Sbi To Create New Posts In Top-Level Revamp

State Bank of India (SBI) will see several top-level changes over the next few months. Eleven chief general managers (CGMs) of the bank will fight it out tomorrow for four deputy managing directors' (DMDs) posts. The bank has created a new position of DMD to spearhead its information technology initiatives.

The three DMDs who are set to retire are D P Roy (associate banks) in October, P K Sarkar (international banking) in December and Birendra Kumar, managing director, SBI Capital Markets, in April 2002.

One slot of managing director will also fall vacant when Vepa Kamesam retires in October. AK Batra, DMD and corporate development officer, may get the nod for the post.

The list of contenders for the DMD posts includes Chandan Bhattacharya, CGM, personal banking; N K Puri, CGM, international banking; N Sadasivan, CGM (Mumbai); N Gopalakrishnan, managing director, SBI Factors; Rajendra Kakker, financial controller; S Santhanakrishnan, CGM (corporate accounts group); M A Krishnan, CGM (development banking); K Kameswara Rao, managing director, Discount Finance House of India; A G Kalmankar, CGM (Patna circle) and Ashok K Kini, CGM (technology planning).

Twenty two general managers will also face the interview board for about 14 CGM posts. The CGMs who will be retiring by December this year are B L Patwardhan, CGM, credit; R C Royappa, managing director, SBI Gilts; Niamatullah, managing director, SBI Mutual Fund; Madhav M Mehta, CGM (NPA management); Swapan K Gupta, CGM, Bengal circle; Harbans Lal, CGM, Delhi circle and V Krishnan.

The bank has recently reshuffled some of the CGMs. It has transferred Mehta from Ahmedabad to Mumbai and S K Mukherjee to Ahmedabad. Kakker is heading for Chandigarh while B Ramachandra Rao, CGM, Chennai, is taking over as principal of State Bank Staff College, Hyderabad.

Early this month, the bank had deputed N Gopalakrishnan as managing director of SBI Factors and Commercial Services Ltd for a period of two years.