Ending Soon! Save 33% on All Access

Did you Know How These Top 5 Bankers in India Started Their Journey? Her banking journey started as a management trainee, but not many could stop Chanda Kochhar's rise in ICICI Bank

By Sanchita Dash

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Shutterstock

From humble beginnings come great things, goes the adage. Be it the Chaiwaala who runs our country today or the big star who was once rejected by a radio station, the journeys of many successful people have turned into inspirational tales for all. The banking industry, too, has success stories, aplenty, of people who have climbed the ladder to now lead the sector.

Entrepreneur India takes a look at how the top 5 bankers in India started their journey.

"Wanted to Say no To Banking'

When Arundhati Bhattacharya's father retired, it was upon her to take up a job soon. Following the trend then, she took the SBI exams along with her college mates, got selected and went on to become a probationary officer. However, ask Arundhati and she says her interests, back then, lay on the world of words — print journalism was what she wanted to pursue. Arundhati even hoped to pen a book one day. From then to now, Arundhati (who even considered quitting her job after being a mother) is the Chairperson of the State Bank of India and has often appeared in numerous lists of powerful women in the world.

An Intern to Billionaire

In today's times, he's known as one of the most successful banker billionaires, but YES BANK's Rana Kapoor had started his illustrious journey as an intern at Citibank. Having finished his MBA in the US, Kapoor had joined the IT department of New York's Citibank. Inspired by the work there, Kapoor nurtured the dream of building a bank in India. And thus, in 2003 he set up YES Bank, one of India's most successful private banks.

From Running in Mumbai's Streets To Running a Bank

The overzealous man that Aditya Puri always was, had gone against his father's wish to study commerce and soon found himself travelling long distances in Mumbai to reach his workplace. Back then, he also worked as an executive assistant to the finance director of Mahindra & Mahindra. Known to his peers as a resilient officer-in-command, Puri is now the Managing Director of HDFC Bank and is also touted to be one of the most highly paid in the industry.

Engineer-turned-banker

Romesh Sobti, the MD and CEO of Induslnd Bank, had actually studied engineering to please his father's wishes. But soon after, he turned to banking. Since then, in a career spanning over 35 years, Sobti has gone on to be one of the top leaders in the banking world.

The Intern Who Turned Around ICICI's Future

Her banking journey started as a management trainee, but not many could stop Chanda Kochhar's rise in ICICI Bank. The first female MD-CEO of the bank can also be easily called one of the most successful ones and she has many achievements in her glorious career to prove the same.

Sanchita Dash

Entrepreneur Staff

Former Senior Correspondent, Entrepreneur India

In the business of news for 5 years now. Making my way across India thanks to my career. A media graduate from Symbiosis, Pune, I have earlier worked with Deccan Chronicle (South India's leading English daily), T-Hub (India's largest incubator) and Anthill Ventures (a speed-scaling platform). 

Stories, movies and PJs are my thing. 

If you hear 'The Office' opening score randomly, don't worry it's just my phone ringing. 

 

Leadership

How to Break Free From the Cycle of Overthinking and Master Your Mind

Discover the true cost of negative thought loops — and practical strategies for nipping rumination in the bud.

Side Hustle

These Brothers Had 'No Income' When They Started a 'Low-Risk, High-Reward' Side Hustle to Chase a Big Dream — Now They've Surpassed $50 Million in Revenue

Sam Lewkowict, co-founder and CEO of men's grooming brand Black Wolf Nation, knows what it takes to harness the power of side gig for success.

Growth Strategies

AI Agents Startup Secures $4M to Revolutionize Customer Onboarding & Retention

Under the leadership of Gaurav Aggarwal and Anuja Verma, Truva AI has created an innovative solution for customer onboarding and retention, leveraging sophisticated AI agents.

Personal Finance

This Investment Bundle Includes a Trading Course and Stock Screener Tool for $150

Approach the stock market with an increased understanding.

Marketing

5 Secrets to Mastering Your Niche That Will Give Your Competition a Run For Its Money

Follow these steps to unlock a competitive advantage in an underserved segment.