Dr. R. Seetharaman
Dr. R. Seetharaman
- Proud Indian...
- by Ramani.VB
A boy who nearly dropped out of school at eighth standard because he could not afford to pay the school fees is today the man overseeing Banking Group with turnover of Billions of Dollars!! The boy who had to run all the way to school examination hall because his bicycle was punctured is the man who globe trots with Banking as his business and and environment as his special interest.
The boy who gave tuitions to students to get free books is sought after by every channel and media all over the globe for his thoughts and views on economic developments and current affairs. Meet Dr.R.Seetharaman, Chief Executive Officer of Doha Bank Group, Qatar. A self- made man destined to make a difference , his story is awe-inspiring for every young mind aiming big in life.
Hailing from Mayiladudurai, his father, Mr. Raghava Sharma, was a Sanskrit teacher who instilled exemplary moral values and discipline in his son. As quoted by Dr.Seetharaman” Though Economically backward we were always intellectually forward and even then my parents intelligently invested on my education and it still remains my capital asset”. But money was always short at home.
To support his education he aimed for a scholarship and spend sleepless nights and tiring days to achieve top-grade. His head master who realised the potential of the young school boy helped him achieve the scholarship. The way to this was very difficult but as the CEO of Doha Bank Group says “I guess it is the hard work and determined attitude that I developed at a young age is what keeps me going forward with a spirit that says never say die” .He did study Grade 9 onward on scholarship .
Furthermore to support his family he used to work at a shop in the town “As a boy, I used to work at a salary of Rs.9 per month to support my family’, reminisces Seetharaman. He remembers of an instance where he had to carry around 10 litres of kerosene and walk 10 kilometres to his house just to save money on transportation. ”Love and compassion for my family still drives my thoughts. Today Doha Bank is my extended family and the same spirits drive my attitude at work”
Mr.Seetharaman was a brilliant student and had no difficulty in blazing his way through the academic routines to pick-up the scholastic credentials needed for embarking on a good career in the financial world. He graduated in commerce from University of Madras, winning a Gold Medal from the University. He went on to complete his Chartered Accountancy.
He took up a job with a private company in India at first. He then moved to Qatar and joined the global consultancy firm Price Waterhouse. Later he worked in executive positions in three banks in Qatar.
The launch of his illustrious career started with his joining Doha Bank, Qatar in 2002. Doha bank was not very well known then. Making Doha Bank the biggest private bank in Qatar was a monumental task, even for a person like Seetharaman, with his brilliance and astuteness in business. But persisting with untiring effort is a way of life for him. He introduced innovative products and services, deployed consumer-centric technology solutions, adopted newer strategic business models, established full-fledged cross-border branch operations in Dubai & Kuwait, Opened representative offices at various financial centres across the globe, floated a 100% owned insurance subsidiary company, promoted a joint-venture brokerage firm and apart from all this developed a unique work culture at the Bank which paved the way for scaling new heights in the Financial Industry of Qatar.
His pragmatism and long-sightedness helped him carve out a niche for Doha Bank and drove the growth and development of the bank in line with the Growing Nation of Qatar. Doha Bank also became the pioneer in Green Banking technology in Qatar. In other words, with his magic touch, Doha Banking Group experienced a spectacular growth harnessing awards and accolades like never before all over the globe and the Banking Industry started looking upon Seetharaman with awe and respect.
Undoubtedly, as the shower of awards indicates, he is the person of the right caliber to head the Doha Bank. He has transformed Doha Bank as one of the best performing bank in the Middle East region and a well-reputed Global Brand. Under his stewardship, Doha Bank has been judged as the Best Bank repeatedly and has won many awards - such as the Best Bank in Qatar 2011 by EMEA and the Best Commercial Bank in Middle East 2010 by Banker Middle East.
Doha Bank posted a business volume of US$ 24 billion last year. “That has already become history; I always look ahead; The target for the current is much more; I am confident that the Bank would achieve that”, says Mr.Seetharaman with complete self-assurance.
A genius in financial accounting, Mr.Seetharaman has international statistics at his finger tips. He has earned innumerable Certificates, medals and awards in the fields of Foreign Exchange, Treasury operations, Banking, Business Management and corporate social responsibility. A few of the important awards conferred on him are:
* Honorary degree, doctor of Laws 2012 by Washington College.
