolkata and continued her studies at Jadavpur University ^[2]. She joined SBI in 1977 and eventually became the first woman chair of the bank, then more than 200 years old ^[2].

As chair, she oversaw the merger of SBI’s associate banks, one of the largest consolidations in Indian banking ^[2]. The bank also played a major part in the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana and in rolling out GST, and pushed into digital banking with a mobile wallet, SBI Buddy, and a digital village scheme ^[2].

A second career in technology

After leaving SBI, she became chairperson and chief executive of Salesforce in India and then South Asia, helping businesses adopt cloud and AI tools ^[2].

An advocate for working women

Bhattacharya has spoken widely about women in leadership. At SBI she introduced free cervical cancer vaccines for women employees and their children, and sabbatical leave for women caring for children or elderly relatives ^[2]. Her memoir, Indomitable: A Working Woman’s Notes on Work, Life and Leadership, traces her journey from Bhilai and Bokaro to the top of Indian banking ^[2].

Forbes has listed her among the world’s most powerful women, and Fortune among its greatest leaders ^[2].