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Fincap - Team Header Body Content
GET TO KNOW AMAZING PEOPLE
Arka Fincap's leadership team is built on diverse talent & a wealth of experience. Guided by a board of visionaries who are accomplished and talented, the management team is steering the company to new heights. As the world is constantly changing with new technology & innovations, the team is striving to create services & products abreast with the market.
Fincap - Team Board of Directors Content
Board of Directors
VIMAL BHANDARI
Mr. Bhandari spearheads the financial services business for the Kirloskar Group under the name Arka. He is the Executive Vice Chairman and CEO at Arka Fincap Limited and is responsible to drive the end-to-end strategic vision of the company. His role involves spearheading business strategy, planning with a strong bottom-line focus, meeting the expectations of key stakeholders, recruiting the leadership team, leading and managing senior management talent and providing an environment of support for performers.
Mr. Bhandari has 35+ years of work experience in building companies from their initial phase and scaling them up to their vision. He has worked for IndoStar Capital Finance Limited (a NBFC established by international investors like Everstone, Goldman Sachs, Ashmore and others), AEGON N.V. (the Dutch life insurance and pension player) and Times of India Group as a financial partner. He holds 16 years of top management experience at IL&FS Limited of which 9 years were spent at the Board level as the Executive Director responsible for its financial services business.
Currently, Mr. Bhandari serves as an independent Director on the boards of various companies in diverse business segments including Escorts Kubota, Bharat Forge, Kalpataru Power, HDFC Trustee, JK Tyre, and DCM Shriram. Mr. Bhandari is a Commerce graduate from Mumbai University (Sydenham College) and a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
In his leisure time, Mr. Bhandari enjoys travelling, reading and watching movies.
MAHESH CHHABRIA
With over 30 years, in the financial services industry, Mr. Chhabria has worked with investment banks, private equity funds, and has been an independent director of several companies. He has been the Managing Director of Kirloskar Industries Limited since July 2017.
Prior to this, he has worked as a Partner with Actis, where he was responsible for advising Actis Global LLP, a leading private equity fund in the emerging market space, to invest their money in growth capital and buy out businesses in India. Mahesh was previously associated with 3i India, where he was a partner in the firm’s Growth Capital Group and the lead partner globally for the Healthcare sector, heading up and contributing to 3i investments in India and in the international markets. Before moving to private equity in 2006, Mahesh was the co-head of investment banking at Enam, one of the leading domestic investment banks in India.
He is a relationship builder with strong communication and interpersonal skills, with an extensive network of contacts and associates at all levels in the financial services sector, corporates, professional, legal, and accounting firms, media and select regulatory bodies. He serves as an Independent Director of Deepak Fertilizers Petrochemicals Corporation Limited and Enam Asset Management Co. Pvt. Ltd. Mahesh holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Mumbai, and he is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
GAURI KIRLOSKAR
Ms. Gauri attended Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business, where she received a BSc. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. Previously she attended Phillips Academy, Andover, near Boston. After graduation, Gauri worked as an investment banking analyst at Merrill Lynch in their Mergers and Acquisitions group where she analyzed the impact of proposed mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs and various restructuring alternatives on earnings, credit profile and value creation of various clients across the technology, real estate, and retail industries. She then moved on to Pearson's Corporate Finance and Strategy group where she looked at bolt on acquisitions for their education business.
Since moving back to India in 2010, Gauri has been focusing her efforts on strategic initiatives for the Kirloskar Group into infrastructure and investments as well as functioning as a director and observer at several Kirloskar Group companies. Her primary role is establishment of the Group's real estate business in Pune. This involves strategic alternatives analysis of value creation opportunities around the sale and development of the group's land banks.
She has been involved in title clearance and land approvals, building up of the design brief and working closely with the IPCs. She is also strategically involved in the team hiring and overall business plan of Arka Fincap Limited, the Group's foray into the financial services business. She was an active participant in the process of filing for the RBI license for this business. She leads the Group's efforts on branding, corporate communications, and shared services.
