Chanda Kochhar Quotes

Lending has come back in retail; it has come back in working capital. It has also come back in other forms, like government contract being given out to companies.

Punjab is central to our business strategy, and we are an active partner in the state's growth.

I think it's important to celebrate your successes. It's important to feel happy about them, but it's equally important to look forward to the next big move.

No one thing can change the face of any sector.

The important source of finance is now commercial papers, bonds, and so on.

Over the years, we have gone beyond our businesses to take up philanthropic projects in diverse areas - from education to health care to skilling.

We actually probably do nothing very special for women. But what we do in a very special manner is to remain an absolute gender-neutral, merit-based organization.

I have it all because my children did not whine and cry when I was not there.

There were so many occasions when I wasn't around for my kids or my husband. But we learnt to work around it.

Practise and practise to make your dreams turn into reality.

Life comprises of both: opportunities as well as challenges.

We will leverage technology to collaborate with the government in its e-governance initiatives.

What women need are not benefits and advantages but a merit-based selection process that will allow them to automatically benefit from various opportunities.

I think we have to pick up some sectors where we can make India the global hub in the entire value chain, and the most important sector to pick up should be electronics.

We have no exposure in Europe and not made any finances to the companies there. So the question of Greek debt crisis impacting the bank does not arise.

I have always said that a bank's lending rates do not only depend on rate cuts - it is just one signal.

Whenever there is a challenge, the key is not to get consumed by the challenge but actually to learn from it.

Every entrepreneur, whether man or woman, should start with a robust business structure.

The increase in coal production and the efficiency in coal movement are all administrative things that can add a lot to the economic growth.

It's very important to have the comfort of the regulator in every geography where you operate.

Don't cut corners or compromise to achieve your dreams.

Clearly, for an organization to move on, it is the job of the leader to be that sponge that takes the stress from inside and the outside.

All three of us - two sisters and a brother - were brought up with an emphasis on academics.

When I moved from corporate to consumer banking, I brought a lot of synergy with me.

Take destiny in your own hands.

I believe in fate, but I also believe that hard work and diligence plays a very important role in our lives.

Adaptability is a great asset to have because life is so unpredictable, and things can change overnight for any of us.

Thankfully I have an ecosystem of in-laws, parents and husband, who are my rocks.

As far as employees are concerned, clearly I like to communicate with them, since we are more than 40,000 people. I like to communicate either through e-mail or through video conferencing, which we do very often, and stream out videos and interviews. But more than that, I believe in traveling to my branches.

As far as the banking industry is concerned - and I am sure it must be true for various industries as well - is that the only thing that is constant is change. Your business models are changing, the customer demands are changing and the regulations are changing constantly.

ICICI has been a meritocracy. So, a huge amount a lot of responsibilities, big roles, challenges, have been given to women, not because they are men or women or so on, but they were just given to people who have - who the organization believes has the capability to perform.

There are lots of India-related business which is nourished overseas. I mean India-related business that is done off-shore. There are lot of funds that are invested in India and run by Indians but are being operated from outside, mainly because of the taxation laws.

I remember the reactions I got when we first visited factories to inspect the projects that we were funding. It was not easy for people to see a woman there. That was a time when most of these workplaces were not even equipped with a loo for women.

I use my interaction with both my kids to know how the youth today relates to technology, their expectations in terms of mobility and social solutions by customer services-oriented businesses like banking.

Rather than worrying about entities, we should worry about the trends in technology that may cause disruptions... if we get so paranoid that banking is no longer going to exist and banks are going to get disrupted, I think that is a different worry.

The scope of activities for payments banks mainly includes acceptance of demand deposits, issuance of ATM/debit cards, payment and remittance services, and distribution of third-party products.

The MBA entrance exams are so quantitative-oriented that it keeps out more and more women from joining the MBA classes. If we were to make the entrance exams more all-rounded, you could see more participation.

