Can an SBI PO one day become a Chairman of SBI?

I survived at SBI because I was learning every day: Arundhati Bhattacharya – Ex-Chairman of SBI who joined as an SBI PO in 1977 at the age of 21.   

Arundhati Bhattacharya

The simple answer to the question of whether one can land up at a very senior post in SBI or even as Chairman is yes, you can. There are living examples for inspiration, such as Arundhati Bhattacharya. But there are certain criteria you need to understand before you dream of becoming one.  

Read this article Strategies for English to Crack SBI PO 2021  

Becoming the Chairman of SBI is not a Seniority-Based Promotional Affair

You can’t expect to reach the ranks of a Mumbai office of SBI of a high-level management post just on a hierarchy basis. Such posts are not equivalent to that of a manager or even of a chief manager. Such a post is much more responsible and is involved in the various key decisions of SBI as a whole. You will not be responsible just for a particular branch, city, or state. Your decisions will have an impact on the national level. Such roles involve policy making, employee welfare, heading particular departments, foreign placements, etc.   

What’s the career track for someone who has made it as an SBI chairman and was hired as an SBI PO?

We have decoded the career tracks and opportunities that the EX-chairman of SBI Arundhati Bhattacharya had while over a legendary 40-year career.   

Timeline	Post/Responsibility
1977	She joined as the SBI PO in 1977 at the Alipore branch in West Bengal
1983-1992	Transferred to Kharagpur, leaves as the assistant general manager after 9 years
1996-2000	She shifts to the United States as the vice-president, branch co-ordination
2000	Makes a return back to India as a DGM for foreign department at the Kolkata branch
2007	Shifts to Mumbai as General Manager and is promoted as Chief General Manager within 30 days
2009	Makes a shift for Bengaluru, as the head of SBI Karnataka
2011	Gets promoted as Deputy Managing Director. Returns to Mumbai as the head of human resources and is later made the head of capital markets. Then acted as a Chief Financial Officer for three months before she finally gets appointed as the Chairperson of SBI.

Arundhati Bhattacharya retired from SBI in late 2017. She is now working at Salesforce India and SWIFT India Domestic Services Pvt Ltd as the CEO. And also sits as the board member for various companies such as Reliance Industries, Wipro Ltd, Crisil Ltd, and many more.   

It’s just an embodiment of an extraordinary banking career. She became the first-ever woman to head as the Chairman of the State Bank of India. Not many imagine when they get hired as SBI PO to have such aspirations, which is fine, by the way.

In one of the interviews, the legend Arundhati Bhattacharya herself admitted she just focused on the learning aspect. She kept learning no matter what. She took the opportunities that came her way and made the best out of them. Additionally, her CV looks even more impressive post-retirement.   

She did all the same work as an average SBI PO does at any branch. It started from roots, and now she is here.   

Qualities of such top banking professionals are as follows:

• Ready to learn under any given circumstances
• Never let go of any opportunity due to personal preferences
• Keep up with all the best knowledge and information that a top-class banker should have.
• Doesn’t look at SBI PO as any government job.
• Maintains a healthy track record with fellow employees and is respected by them
• Pursues the given job as a national duty and not just as a mere job for his or her’s family’s survival
• The individual is more of a contributor rather than a hungry opportunist.

Is Bank PO a good job? Exams, Career Growth, Job Description  

Conclusion

State Bank of India PO job is much more than just a safe bet for your retirement. It is in the eyes of the beholder. You will have to make the lemonade even if you are given lemons. Reaching such positions is not based on luck but are based on unwavering faith, great work ethics, self-learning, and the beating of the odds attitude.   

You might want to subscribe to our push notifications for such daily valuable articles.     

You can also find daily SBI PO updates posted on our official Facebook page as well.    

Still, have some doubts about what we discussed in this blog? Then, leave your queries in the comment section below. We will surely respond to them.