From journalism to financial leadership, a journey of resilience, strategy and human touch | Beyond the Numbers | A Different Kind of Banker
NV Paulose, Chairman, Global TV +91 98441 82044
Leaders are often judged by the size of the balance sheets they command or the scale of the profits they deliver. But every so often, there comes a leader who quietly rewrites the definition of success. For Ms. Beena Vaheed, Executive Director of Bank of Baroda, numbers have never been the whole story.
Her three decades in banking tell a richer tale, a story of transformation, courage and human centered leadership. She has moved with ease from publicity campaigns to multi crore corporate portfolios, from leading deposit strategies to global sustainability discussions. Yet, what binds all these diverse experiences together is her ability to see institutions as more than systems. For her, they are ecosystems of people, values and trust.
This is not the language of conventional banking. But then, Ms. Vaheed has never been a conventional banker.
A Flair for Media and Communication
Long before she was entrusted with managing zones that carried over two lakh crore in business, Ms. Vaheed was immersed in a very different world, the world of communication, media and storytelling. A graduate in Science and a post graduate in Communication and Journalism from the University of Kerala, she carried within her an unusual skillset for someone destined for banking.
Her early career trajectory bore this out. She began her professional journey in Corporation Bank in 1993 as a Publicity Officer. While many of her peers were focusing on numbers and credit assessments, Ms. Vaheed was crafting campaigns, designing communication strategies and shaping how an entire bank was perceived by the outside world.
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In a landmark moment for the institution, she contributed significantly to the successful launch of Corporation Bank’s IPO in 1997. It was a task that required not only marketing acumen but also credibility and storytelling finesse. The lessons she learned during this time, the power of narrative, the importance of perception, and the art of connecting with diverse audiences, would later prove to be invaluable as she climbed the leadership ladder in Indian banking.
Her journalism background became more than an academic pursuit. It became a leadership philosophy. She understood, early on, that banking is not just about transactions. It is about trust, communication and the stories we tell people about their money and their future.
The Banker Emerges – Laying Strong Foundations
As she transitioned from publicity into mainstream banking roles, Ms. Vaheed brought her distinctive perspective into every assignment. Over the years, she worked across an impressive spectrum of verticals: Retail Banking, Agriculture and MSME lending, Credit Assessment, Human Resources, Government Banking, Credit Cards, Merchant Acquisition and the Liability franchise.
Her assignments as Branch Head were a testing ground where strategy met execution. She steered strong business growth, ensured risk and compliance, and nurtured customer relationships. Here, she displayed the unique combination of sharp business acumen and soft skills in team motivation, a combination that would later become the hallmark of her leadership.
From these roles, she rose to Deputy General Manager and then to General Manager, handling one of the largest regions of Corporation Bank. In these positions, she was entrusted with major corporate accounts, managing significant business volumes and improving profitability. But colleagues remember her not only for her business performance but also for her ability to make teams feel valued, connected and inspired.
This is where her flair for media and communication seamlessly blended into leadership. She did not just issue instructions. She told stories, painted visions and made people believe they were part of something bigger.
The Test of Integration – A Human Leader in Times of Change
The year 2020 marked a dramatic shift for Indian banking when Corporation Bank was amalgamated into Union Bank of India. For thousands of employees, this was a moment of uncertainty, even anxiety. Cultural identities were at stake, careers seemed unsettled, and operational integration was a massive challenge.
It was here that Ms. Beena Vaheed’s leadership shone through. Appointed as General Manager of HR Operations for the amalgamated Union Bank of India, she played a crucial role in steering the cultural integration. She was not merely aligning systems. She was aligning hearts and minds.
Her focus was on ensuring that employees felt respected and carried forward a sense of belonging. She emphasized communication, engagement and trust building. In the backdrop of a corporate merger where metrics and structures often dominate, her approach was refreshingly human. She turned a challenging phase into an opportunity for institutional renewal, demonstrating once again that banking is as much about people as it is about profits.
The Strategist – Managing Lakhs of Crores
After stabilizing the human side of amalgamation, Ms. Vaheed was entrusted with one of the most challenging operational assignments of her career, managing the Delhi Zone of Union Bank of India, the second largest zone of the bank, with business exceeding two lakh crore.
