This well-capitalised, digitally-focussed, wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore-based DBS is not just riding through a tough phase, it is doing it at the right pace, and knows where it is going
Surojit Shome MD & CEO (left) and Kishore Poduri , MD & country head (HR)
Image: Neha Mithbawkar for Forbes India
Most corporate amalgamations are tricky business. If the move is to merge a financially distressed and culturally different entity into another company, largely only through external due diligence, it makes things more difficult. And if it is being executed during the now-two-year-long pandemic—with people integration, hiring staff, and mental and physical wellness issues being real concerns—you would want to hope that macroeconomic conditions are on your side.
The fact that DBS Bank India Ltd (DBIL) has been voted into the Forbes India-Kincentric Best Employer 2021 list for the second successive year indicates that this well-capitalised, digitally-focussed, wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore-based DBS is not just riding through a tough phase. It is doing it at the right pace, has prioritised HR, training and workforce planning, and knows where it is going.
In a normal integration, a corporate would try to incorporate and impose its culture and discipline into the new structure. “But for an institution [like LVB] with a 95-year history and a customer-focussed legacy, we needed to imbibe this and create a unified culture, rather than impose our way of doing things,” says Surojit Shome, managing director and CEO, DBS Bank India.
(This story appears in the 11 March, 2022 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)