* Doctorate of Honoris Causa 2012 by European University
* CEO of the year 2011 in Middle East at EMEA Awards
* International Indian of the Year Award 2010 from Govt of India
* Best CEO in Middle East Banking Industry 2008 by the Middle East Awards Institute from Honorable Dominique de Villepin, Former Prime Minister of France
* Arab Asian Banker Excellence Award 2006 from Annual Arab Asian Forum in Singapore
* The Phenomenal Banker Achievers Excellence Award from the President of Mauritius
* Lifetime achievement award by NRI institute
* Pravasi Achievers Gold Medal 2010 by NRI Welfare Society of India, London
* Gullands Excellence Awards for excellence as a phenomenal Banker
The Honoris Causa award from Washington College for ‘His unique and valuable contribution to society in the field of banking, knowledge management, corporate social responsibility and governance’ was significant as Dr.Seetharaman is well known in International media for his analytics and predications on the Financial crisis and global governance and the advocacy of Corporate Social Responsibility. Washington College was the first college that was established in USA in 1782. The award is a great honour as the list of such recipients in the past includes former US Presidents like George Washington, Roosevelt and George Bush and scientists like James Watson.
He also earned Doctor of Civil Laws of Honoris Causa 2012 by European University which is one of the World’s Best Business Schools for his unique and valuable contribution to Global Governance and social responsibility. The fact that he was bestowed upon by a double doctorate the same year by two of world’s best educational institutions is proof to the fact that the people around the world are standing up in ovation for his efforts to the society and financial industry.
The job of being a CEO of the biggest private bank in Qatar keeps him busy; It also keeps him on-the-move to clinch business deals throughout the world. A meeting with a top-client from GCC in the morning in Qatar, a seminar on risk-management in the afternoon at New York and a dinner conference with bankers in Moscow in the night can be his normal schedule for a day!!!
Mr.Seetharaman is a much sought after economist and financial expert in GCC. He is regularly approached by CNBC, BBC World, Reuters, Forbes, Fox Business, Sky News, Dow Jones, Bloomberg etc. and host of regional media channels for sharing his views and for seeking his expert opinion on varied topics in the fields of Economics, Banking and issues related to Environment.
He strongly believes in ‘knowledge sharing ‘and encourages people to develop an active mind. He is a renowned Quiz Master in State of Qatar and has successfully conducted a number of business quizzes, sports quizzes and green quizzes.
Apart from Banking, he is passionately interested in environmental issues. Currently, he is actively engaged in creating awareness to the global corporate community on global warming and climate change - causes, effects and measures. He has conducted environmental seminars acrossthe GCC and the rest of the world.
Under his guidance, Doha Bank has become synonymous with Green initiatives, by launching multi-frontal range of activities – First Eco-Friendly Card in GCC, ECO-Schools (www.ecoschools.com.qa), Tree Planting Initiatives , Beach Clean-up / Adopt-a-Beach campaign, Recycling and Waste Management programmes, reduction of carbon footprint, first 'Doha Green Conference' in Qatar, a dedicated Green Bank website (www.dohagreenbank.com), Planet-Savers Club, commitment to Carbon neutrality, Paperless Banking, Donation Campaigns through ATMs, Green Quiz - and is considered the model for Corporate Social Responsibilites, as the global awards conferred on it shows.
And if you thought he was a man of all work, you are mistaken. During school he was a great stage artiste and used to even support his family with his artistic abilities. He remembers how he won the first mixer-grinder for his house winning a drama competition.In the recent function for the Qatar Tamil Sangham at Qatar he had the watching crowds exhilarated as he enacted Nadikar Thilakam Sivaji Ganesan on stage leaving stalwarts like Gangaiamaran and Actor Sathyaraj awestruck.
Dr.Seetharaman is a simple person and shows respect for every one without fail. Achievements, accolades and awards do not inflate his ego. The strong moral and ethical foundation for the personal character of Seetharaman, son of a Sanskrit Scholar, becomes evident when he humbly attributes all his personal successes to the guidance and blessings of “Mata, Pitha, Guru, Daivam” (Mother, Father, Teacher and God) . He mentions that God always creates a universe within us and for me that universe is my parents. “Especially, I owe a lot to my mother, Mrs.Durgambal Raghava Sharma” says Seetharaman, acknowledging her valuable support in enabling him to reach his current prominent position in his career.
It is said that there is a woman behind every successful man. “In my case, there are two women – my mother and my wife, Sangeeta”, declares Mr.R.Seetharaman. The happy couple have two daughters – Shweta and Shruti.
It must be a matter of pride for Indians in general and Tamilians in particular that a bud from Mayiladuthiruai has blossomed in the desert State of Qatar and dazzling all. Having reached the pinnacle of Banking at an young age of 50, Mr.Seetharaman is sure to continue to scale greater heights in the years ahead. But more importantly, Mr.Seetharaman has become a role-model for a number of aspiring youths .As he quoted during his acceptance speech at Washington College “If my life can be an example to liberate young minds from bondage of their illusionary backwardness and weaknesses, in that lies the self- realization of a human being. I have a long way to go forward”.
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