The numbers were staggering. This role meant oversight of vast deposits, loans, corporate accounts and compliance structures. But beyond the scale, the role demanded constant navigation of a highly competitive financial market, regulatory expectations and customer diversity.
Her tenure was marked by steady profitability, strengthened compliance and expansion of the bank’s market share. She managed this not with aggressive short term tactics but with strategic balance, a quality that has earned her admiration across the banking sector.
Deposits, Digital and the Customer Centric Turn
In her next major assignment, as Chief General Manager in charge of the Deposit Mobilisation Department, she was entrusted with one of the most critical levers of banking success: liabilities.
Here, she oversaw the entire range of deposit products, led strategic initiatives and implemented structural changes to strengthen the liability base. Under her stewardship, deposit mobilisation was not just about volume. It was about product innovation, customer engagement and digital integration.
She also spearheaded efforts in credit cards and merchant acquisition, broadening Union Bank’s presence in retail financial products. This was a natural progression of her career long ability to connect finance with communication. She knew how to speak to the customer’s aspirations, not just their accounts.
Recognitions and Leadership Beyond Banking
Awards and recognitions have followed Ms. Vaheed at every stage of her career. Among the most notable is the Distinguished Alumni Award 2024 from IIM Kozhikode, a recognition of her professional excellence and contributions to the financial sector.
She has also served on important boards, including:
- Director on the Board of Union Bank of India Services Ltd.
- Director on the Board of Bank of Baroda
- Director on the Board of BOB Capital Markets Ltd.
- Director on the Board of Baroda BNP Paribas Asset Management India Pvt. Ltd.
These roles reflect not only her operational competence but also her ability to contribute to institutional governance, strategy and long term vision.
Global Perspective – Sustainability and Risk of the Future
One of the most remarkable aspects of Ms. Vaheed’s leadership journey is her global outlook. In June 2025, she attended the Climate and Nature Risk Symposium in London, hosted by the Global Association of Risk Professionals.
Her presence there was not symbolic. It was reflective of her deep conviction that banking cannot remain insulated from global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and sustainability. For her, risk management is not just about credit or compliance. It is also about environmental and social resilience.
Having also completed a Director’s Certification in ESG Leadership from IICA and MCA, she represents a new breed of Indian banker who is equally comfortable discussing capital adequacy and carbon footprints.
Leadership Style – Strategy with a Human Touch
Colleagues and subordinates often describe Ms. Vaheed as a leader who is both strategic and empathetic. She is known for her ability to build teams, nurture talent and motivate people towards collective goals.
Her approach combines:
- Strategic Acumen – ability to see the bigger picture.
- People Development – mentoring, coaching, empowering.
- Customer Engagement – treating every customer interaction as an opportunity for trust building.
- Team Motivation – inspiring people to perform at their best, not out of fear but out of shared vision.
This leadership style has earned her multiple awards and, more importantly, the respect of those she leads.
Media Mind in Banking – The Rare Edge
What truly differentiates Ms. Beena Vaheed from many of her contemporaries is her media sensibility. Her grounding in journalism and communication is not a forgotten footnote. It is a living, breathing advantage.
She understands that banking is also about narrative capital, the ability to communicate trust, build stories around products and inspire confidence among customers and stakeholders. In a world where perception often precedes performance, her dual background in journalism and banking has given her an extraordinary edge.
This unique combination makes her not only a banker of today but also a communicator of tomorrow.
A Role Model for Women in Leadership
In an industry where women are still underrepresented in senior roles, Ms. Vaheed’s journey is especially inspiring. She embodies the idea that leadership is not about fitting into a mold but about creating one’s own path with authenticity and resilience.
Her career serves as a powerful narrative for young professionals, especially women, that it is possible to rise to the highest echelons of banking while staying true to one’s unique strengths and values.
Architect of Trust
Looking at her career, one sees not just a banker but a builder of trust. From designing publicity campaigns in the 1990s to steering sustainability discussions in the 2020s, Ms. Beena Vaheed has shown that leadership is about adaptation, vision and above all, people.
At Bank of Baroda today, she stands as more than an Executive Director. She is a mentor, a strategist, a communicator and a role model. She blends the precision of finance with the warmth of human connection, proving that banking, at its best, is not about numbers alone. It is about stories of growth, trust and shared futures.
