A lot has been achieved in the 26 years of HDFC Bank Ltd., but the โbest is yet to comeโ, the lender's outgoing chief executive officer has said.
"I haven't been happier than I'm now as I write this. I've always maintained our best is yet to come, and with Sashi now at the helm I have no doubt that our best will come,โ Aditya Puri said in an email to employees.
Earlier this month, HDFC Bank appointed Sashidhar Jagdishan as its new CEO, replacing Puri who has been at the helm of the private lender since its inception. The Reserve Bank of India has approved the appointment effective Oct. 27. Puri retires on that day. He recently sold his company shares worth Rs 843 crore.
According to him, Jagdishan is the "worthiest person" to lead the bank.
"I wouldn't go into the qualities he possesses because most of us would know that. Suffice to say that in him you have the best person to lead and I have the worthiest person to hand over the baton to," he said in the email.
The outgoing CEO was the first employee of what is now India's largest private bank. โIf I look back, 26 years seems like yesterday. From my first office with broken chairs to now, what we have achieved in this time is incredible and doesn't have too many parallels globally.โ
"Sample some of our achievements that I am very proud of: We truly are a world-class Indian bank today and one of the largest in independent India in terms of outreach, balance sheet, number of customers and market capitalisation. We have brought 1.11 crore families out of poverty through our Sustainable Livelihood Initiative," he said.
Besides, he said, the bank has made a difference to the lives of over 7.8 crore Indians through its corporate social responsibility initiative Parivartan. "We have come to be recognised as one of the country's best wealth creators and we have emerged as one of the largest employers in independent India.โ
HDFC Bank's biggest strength is its employees, Puri said.
"Like I've always said I'm just the face of the success called HDFC Bank. It's you that the real credit goes to. We wouldn't be what we are today without you. So take a bow and keep showering on Sashi the same love and affection that you've showered on me all these years for which I'm going to remain eternally grateful to you."
Also Read: โChange Agent' To CEO: Sashidhar Jagdishan Set To Bring Continuity To HDFC Bank
HDFC Bank has over the past three decades built an employee strength of about 1.16 lakh and has 5,326 branches and 14,996 ATMs across 2,825 cities and towns of India.
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