Quotes from Chanda Kochhar

If there is a course that is quant-oriented, you need to focus on that, but if it is a course that is more general management-oriented, do you not need entrance examinations which are more all round?

No one thing can change the face of any sector.

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 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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

I chose to be a working wife and mother. Why should I compromise on either?

Aim for the sky, but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete.

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

It is crucial to bridge the critical gap between manpower availability and employability by providing sustainable livelihood opportunities for all to grow and prosper.

Two eyes are given for a reason. One eye to always look at the opportunity. The second eye to always keep looking at the challenges. Because if you don't balance both, it's very easy to get carried away one way or the other. And it's when you balance the two that you find the most sustainable model.

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

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

What my parents believed was that, you know, the best wealth they could give to us children was to educate us and, you know - give us that foundation.

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

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.

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

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.

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