Mr. Shailesh. J. Mehta

Chairman, Independent and Non-Executive Director

Dr. Shailesh J. Mehta has completed his Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, and holds a master’s degree in Operations Research from Case Western Reserve University. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Operation Research and computer science from Case Western Reserve University. He also holds Hon. Doctorate in Human Letters from the California State University. He has over 45 years of work experience and has held the positions of President, Granite Hill Capital Ventures, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Providian Financial Corporation, Operating general partner, West Bridge Capital, President and Chief Operating Officer, Capital Holding Insurance group, and Executive Vice President, Key Corp. He has also served on the U.S. Board of Master Card International, Board of PayPal Inc, Chairman of First Source solutions, Trustee of California State University System. He is founder of the Shailesh J Mehta School of management at IIT Bombay. 

Mr. V.P. Nandakumar
Managing Director & CEO.
Mr. V.P. Nandakumar is a post graduate in science with additional qualifications in Banking & Foreign Trade. Immediately after completion of his education, he joined the erstwhile Nedungadi Bank Limited. In 1986, he resigned from the Bank to take over the family business, upon the demise of his father, V.C. Padmanabhan. In 1992, he promoted Manappuram Finance Ltd. and has been a director of the company since then. In the past, Mr. Nandakumar has been associated with leading trade and industry associations such as ASSOCHAM and CII in various capacities. He is currently the Co-Chair of the State Council of FICCI Kerala.

Dr.Sumitha Nandan

Executive Director

In past, Dr.Sumitha Nandan had acted in various executive capacities at Manappuram Finance Ltd. including as Chief Executive Officer of Online Gold Loan (OGL). She had held the whole time Director position in Manappuram Health Care Limited. She had also held Directorships in Manappuram Home Finance Limited, Manappuram Agro Farms Limited, Systemic Ayurvedic Research Private Limited and Macare Dental Care Private Limited. Dr.Sumitha Nandan has completed her MBBS from Rajiv Gandhi University Of Science &Research Institute, Karnataka. She holds MS from Sri Ramachandra University Chennai and a fellowship in Cosmetic Gynecology. She has Worked in multiple Hospitals as consultant Gynecologist at Trikakkara Co-operative Hospital Cochin and KIMS Hospital Cochin. She worked as an Assistant Professor in Amritha Institute of Medical Science and she also consultant Gynecologist and Cosmetologist in Cimar Hospital, Cochin.

Mr. Abhijit Sen

Independent and Non-Executive Director

Mr. Sen retired as Chief Financial Officer- Citibank, India Subcontinent in 2015 after serving the organisation for almost 20 years. Post retirement he is associated with a large Big 4 firm as an External Advisor, for their activities in the Banking and Financial Services Sector. He serves on several Boards including Kalyani Forge Ltd, Trent Ltd , U Gro Capital ,Ujjivan Micro-Finance Ltd. and Cashpor Microcredit. He also chairs the Audit Committees of Kalyani Forge Ltd, Trent Ltd and U Gro Capital in addition to participating on several other Board Committees. In the past, Abhijit was also on the Board of National Securities Depository Ltd and various Citi entities and has been an External Advisor to General Atlantic. He has a B.Tech (Hons) degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata with Majors in Finance & Information Systems.

Mr. Harshan Kollara

Independent and Non-Executive Director

Experienced Financial Services professional, with over 40 years of experience in banking & Financial services in India and abroad. Has been with diverse institutions (Union Bank of India, ICICI bank (as EVP and Head of International banking), Union bank of California (as Vice president and Regional Head of South Asia Region) and Federal bank (as its Executive Director). Good project management experience in setting up institutions. Has been Non-Executive Director, Experian credit information co of India p ltd, has approved person status with UK regulator FCA. Extensive experience in foreign exchange, cross border trade Finance, payment business, consumer credit, Core banking application system implementation, and compliance including AML, CTF & financial crime prevention practices. Experience in global standards and best practices in Governance. Harshan is an alumnus of Mumbai University.

