India’s top women bankers, SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya, ICICI head Chanda Kochhar and Axis Bank CEO Shikha Sharma, are among the 50 most powerful women based outside the U.S., according to a list by Fortune ,which is topped by Banco Santander’s boss Ana Bot
Ms. Bhattacharya, 60, is ranked second on the list, while Ms. Kochhar comes in on the fifth spot and Sharma on the 19th position in the Fortune ’s ‘50 Most Powerful Women International’ list, which has ranked the women based outside the U.S. Bot Group Executive Chairman of Banco Santander, Eurozone’s largest bank by market value, repeats as No. 1, in a time of economic and political volatility. The 2016 list spans 19 countries. “Bhattacharya’s profile has risen during her three-year tenure atop India’s largest bank,” Fortune said.
‘High-profile battle’ Ms. Bhattacharya, who was widely speculated to succeed Raghuram Rajan as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, has continued her “high-profile battle with the bank’s bad loans, while courting overseas partners to invest in the stressed assets. In May, she also orchestrated SBI’s merger with six other groups, a plan that, once complete, will result in one of largest lenders in Asia.
“Though her term leading the bank is set to expire in October, most expect the government will extend her time so she can see the efforts through,” Fortune said.
ICICI Bank Managing Director and CEO Kochhar, 54, is regarded even by rival bankers as a “visionary”, Fortune said.
