Consumer Bank and, as a result, benefited from an accelerated learning curve. Citibank opened up the world to Jolly. It also gave him an opportunity to work with accomplished leaders early in his career, including Mr. Samit Ghosh, who was then Vice President and Business Manager of the Non Resident Indian Business. Jolly’s memories get him nostalgic, as he reminisces the many corners of the globe he traveled setting up NRI outposts and building relationships for the bank, seeing places he had only dreamt of until then. He moved back to India, joining the fledgling Credit Card business, and set up the Merchant Service function successfully. He learnt the ropes of the cards business with a variety of roles, including recoveries, while continuing to grow professionally. Within the Cards business he was responsible for the Southern Region, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Then an opportunity to manage the Branch Banking business came up. A risk taker at heart, he promptly opted for the role, which, prima-facie seemed much smaller at the time. Today he says, that it was the role in which he could learn from everybody around and it prepared him for a new set of opportunities that would have perhaps, otherwise not come his way!

From India, Jolly moved to Bahrain, taking responsibility for the bank’s consumer business in Bahrain, a business that Samit Ghosh had set up for the bank. After managing the business in Bahrain successfully for over three years, he moved to Cairo, managing Marketing and Distribution at Citibank, Egypt, one of Citibank’s designated high-growth locations. He successfully grew Citibank Egypt’s business, introducing products, services and distribution strategies, many of which were the ‘first ever’ in the Egyptian marketplace. The business delivered strong double digit growth year-on-year, with predictable and stable earning streams. His last assignment with Citibank was at New York, home to Citigroup’s multi billion dollar financial services empire. He lived and worked in Manhattan as Senior Vice President and Director, Agent & Affinity Banking, Citi Cards. This period turned out to be a defining one in Jolly’s life. While managing a significant business at Citigroup, he began to discover the joys of service and volunteering – from soup kitchens to fulfilling ‘make-a-wish’ foundation requests at Christmas time. It got him thinking. All through this time, Jolly kept in touch with the Ghosh family through an annual update they shared with friends.

One afternoon in May, 2007, his wife Shanti, and he met the Ghoshs over lunch, at a Spanish restaurant in New York. Over a few sangrias Jolly began to speak his mind on trying to find a meaning to life and work. Elaine and Samit empathized with him, and recounted how they were faced with similar questions. On Jolly’s return to India, Samit invited him to Bangalore to visit and take a closer look at Ujjivan’s work. In hindsight, Jolly feels it was a walk through the slums and the visit to Ujjivan customers’ homes that helped him make up his mind. He had decided that it was time to give back to the community and Ujjivan offered him a medium to do so.

Today, a year after joining Ujjivan, Jolly feels that he is indeed making a difference to the lives of the poor. He is optimistic that through the efforts of Ujjivan and other likeminded organizations, the disparities in incomes and wealth that exist in India, would be bridged over time.

Jolly is a firm believer that if one works with focus, honesty and diligence, God will take care of the results.