Indian Railways gets its first-ever woman CEO and chairperson as Jaya Varma Sinha assumes charge

The Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on 31 August announced the appointment of Jaya Varma Sinha, a seasoned member of Indian Railway Management Services (IRMS), as the first woman Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and chairperson of Railway Board, the apex decision-making body for the national transporter. Sinha, on September 1, assumed the office of the Chairman and CEO of the Railway Board succeeding Anil Kumar Lahoti.

“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Jaya Verma Sinha, Indian Railway Management Services (IRMS), Member (Operations & Business Development), Railway Board to the post of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Railway Board,” a government order said.

Jaya Varma Sinha’s appointment will be effective from the date of her assumption of charge on or after September 1, 2023. She will hold this esteemed position until her superannuation, with an additional re-employment period from October 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024. This significant announcement is accompanied by the assurance that her term will adhere to the standard terms and conditions, or until further orders, whichever transpires earlier.

Why is her appointment noteworthy?

Sinha’s appointment signifies a pivotal juncture in the 166-year history of the Indian Railways, as he takes on the mantle of CEO, becoming the first woman to hold this esteemed position.

Established in 1905, the railway board, a key institution within the Indian Railways, has been functioning for over 118 years. Sinha’s ascent to the role of chairman and CEO marks the first instance in its history that a woman has held this pivotal position. Her appointment reflects not only her exceptional capabilities but also the increasing recognition of gender diversity and inclusivity in leadership roles within India’s railways.

All about Jaya Varma Sinha

Sinha, an alumnus of Allahabad University, joined the Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) in 1988 and worked in three railway zones: Northern Railway, South Eastern Railway, and Eastern Railway. She was currently serving as a Member of Operations and Business Development (MOBD), Railway Board, Ministry of Railways where she was responsible for the overall transportation of freight and passenger services on Indian Railways. As MOBD also, Sinha was the first woman to hold that crucial top most traffic post in the Railway Board.

Prior to the current assignment, she was an Additional Member of the Traffic Transportation, Railway Board. In the last 2 years, Indian Railways has registered an all-time high growth of over 20 per cent in the freight segment and has broken the mark of 1.5 billion tonnes annually in freight. She has also served in Centre for Railway Electrification (CORE).

Ms Sinha was the public face of the railways in the wake of the tragic Balasore accident, that killed nearly 300 people in Odisha, explaining the complex signaling system to the media.

In her career of spanning over 35 years with the Indian Railways, she has worked on diverse verticals 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.

She has also been Principal Chief Commercial Manager of Northern Railway and Divisional Railway Manager, Eastern Railway, Sealdah Division. She had worked as the Railway Advisor with the High Commission of India in Dhaka, Bangladesh for 4 years during which the famous Maitree Express running from Kolkata to Dhaka was inaugurated.

With a distinguished career within the Indian Railways, Sinha has demonstrated exemplary leadership and expertise in the realm of Operations and Business Development. Her elevation to the coveted position of Chairman and CEO, of the Railway Board, underscores her remarkable contributions and dedication to the development of the railway sector.

As Jaya Varma Sinha prepares to take on this historic responsibility, the railway community at large eagerly anticipates the positive transformations and progressive strides that her leadership is poised to bring to one of India’s oldest and most vital sectors. Railways to increase compensation for accident victims by ten times