Life beyond boardrooms: India’s top women bankers

We have all seen them clinch big deals. Now find out how India’s women bankers -- Chanda Kochhar, Naina Lal Kidwai, Shikha Sharma, Vijaylakshmi Iyer, Kalpana Morparia and Kaku Nakhate – manage their ‘normal’ lives.

They negotiate the prices of sarees and jewellery just as well as they structure a deal in a bank. They aren’t just inspirational figures, but heroes for anyone – male or female – who dreams of rising to the top.

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As heads of some of India’s most respected banks, they number crunch, broker deals that change fortunes and display the kind of grit that often crumbles lesser players.

But as women, they have fought the fight for their gender, made domestic compromises that only women are expected to, and done it with grace.

As Naina Lal Kidwai says, “It’s a constant effort to put a jigsaw puzzle together. All the pieces never fit.” What sets these women apart is the fact that they didn’t succumb to the pressure of being superwomen.

“The tough times are only a phase. They last a few years, but pass. And you can’t let those few years overtake your life’s ambitions,” says Shikha Sharma.

What’s life at the top like for these six women? What have they left behind? We find out.

Owing to a combination of factors, Iyer reached the exam hall 90 minutes behind schedule. But a delay in the arrival of the question papers ensured she made it in the nick of time. “That was when I realised that I was destined to be a banker,” recalls the Bank Of India CMD with a smile.