Zarin Daruwala,
45, Group Executive, Wholesale Banking, ICICI Bank
(New on BT's Most Powerful list)

A woman can be known by her mentors. In that department, few can match Zarin Daruwala. She started her career, in the late eighties, working with eminent chartered accountant Y.H. Malegam, who later advised her to join ICICI Ltd (before it became a bank).

At ICICI, her first boss was Lalita Gupte, one of the stalwarts of the ICICI group. In a few years she was working in the office of N. Vaghul, then chairman of the development financial institution.

Biggest achievement in 2010: Elevation to Group Executive where she manages more than 4,000 corporate clients Being a powerful woman is important because: It brings a sense of responsibility towards people whose lives can be changed by your decisions Tip for work-life balance: Prioritise, strategise, trust your people, sell your idea to your team and watch the difference A workplace without women is like: A glass half full

All that guidance seems to have worked well. Today, Daruwala is a key member in CEO Chanda Kochhar's new top team, entrusted three months ago with a portfolio that accounts for a little over half of ICICI Bank's bottom line.

A glance at her various stints explains why Kochhar chose her for this key role. After working in Vaghul's office, Daruwala got married and shifted to Delhi in 1992 with ICICI Securities, where she developed skills in managing bond issues, public issues and M&As. Five years on she was back in Mumbai - in corporate banking. That stint gave her the confidence to mingle directly with promoters and the managements of topnotch corporates. "I can now engage with anybody at any level in any organisation," says Daruwala, who meets at least three clients a day.

The all-round experience was complete when in 2002 she was given ICICI's rural portfolio. By 2005, she was back in corporate banking. The key to her successful journey? "At the end of the day, the client should respect you." Some 4,000 of them do.

-Anand Adhikari

The 30 Most Powerful Women
1. Schauna Chauhan 2. Zarin Daruwala 3. Lynn de Souza 4. Tanya Dubash 5. Shyamala Gopinath 6. Vinita Gupta 7. Kaku Nakhate 8. Vedika Bhandarkar 9. Manisha Girotra 10. Lalita Gupte 11. Usha Narayanan 12. Akhila Srinivasan 13. Leena Nair 14. Vinita Bali 15. Chanda Kochhar	16. Roopa Kudva 17. Naina Lal Kidwai 18. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw 19. Zarina Mehta 20. Zia Mody 21. Kalpana Morparia 22. Vishakha Mulye 23. Swati Piramal 24. Meher Pudumjee 25. Madhabi Puri Buch 26. Chitra Ramkrishna 27. Preetha Reddy 28. Shikha Sharma 29. Mallika Srinivasan 30. Sangeeta Talwar