I have always been saying that while - the legislative reforms are good, but there are so many low-hanging fruits that we have look for by taking executive decisions. I think the government is actually moving in the right direction.

Our institutional framework needs to be bolstered further. We have to implement laws like the proposed Bankruptcy Code and GST (Goods and Services Tax), which will create efficiencies and strongly support the business environment.

Mark-to-market losses are not real loss. It's a notional loss. What we can monitor is the credit quality of the underlying papers. Are the companies paying interest on time? Is there any deterioration in the credit quality of these companies?

As we were growing retail, and it was a huge growth phase, it was very important to keep our quality under control. Therefore, it was not just distribution, not just back-office operations, but also the risk-management practices. And these we learned together, supported by technology.

My priorities are going to be to play a very balanced role in the sense that I have to keep an eye on the challenges in the environment. At the same time, I have to keep an eye on the optimism that is there for India.

Remember that relationships are important and have to be nurtured and cherished. Also keep in mind that a relationship is a two way street, so be ready to give a relationship just as you would expect the other person to be giving to you.

I was only a young girl of 13 when my father passed away from a sudden heart attack, leaving us unprepared to take on life without him. We had been protected from life's challenges so far. But without warning, all that changed overnight.

My father, in a way, was a mentor in the way he instilled the basic values and ethics in me. My mother was a mentor by showing me an example to say that if women have tenacity, they can achieve whatever they have to.

What I was told by my parents was that, you know, take this inhibition out whether you're a girl or a boy. Basically, pursue your dream, and as long as you're a capable and hardworking human being, you will be able to follow and fulfill your dream.

One thing I would say about the Indian consumer is that as much change and as much technology, innovation that you offer to the Indian consumer, the Indian consumer is very receptive and actually keep expecting more, and we have had that great experience.

If we look at India and the Indian demographics and the Indian consumer, I think the Indian consumer is going digital, social, and mobile. They want everything in a digital format, everything available on the go, and we socially connected.

Every business has to re-think their own business model and say does it meet this DSM test and do their products and services meet the test of being digital, social, and mobile? I think the banks are doing the same.

Let me talk about what the banks are doing, and I think the banks have been working to make sure that, as much as possible, we move the currency to the smaller areas and to as many set of customers as possible.

Resolution can be in any form - S4A, SDR or restructuring - but we need an enabling environment where bankers feel comfortable to take decisions and where they also feel obliged to implement decisions in a timely manner.

It's not easy to have it all. Frankly, you know, you have to give as much to the career that the career requires and, at the same time, you have to give as much to the family as the attention that's required. But it can be done, yes.

The biggest challenge for me, for all of us, was that the consumer-credit market was very, very new for India and for ICICI. I was trying to create something that was not just new for me but absolutely unknown to the organization and the country as a whole.

We don't understand the equity market well, and so we deploy funds in fixed-income securities, and like any other securities, investment in those securities also need to follow the mark-to-market accounting principle.

India's growth drivers are actually two growth drivers. One is consumption, which arises out of our demographic advantage. And the other is the investments. Because we need a lot of investment in the country.

I had to create a team of people who had worked in this industry for other banks. What I brought to that team was ICICI's strategic thinking, but when it came to domain knowledge or product nuances, I had to learn from the team.

The restructuring theme can be of various kinds. Some amount of debt gets serviced out of cash flows, some gets back-ended and resolved with sale of non-core assets of the company, and some debt gets converted into equity which might today look like a haircut.

Our large size, capital base, robust funding profile, extensive distribution network, diversified portfolio, presence across the financial services sector, and leadership in technology position us very well to leverage the growth opportunities across the economy.

What we see is that we actually have digital channels through which the customers interact, but we also take the absolute brick channels, which is the branch, and convert that experience into a more digitised experience.

I believe Indian banks have a strong funding profile with largely deposit-funded balance sheets, a large physical presence to cater to the needs of customers, and ability to provide comprehensive solutions to customers.

