7th UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan once said that there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. His futuristic vision for women empowerment is quite relevant in the present time.
One of the recent and the most prominent example of women empowerment is the selection of former and the first women chairman of State Bank of India (SBI), Arundhati Bhattacharya as the new CEO and chairperson of Salesforce India.
On Tuesday, the $17 billion US company announced that Arundhati, who got retired from the biggest Indian bank in October 2017, will join Salesforce India on April 20th, 2020 as the company’s new CEO and Chairperson.
Salesforce is a leading CRM development company in India. Having its headquarters in San Francisco, the company has been scaling rapidly in the Indian market.
Salesforce Company has seen a huge potential in the market of India, where companies are adopting digital transformation to serve customers. According to research, the ecosystem of Salesforce is expected to generate USD 67 billion business revenue in India from 2019 to 2024.
Arundhati’s Take On Her Joining The Salesforce Team
Bhattacharya who was listed as 25th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes said: “Salesforce is a company with an impressive track record in supporting the digital transformation of its customers with world-class technology, and there is an incredible opportunity for future growth in India.”
“Salesforce has also shown that it is guided by a core set of values and a mission to do good in the world and I could not be more excited to join the Salesforce team to ensure that we capture this tremendous opportunity and contribute to India’s development and growth story in a meaningful way,” she added in a press statement.
40 glorious years at State Bank of India
Bhattacharya has served India’s leading bank SBI for 40 years. She has faced multiple challenges during her chairmanship, and one of the biggest challenges was the merger of SBI’s five associate banks.
She has also done numerous notable works. Her forward-thinking work approach and passion to surge ahead in the competitive market make her an admirable leader. During her tenure at SBI, she has hired a chief technology officer from Barclays, which is a global rival of the bank, to technologically bolster SBI so that it can effectively compete with small tech-focused banks and other fintech firms.
YONO is a digital banking platform of SBI that was prepared under the aegis of Bhattacharya, and today the platform has more than 20 million users across the country.
As a CEO and chairperson of Salesforce India, Arundhati will report to Ulrik Nehammer, the General Manager at Salesforce APAC.
Gavin Patterson, the president and CEO of Salesforce international praised Bhattacharya’s leadership skill and said: “Arundhati is an incredible business leader and we are delighted to welcome her to Salesforce as chairperson and CEO India.” He also added, “India is an important growth market for Salesforce and a world-class innovation and talent hub and Arundhati’s leadership will guide our next phase of growth, customer success and investment in the region.”
As the Salesforce India chairperson, Bhattacharya will look after the growth strategy of the company. She will also play a crucial role in bolstering the company’s relationship with its customers, partners, and community.
Salesforce India – Present and Future
In 2016, Salesforce opened its Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad and thereafter, it offered approx 3000 jobs in the region. It made India a prominent hub of innovation for the company.
Over the year, the demand for Salesforce and cloud-based solutions has increased drastically. As per the report by Gartner, the Salesforce market in India is expected to grow by 21% by the end of 2020.
In the past few years, the company has invested significantly in the Indian market. Various leading Indian companies such as CEAT, redBus, and Franklin Templeton are using Salesforce and harnessing the power of the cloud, mobile artificial intelligence, voice, and blockchain to connect with their customers and deliver them a personalized and connected experience.
According to a report by International Data Corporation, Salesforce is expected to generate business revenue in India of more than $67 billion and it will also create 548, 400 new direct jobs by the end of 2024.
Concluding Words
Named as the Business Leader of the Year at The Asian Awards, Arundhati Bhattacharya’s decision to join Salesforce Company is quite interesting. It would be great to see how a hardcore finance wizard waves the wand of magic in the realm of technology.
