The State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, has unveiled a plan to enhance gender diversity across its workforce, aiming to raise the share of women employees to 30% within the next five years.
“At the frontline level, women make up around 33% of our staff. However, overall, they account for about 27%. We are working towards improving this ratio further to strengthen diversity within the organisation,” said Kishore Kumar Poludasu, deputy managing director (HR) and chief development officer (CDO), in an interview with PTI.
With a total staff strength exceeding 2.4 lakh employees, SBI is one of India’s largest employers. The bank has launched a series of initiatives to create a workplace where women can thrive at all levels. “Through targeted programmes, we are fostering leadership, ensuring work–life balance, and maintaining dignity at work,” Poludasu said.
Among its women-centric policies, SBI provides a creche allowance for working mothers, conducts family connect programmes, and runs training sessions to help women employees rejoin the workforce after maternity leave, sabbaticals, or long-term medical absences.
One of its flagship initiatives, ‘Empower Her’, focuses on identifying, mentoring, and grooming women for leadership roles through structured training and coaching sessions, helping to build a strong pipeline of future women leaders in the organisation.
The bank has also introduced a range of health and wellness initiatives tailored for women employees, including breast and cervical cancer screenings, nutrition allowances for pregnant staff, and a cervical cancer vaccination drive.
SBI’s commitment to inclusivity is further reflected in the operation of over 340 all-women branches across India, with plans to increase this number in the coming years. “Women employees are well represented across geographies and hierarchical levels, underscoring our inclusive approach,” Poludasu added.
He noted that the bank’s IT specialist officers play a key role in ensuring secure, efficient, and innovative operations — an area where women professionals are increasingly visible.
Ranked among the top 50 global banks by asset size, SBI has been recognised as one of the best employers in India. Poludasu said the bank continues to lead digital transformation efforts, leveraging innovation in technology, processes, and customer experience to remain at the forefront of the financial sector.