The State Bank of India (SBI) has set a new goal to ensure that one in every three of its employees is a woman by the end of this decade, as part of its broader effort to strengthen gender diversity across the organisation.
Kishore Kumar Poludasu, the deputy managing director (human resources) and chief development officer of SBI, said in an interview with the Press Trust of India that while women make up about 33 percent of the bank’s frontline staff, they currently represent 27 percent of the total workforce. “We will be working towards improving this percentage, so that the diversity gets further improved,” he stated.
With a workforce exceeding 2.4 lakh employees, SBI is India’s largest employer in the banking sector. According to Poludasu, the bank is taking consistent steps to create an inclusive environment that allows women to grow and lead at every level. To support this vision, SBI has set up childcare facilities for working mothers, along with family-connect and reintegration programs that help women transition back to work after maternity leave, sabbaticals, or long-term illness.
Health and well-being have also been a key focus. The bank conducts regular breast and cervical cancer screening camps, offers nutritional allowances for expectant mothers, and runs a Cervical Cancer Vaccination Drive.
SBI’s “Empower Her” initiative is another major component of this strategy. The program identifies women employees with leadership potential and provides them with mentoring and structured training to prepare them for senior roles. “A lot of such initiatives are being taken up keeping in mind the women and girls who are employed in the bank,” Poludasu added.
Currently, SBI operates more than 340 branches managed entirely by women, showcasing its commitment to empowering female professionals in the banking industry. The lender, which ranks among the world’s top 50 banks by asset size, has received multiple awards for being one of the best employers in the sector.
