Seshagiri Rao retires from JSW board after 24 years of service

Despite being interested in IT, Rao pursued finance due to personal reasons and his love for numbers grew when he studied at Vijayawada's KBN College. Rao would have remained a banker like his elder brother, who retired from the State Bank of India, but decided to move out of Andhra Bank because he didn't like being transferred every three years. And since he had acquired degrees in cost accountancy and also become a company secretary, he decided to move back to the corporate world at the Essar Group. Ten years later, he joined the Jindals.

Over the two decades at JSW Steel, Rao negotiated many a steel cycle, always making sure the firm's finances were in good shape. The iron ore crisis post the ban on mining in Karnataka was a difficult time for JSW Steel, with the Vijaynagar plant operating at just 30 percent capacity due to a shortage of ore supplies. Despite ore prices shooting up and the topline in trouble, Rao managed to keep the company afloat, demonstrating that managing a company's finances is more than just book-keeping.

In his post-retirement plans, Rao mentioned a few things that he would like to do, including going for a second honeymoon with his wife Shobha, visiting cities in Europe and the US, and spending more time with his daughters.