Ms.Pratima Ram

Independent and Non-Executive Director

Ms. Pratima Ram is an experienced banker with three decades in Corporate, International, Investment & Retail Banking. She has worked in India, USA and South Africa. Pratima held the position of Country Head & Chief General Manager of the United States Operations of State Bank of India, in New York, and prior to this she was the CEO of the South African operations of the Bank based at Johannesburg. At SBI Capital Markets, she assisted companies in raising funds through capital market instruments and led the Corporate Advisory, M&A, & Project Appraisal business. She also led the training initiatives of SBI as head of the SBI Academy. On leaving the public sector, she joined private sector in the infrastructure and Oil & Gas space as Group President Finance at Punj Lloyd Group having diversified operations then in more than 15 countries.

Pratima was CEO and Whole Time Director of India Infoline Finance Ltd, IIFL, a large Non-Banking Finance company focused on lending to small businesses, Real Estate and Health Care sectors. She also held the CEO position at India Infoline Housing Finance Ltd. She is an independent Director on Boards of corporates in the electrical , auto, textiles, energy, and mining industry. She is on the boards of Minda Corporation Ltd, GPS Renewables Pvt Ltd, Cadila Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, Avaali Solutions Pvt Ltd. Minda Instruments Limited , Subex Account Aggregator Services Pvt Ltd & Manappuram Home Finance Limited. She also mentors startups in IT, renewable energy and agriculture sectors. She earlier held Board position in SBI California Ltd, USA and India Infoline Finance Ltd, Mumbai. In Bangalore, she is on the Perspective Planning Committee of Bangalore International Centre, an initiative of TERI, set up on the lines of India International Centre. She was member of the Executive Committee of Bangalore International Centre and was on the Management Committee of Bangalore Chambers of Industry and Commerce and on their sub Committees on Banking & Finance. She has been associated with CII for their programmes for Small & Medium industry. When in USA, she was associated with the activities of US-India Business Council & Asia Society and was an elected member of the executive committee of the Institute of International Bankers, USA.

She takes keen interest in mentoring and advising medium size corporate, using her expertise gained in Corporate Banking & Advisory, Forex management and Risk management as well as experience gained in public & private sector industry. She is also deeply involved in improvement of rural school education in North Karnataka.

Pratima graduated from University of Virginia, USA and Bangalore University.

Adv. Veliath Pappu Seemanthini

Independent and Non-Executive Director

Adv. Veliath Pappu Seemanthini is a law graduate and a Senior Advocate designated by High Court of Kerala. She is also a Standing Counsel for various Central Government and State Government Institutions like High Court of Kerala, Food Corporation of India, National Insurance Company, Coir Board, Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Bokaro Steel Plant, Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant, Steel Industries Kerala Ltd, Kerala Feeds Limited, Kerala State Women’s Commission, Institute of Management Studies, Trivandrum, South Malabar Gramin Bank. She is Practicing in the Supreme Court of India, High Court of Kerala and various other Courts and Tribunals. Mainly handling cases in Constitution. She is also involved and committed to various social activities such as :-

• Regional Director (India) of International Federation of Women Lawyers (Asia Region).
• The President of All India Federation of Women Lawyers during (2009 – 2010).
• President of Indian Federation of Women Lawyers (Kerala Branch) on two spells.
• Attended various seminars and conferences in relation to women and children and has been espousing the cause of women. Had been mediator and amicus curie as requested by the High Court in various cases.
• Dedicated to the promotion of welfare of women and children and other socially, educationally and economically backward sections of the society.
• Secretary of Kerala High Court Senior Advocate Association.
• Member of Indian Law Reports Council (Kerala Series).
• Member of High Court Legal Service Committee.
• President, Central Administrative Tribunal Advocate Association.

Mr. T C. Suseel Kumar

Independent and Non-Executive Director

T.C. Suseel Kumar retired as the Managing Director of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) in January 2021 after a career spanning close to 4-decades, during which he headed several major portfolios of LIC including Investments, Finance & Accounts, Audit, Corporate Planning, Marketing, Customer Relationship Management, HR, Risk Management, Corporate Governance and Bancassurance. Suseel also headed the foreign operations of LIC Mauritius for over 3 years.

With his expertise on analytics and interpretation of data, he has authored LIC’s business strategies to regain a high market share. During his stewardship in Marketing, LIC has crossed many a milestone with an all-time high First Year Premium Income and consolidated its market leadership with appreciable growth. He also pioneered the market research program to target millennials for both new business and agency recruitment.

