The Centre has appointed A. Manimekhalai as the new MD and CEO of Union Bank of India. Replacing Rajkiran Rai G, she is the first woman to hold the post at the bank.
According to news reports, Manimekhalai, who is the executive director at Canara Bank, will serve as MD&CEO in Union Bank of India for three years.
With an MBA from Bangalore University, Manimekhalai began her service in the sector in 1988 at Vijaya Bank as an officer.
Over the years, the Indian banking and financial institutions sector has been a front runner in women’s empowerment.
The Best Companies for Women in India, a yearly gender analytics exercise by Avtar in association with Seramount (Working Mother Media), ranks IT/ITES and BFSI among the top industries with policies and programs tailored to enable women to participate effectively in the workforce. Around 12% of the top 100 Best Companies are in the sector, as per the 2021 BCWI rankings.
Over the years, the country has seen several influential women in the sector taking over the reins. These include the likes of Arundhati Bhattacharya, Shikha Sharma, Usha Ananthasubramanian, Naina Lal Kidwai, and Vibha Padalkar, to name a few.
