Arundhati Bhattacharya becomes first woman to head SBI

Arundhati Bhattacharya was today appointed chairperson of State Bank of India (SBI), the first woman to head the country's largest lender in its 207-year history.

The 57-year-old Bhattacharya, the front-runner for the post on account of years of service left, was managing director and chief financial officer of the bank prior to her elevation.

An SBI statement this evening said Bhattacharya assumed charge as the chairperson of the bank today, succeeding Pratip Chaudhuri who retired on September 30.