Well experienced in the field of insurance, finance and related fields, he has held positions on the Boards of several valuable companies including LIC, Axis Bank, LIC Lanka Limited, National Mutual Fund Mauritius, National Insurance Academy, LIC HFL, LIC Pension Fund, LIC Mutual Fund and LIC PF Trust.

In addition to providing strategic advice and guidance to various companies and businesses, he is now Director of Bombay Stock Exchange, PCBL and Lakshmi Machine Works Limited. Further, he is also a chairperson / member of various important committees including Audit, CSR, Treasury Review, Business Review, Delisting, Stakeholders Relationships, NRC and Risk Management.

Dr. Sankaran Nair Rajagopal

Independent and Non Executive Director

Dr. S. Rajagopal is a seasoned banking professional with over three decades of experience in Reserve Bank of India and three years with leading commercial banks. As the Regional Director of RBI, Dr. Rajagopal spearheaded its operations in Maharashtra & Goa, serving as the Ex-Officio Alternate Co-chairman of State level Bankers’ Committees of these states. He was the Chairman of Empowered Committees for MSMEs in both the states as also the Chairman of the Empowered Committee for Regional Rural Banks in Maharashtra..

His tenure at the Financial Stability Unit saw him as a member of the Analytical Group on Vulnerabilities (AGV) of Financial Stability Board, Basle, Switzerland. Dr. Rajagopal’s expertise spans across areas such as supervision and regulation of Commercial banks and Urban Co-operative banks, financial stability analysis, payment system operations, foreign exchange, financial inclusion, currency management, human resources management and training. He also served as a Nominee Director on the Board of the Bank of Maharashtra and also as nominee Director of RBI in Global Trust bank (till amalgamation with OBC).

Currently, Dr. Rajagopal lends his expertise as a Part-time Consultant to a leading Law Firm and serves as an Independent Director on the Board of InCred Financial Services Ltd, an NBFC. His academic credentials include an MBA in International Management from the University of Dallas, USA, an MBA in Banking and Finance from the University of Science & Technology (CUSAT), and Ph.D. in Management from the University of Pune. He also holds a Diploma in Training & Development from the Indian Society for Training & Development and is a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers (CAIIB).

Dr. Rajagopal has also served as a Visiting Professor in S.P.Jain School of Global Management in their Singapore & Dubai campuses. His insights and thought leadership have been published in leading financial dailies and journals. In his spare time, Dr. Rajagopal enjoys traveling and exploring new cultures, which helps him bring a global perspective to his work.

Mr. Edodiyil Kunhiraman Bharat Bhushan

Independent and Non Executive Director

Mr. Edodiyil Kunhiraman Bharat Bhushan had thirty-six years of experience as an officer of Indian Administrative Service with impactful roles in Central and State governments. He has experience in designing and implementing policy in multiple sectors such as trade, industries, agriculture, aviation. He was the CEO of India’s largest Rubber Plantation company. He set up the first federation of growers of rubber, a unique experiment in marketing, aimed at ensuring fair price to small growers. He was the CEO of Milk Federation and tasked with managing Operation Flood, aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in milk production in Kerala. He also coordinated Swiss developmental assistance for the dairy sector. He was the Chief Secretary of Kerala State managing all departments of Government, overseeing 6,00,000 employees. He was responsible for implementation of all Government programmes in the State. He played an important role in turning around of Kerala Minerals and Metals – the largest PSU in the state of Kerala from a BIFR company to a profit earning one. As the Secretary, Tourism, Kerala, he led the God’s own country campaign, one of the most successful super brands in the country. He contributed as Special Secretary, Steel Ministry, Government of India, in achieving record steel production and revenue in SAIL, through a disciplined CAPEX program. He directed the design and development of India’s first Semiconductor Policy and its accompanying incentive programmes. He assisted in the commissioning of India’s first IT Park in Trivandrum as Secretary, Industries. Technopark has now grown to become one of the largest IT parks in the country employing over 1,00,000 people. He is credited with introducing the Price Stabilising Fund for Plantations and operationalising an effective Market Intervention Operation (MIO). He held charge of Aviation Safety Regulator viz. Director General Civil Aviation and was responsible for developing a detailed domestic safety protocol for Aviation, adopted in line with international norms and aimed at optimal maintenance of aircraft and airports.