Even if it does not become cashless economy, it will become a less cash economy, and I think that itself is going to be a good and big achievement, and I think we are, as a country, gone through many of large changes, and ICICI has been a leader in many of them.

We have to address impediments that stall implementation of projects and streamline the process to ensure smooth execution going forward. We need to address the leverage levels among corporates to restart investment cycle.

Nobody likes high interest rates.

It is always impossible to expect things getting done in 90 days.

Rising incomes and positive demographics will provide opportunities for retail financial services in India.

If you take existing ideas and make them affordable and scalable, you substantially change business models.

Innovation is a necessity.

I think everybody wants GST.

In India, we have the opportunity to give innovation the kind of scale that no other country in the world can.

Business has to be done with both head and heart.

An entrepreneur, whether man or woman, has to be willing to take help, whether financial or technical, to grow his or her business.

The issue of access to growth capital is common to all entrepreneurs. Any entrepreneur who can demonstrate a credible business model and plan would be able to access to capital.

As far as investors and customers are concerned, I make it a point to answer each and every piece of mail that comes to me.

It's about maintaining balance. Plan better, be organised. I chose to be a working wife and mother. Why should I compromise on either?

I was good with numbers.

I had to work just as hard as my male colleagues.

We have to always set an aspiration for ourselves and then strive to get there.

Business models that are relevant today are not relevant tomorrow and were not in existence yesterday.

I think India's growth itself will give opportunities for Indian banks to become substantially bigger.

Moving from corporate banking to retail banking to international banking to supervisory roles has meant completely reinventing myself.

I think competition is good. It finally delivers the best value to the customer, and I think it keeps all the players on their toes.

All my challenges have become opportunities.

When I moved from consumer banking to international banking, I thought I brought a lot of insights from India we could implement globally.

The Indian banking industry has always been full of competition, and there is enough room for growth.

I take all the stress on myself so everyone else can work without stress.

Getting small things like Visa or driving licence should be made easier as we, in financial service sectors, are dealing with financial regulations and tax constraints.

When people come and invest in India, they invest on a certain premise, and the fact that the very premise can change worries them a lot.

What is important for a leader is that you walk in a stable manner in your own shoes and do not trip.

A leader has to find opportunities in any environment.

Make sure you have that conviction to do what you know is right, and once you have it, don't let skeptics distract you from your path.

You have to handle the challenges and emerge stronger from them, rather than allow them to bog you down.

I learnt to always keep my mind open to new ideas and looked at each new assignment as an opportunity to learn and prove myself.

In a larger sense, we all write our own destiny.

We have a vision of a strong and prosperous India and an equally strong belief that this vision is achievable.

Remember to be sensitive to the feelings of people around you.

I believe that India's long-term growth story is strong, and foreign investors are keen to be a part of it.

ICICI Group has always been a catalyst in India's growth and continues to support the country in every sphere.

Only if you aspire for more will you achieve more.

I thought work and family complete life. Aarti's enthusiasm and energy levels made me realise that life can be even more wholesome and fuller.

Payments banks can also act as business correspondents of other banks.

We believe the new banks will complement the existing banking system, and there will be opportunities for players to identify mutually beneficial partnerships.

You can maintain work-life balance even while pursuing careers.

My belief is India's banking industry will continue to grow at two and a half times the GDP growth rate.

In India, we have the opportunity to give innovation the kind of scale that no other country in the world can. Innovation is a necessity.

A demography that is digitising rapidly, and the potential to invest in infrastructure, are the key strengths of India.

We have to understand that India is a complex country. Everything takes time for the real impact to get translated to the economy.

The growth that we are targeting for our bank is in line with the banking industry.

The consolidation that we started in 2009 was clearly the requirement of that time.

Successful strategic vision lay in the fact that we visualized the retail business to be much bigger, ahead of what others thought it to be.

What's important is that we see each year what the opportunities are, and make use of the opportunity.

The real underlying value comes if you can put a company back into a running state and it becomes a successful viable entity if it continues to repay loans.