ARUNDHATI BHATTACHARYA
64, CHAIRPERSON AND CEO, SALESFORCE INDIA (7)
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT TAKING UP A NEW CHALLENGE IN ONE’S SIXTIES. IT’S EQUALLYABOUT SPENDING A LIFETIME IN A PUBLIC SECTOR FIRM AND THEN JOINING ONE WITH ITS ROOTS IN SILICON VALLEY. THINK MOZART PLAYING JIMI HENDRIX.
THE AVERAGE AGE at the State Bank of India was around 47; here it’s 30,” says Arundhati Bhattacharya. “It probably went up with me joining.” It was light banter from the 64-year-old and, on the face of it, there’s nothing remarkable about her new role. After all, executives routinely switch jobs, and the average age of employees vary based on size, industry, history, etc. But, from the other side of a Zoom call, Bhattacharya has just revealed one tiny, but telling, part of a saga of reinvention, pluck, and audacity, the likes of which have rarely been seen.
In April, Bhattacharya stunned India Inc. by becoming the India head for Salesforce (the ‘here’ in the opening remarks), the American technology company that specialises in customer relationship management (CRM) software. She was no ordinary recruit. Two and a half years ago, she had retired as chairman, State Bank of India (SBI), after a four-year run (2013-2017).
In that role she had helmed a behemoth, India’s largest bank (HDFC Bank, at No. 2, is less than 40% of SBI’s size by deposits). That automatically made her one of India’s top 10 CEOs, whichever way you cut it. (On Fortune India’s Most Powerful Women in Business lists, she was consistently ranked No. 1 between 2014 and 2017.)
Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Fortune India.
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Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Fortune India.
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THE ULTRACOOL CASH GRABS OF BOOBI ALTHOFF
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THE CHIT-CHATBOT
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WELL, WELL, WELL
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RAT PACK
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ROYAL TREATMENT
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DOOM SCROLLING
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PHONE DEAL FOR VISITING FANS AT 2026 WORLD CUP PART OF VERIZON SPONSOR PACT WITH FIFA
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