Arundhati Bhattacharya is new chief of State Bank of India (SBI)

Arundhati Bhattacharya is new chief of State Bank of India (SBI)

** Arundhati Bhattacharya Monday took over as the new chairperson of the State Bank of India (SBI).

** She is the first woman to be appointed to the top job at the country's largest lender.

**Prior to her elevation to the top job, 57-year-old Bhattacharya was managing director and chief financial officer of SBI.

** She succeeds Pratip Chaudhuri who retired Sep 30.

**"Arundhati Bhattacharya assumed charge as chairperson of State Bank of India on Oct 7, 2013," SBI said in a statement.

**Bhattacharya joined SBI as a probationary officer in 1977.

** During her 36-year tenure at the bank she has held a number of important positions, including those of deputy managing director and corporate development officer, chief general manager (Bangalore Circle) and chief general manager (New Businesses).

** She also headed SBI Capital Markets Ltd, a subsidiary of State Bank of India and had a stint in the BankA's New York office where she was in charge of monitoring branch performance, overseeing external audit and correspondent relations, SBI statement said.

**"She has also played a pivotal role in setting up three of the latest subsidiaries of the Bank viz. the General Insurance Subsidiary, the Custodial Subsidiary and the SBI Macquarie Infrastructure Fund," it said.