A historic milestone. A wind of change. The breaking of a gender barrier.
All of this was achieved after Jaya Verma Sinha became the first female CEO and Chairperson of the Railway Board breaking a 166-year-old spell. The traditionally male-dominated corridors of the Indian Railway system will now be headed by a woman.
This is a remarkable achievement for Jaya Verma Sinha because it symbolises a complete paradigm shift in leadership within one of India’s largest and most vital sectors. I’m not sure if a lot of people realize how important this moment is!
According to Mint, she graduated from Allahabad University and joined the Indian Railways in 1988. She has worked in the Northern Railway, South-East Railway and Eastern Railway. Previously, she was a Member of Operations and Business Development, Railway Board, Ministry of Railways.
Her career spans over 35 years and she has worked in a variety of departments including operations, commercial, IT and vigilance. She was also the first woman to be appointed as the Principal Chief Operations Manager of South Eastern Railway.
In her new role, she succeeded Anil Kumar Lahoti and will be responsible for the overall transportation of freight and passenger services, reported India Today.
Notably, she was at the forefront of the Indian Railways’ communication with the media when the entire Balasore incident happened which killed 300 people.
The accomplishments of Jaya Verma Sinha prove that she is a trailblazer who is rewriting the narrative of leadership in the Indian Railways.