JSW’s Seshagiri Rao on the steelmaker’s past, present and future

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Editor's note: Over the past 25 years, Sajjan Jindal has created JSW Steel as the biggest success story in the Indian steel industry. One person who has had a ringside view of this journey is Seshagiri Rao, the company’s long-time chief financial officer who later became group CFO and joint managing director.  Rao stepped down from the board of JSW Steel on 6 April, after a stint of nearly 25 years, marking a significant milestone in corporate India’s history. Not only does JSW’s rise coincide with the emergence of the Indian economy in the post-liberalization era, but the company’s success is also about beating the odds and trumping rival Tata Steel, which had a head start of nearly 100 years.  Rao’s career is no less inspiring. Juggling work and night classes, he started out in 1984 at Andhra Bank. His first posting was in a nondescript village in Andhra Pradesh where he approved agricultural loan applications of Rs 3,000. He soon moved to Mumbai and then to the corporate world. In 1987, Rao joined the Essar Group. Quickly making his name in …