A tacit feature of a 60s and 70s movie - the proverbially wicked Munimji (generally, Jeevan), smirking at others’ bad luck and rubbing his hands in glee, his spectacles on the crook of his nose - was the general unrosy picture of a treasurer!

Enter the 80s and thereafter in reality, breaking the regular norms, an intelligent, ambitious and highly capable (and good looking to boot!) woman permeated the male-dominated world of banking. With challenge her adrenalin and output her aim - Mumbai-based Tarini  Vaidya has many ‘firsts in the country’ to her credit.

- the first and only woman treasurer.

- the first woman inter-bank dealer (1987).

- the first woman CEO of a foreign bank (2000).

Barely 14 when she decided to make banking her career choice, obviously not the regular medical/engineering aspirant, investment banking sounded glamorous to the Cancerian. She adds she decided on it because she wanted a ‘9-5’ job (to begin with!)

After growing up at the different places her Army father was posted to, she did her B Com Honours from Lady Shree Ram College, Delhi. She then decided to take up her first job at ANZ Grindlays Bank in 1987. Describing her 8-year stint there as a ‘fabulous experience, she worked hard and long because she “didn’t want to let down the bank.”

Though she did give MBA a thought, seniors dissuaded her from it because work experience in her profession was more valuable. A different interpretation of her original choice of department led the way to the Treasury section, a default decision that thrilled her from day 1 and one she continued with then on.

After more than 22 years in banking, Tarini feels the past two decades have seen a sea change in perception. “ Inter-bank trading is a more risky area that involves a speculative position. It also involves a preconception that women can’t take such a responsibility.

But women are hard as nails, and don’t break down so easily - with an iron fist in a velvet glove,” she asserts. She recollects an amusing incident of the blatant use of female guile wherein she was asked by an earlier boss to go and cry in front of someone from another organisation so as to make that person ‘melt’. Well, she didn’t do it.

Jump in banking

During the 90s there was a huge jump in the banking sector that led to many people making company moves, she recollects. Pulled in the same wave, she joined a new foreign bank in India, Dresdner, as head of money markets. Her  zeal - meeting the challenge of setting up things - saw her through three years and a stint thereafter, as none other than CEO of the Belgian - KBC Bank NV for a couple of years.

Tarini finally took a 15-month break after 17 years in banking. After this she took up a job in Pune with a banking software development firm for a few months. Then came the next challenge, her job as country treasurer with Centurion Bank of Punjab. Eager to back into a challenging role, she became part of the team that was to re-engineer certain changes in the bank.

Constant pressure

The working woman is under constant pressure ‘to perform’ unlike her male counterparts, feels Tarini. When a male colleague has to take off to take a sick wife to the doctor, it’s ok, but when his female counterpart has to do some urgent homely chore, it always raises male sceptical disapproving eyebrows, specially if you’re new in the company.

Tarini’s advice to working women - “Don’t make too many career shifts - specially when there are children and family involved! For you have to keep proving your worth all the time. Create your own brand equity right from when you are single... so that you can walk up to your boss at any point of time and ask for time for family whenever the need arises.”

There’s a certain level of intimidation about successful women, she adds. Can marriage and career go hand in hand? Most definitely, she answers.

Many of her colleagues who are married, put in long working hours and still go home and make the meals, Tarini says, conveying her tremendous respect for such women and feels she pales in comparison. And, “No, women now don’t need to sacrifice career for family life for even employers are more understanding now.”

Lisa Caputo’s quote “Between family and career, women are juggling so many priorities that managing finances often falls to the bottom of the list,” might be a misnomer here!