List of chairmen of the State Bank of India

Chairman of State Bank of India
Incumbent
Dinesh Kumar Khara
since 7 October 2020
ResidenceDunedin Bunglow, Mumbai
AppointerGovernment of India
Term lengthThree years
Constituting instrumentthe State Bank of India Act, 1955
Inaugural holderJohn Matthai (1955–1956)
Formation1 July 1955
Deputy4 Managing Directors and 8 Directors
Salary₹225,000 (US$2,800)
Websitebank.sbi

The chairman of the State Bank of India is the chief executive officer of India's largest scheduled commercial bank and the ex-officio chair of its Central Board of Directors. Since its establishment in 1955 by the government of India, the SBI has been headed by twenty-six chairpersons.

The term of office typically runs for three years and can, in some cases, be extended for another two years. However, in practice, only two chairmen, Raj Kumar Talwar and Arundhati Bhattacharya, had their terms extended. Arundhati Bhattacharya was also the first female chairperson of the bank and continues to be the only woman to have held that post

The inaugural officeholder was the Indian railway minister John Matthai, while Raj Kumar Talwar holds the unique distinction of having been in office for the longest time. P. C. Bhattacharya also held the post of governor of Reserve Bank of India.

Although the State Bank of India, through its predecessors, the Imperial Bank of India and others, has existed in some form since 1806, this article strives to list only those chairmen who have headed the bank since its formation in its modern form, that is since 1955.

Dinesh Kumar Khara is the current chairman of the State Bank of India since 7 October 2020.

SBI chairman list

List of chairmen of the State Bank of India
No. Officeholder Portrait Term start Term end Term in office Background Other offices held References
1 John Matthai 1 July 1955 30 September 1956 1 year, 91 days  Economist Minister of Railways and Minister of Finance
2 H. V. R. Iengar 1 October 1956 28 February 1957 150 days  Indian Civil Service officer Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
3 P. C. Bhattacharya 1 March 1957 28 February 1961 3 years, 364 days  Indian Audits and Accounts Service officer Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
4 Borra Venkatappaiah 1 March 1962 28 February 1965 2 years, 364 days  Indian Civil Service (ICS) officer Deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India
5 V. T. Dehejia 1 March 1965 28 February 1969 3 years, 364 days  Career civil servant Indian Civil Service officer
6 Raj Kumar Talwar 1 March 1969 3 August 1976 7 years, 155 days  Career banker
7 T. R. Varadachary 4 August 1976 30 April 1977 269 days  Career banker
8 P. C. D. Nambiar 23 May 1977 13 December 1982 5 years, 204 days  Career banker
9 V. S. Natarajan 20 December 1982 30 January 1983 41 days  Career banker
10 R. P. Goyal 31 January 1983 30 November 1983 303 days  Career banker
11 Vishwanath N. Nadkarni 1 December 1983 27 July 1984 239 days  Career banker
12 D. N. Ghosh 13 May 1985 12 May 1989 3 years, 364 days  Career civil servant Indian Audit and Accounts Service officer
13 Atal V. 15 January 1990 17 February 1990 33 days  Career banker
14 M. N. Goiporia 19 February 1990 31 July 1992 2 years, 163 days  Career banker Chairman of the Central Bank of India
15 Dipankar Basu 25 February 1993 31 August 1995 2 years, 187 days  Career banker
 Economist
16 P. G. Kakodkar 1 October 1995 31 March 1997 1 year, 181 days  Career banker Chairman of the Goa Public Service Commission
17 M. S. Verma 1 April 1997 30 September 1998 1 year, 182 days  Career banker Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
18 M. P. Radhakrishnan 1 December 1998 31 January 1999 61 days  Career banker Economist
19 G. G. Vaidya 1 February 1999 31 October 2000 1 year, 273 days  Career banker Chairman of the State Bank of Travancore
20 Janki Vallabh 1 November 2000 31 October 2002 1 year, 364 days  Career banker Economist
21 Arun Kumar Purwar 13 November 2002 31 May 2006 3 years, 199 days  Career banker Chairman of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry

Senior lecturer at the University of Allahabad

22 O. P. Bhatt 1 July 2006 6 April 2011 4 years, 279 days  Career banker Chairman of the Indian Banks' Association
23 Pratip Chaudhuri 7 April 2011 30 September 2013 2 years, 176 days  Career banker Chairman of the State Bank of Saurashtra
24 Arundhati Bhattacharya 1 October 2013 6 October 2017 4 years, 5 days  Career banker Head of India Operations of Salesforce
25 Rajnish Kumar 7 October 2017 6 October 2020 2 years, 365 days  Career banker Chairman of the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance
26 Dinesh Kumar Khara 7 October 2020 Incumbent 3 years, 114 days  Career banker Chairman of the SBI Life Insurance Company