HARISH ENGINEER
With over 40 years of experience in the fields of finance and banking, Mr. Engineer was associated with HDFC Bank since 1994 in various capacities before retiring in 2013 as Executive Director on the board of the bank responsible for Wholesale Banking and International Banking.
Before joining HDFC Bank, Mr. Engineer worked with Bank of America for 26 years in various areas, including operations and corporate credit management. Since 2013, he has been appointed as a Senior Consultant to International Finance Corporation (IFC), Washington, to manage the investment in select F.I.s Banks in South Asia.
He is on the Board of Federal Bank and its Subsidiary called FEDBANK Financial Services Ltd and on the Board of a Research Manufacturing Company called M/s. Navin Fluorine International Ltd. (An Arvind Mafatlal Group Company).
D. SIVANANDHAN
Mr. Sivanandhan is a highly regarded IPS officer with an illustrious career spanning 36 years. He joined the IPS in 1976 and retired as the Director-General of Police of Maharashtra State Police in 2011. He has held several senior positions in the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and Mumbai crime branch. He has also served as Commissioner of Police of Nagpur, Thane city and Mumbai.
He has been awarded the meritorious service medal (1993), the president's distinguished service medal (2000) and the Internal Security Medal (1998). He has worked in the National Security Council Secretariat, New Delhi as a member of the special task force and as the security adviser to the RBI for three years.
He is on the Board of several prestigious companies. He has earned a postgraduate degree in Economics.
VIJAY CHUGH
Mr. Chugh has over 35 years of experience in the fields of supervision and regulation of commercial banks, payment and settlement systems and core banking solutions. He was appointed as an Independent Director w.e.f. 12th March 2018 for 5 years. He is a former Principal Chief General Manager, Department of Payment and Settlement Systems of the RBI. He has previously been a nominee of the RBI on the board of directors of the State Bank of Patiala and the United Bank of India.
He has also been the Chief Vigilance Officer of the Industrial Investment Bank of India Limited. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Delhi University and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Rajasthan. He also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the KC College of Management Studies, Mumbai.
He is a Certificated Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers and has been awarded an Advanced Certificate for Executives in Management, Innovation and Technology from the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S.A.
YOGESH KAPUR
Mr. Kapur, is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) with over 38 years’ experience in financial services sector. He started his career in 1983 with Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (HDFC). In 1991 he switched to Investment banking with HSBC and then joined Enam Securities Pvt Ltd a leading Investment banking /brokerage house in 1994. In 2012 with Axis Bank taking over the Investment Banking business of Enam Securities P Ltd, Mr Kapur moved to Axis Capital Ltd a wholly owned subsidiary of Axis Bank.
In 2014 he joined Axis Bank as Head- Strategic Relationship Group- Wholesale banking for north India. Post his superannuation in July 2017, he re-joined Axis Capital on a contract as Managing Director – special coverage. This contract is currently for period up to March 2023.
During his tenor as investment banker, Mr Kapur has worked with companies both in private and public sectors as these companies prepared to list on public markets. In addition, he has been engaged in advising companies on strategic initiatives, reorganisation, business /corporate restructuring etc. Mr Kapur has very closely engaged during this period with DIPAM to manage initial listings and further divestments in listed public sector companies in accordance with Government’s directives/ decisions on the subject.
During his career positions with different organizations, Mr Kapur has worked on number of international assignments including for USAID and World Bank in Sri Lanka and Ghana. He also served on committees set up by SEBI/ Government of India - Ministry of Finance to examine ADR/GDRs as well as Bonds regulations.
He is currently serving on the board of companies including HDFC Education and Development Services Ltd (HEADS), a 100 pct subsidiary of HDFC Ltd, SSIP Ltd a multi-brand retailer of footwear and apparel and has recently joined the Board of Greenlam Industries Ltd, a leading manufacturer of laminates.
Fincap - Management Team Content
Management Team
MRIDUL SHARMA
GROUP CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Mridul, one of the founding members at Arka Fincap Limited, is the Group Chief Operating Officer responsible for building the Technology and Operations capabilities aimed at bettering client experience through use of digital technologies. Mridul is also responsible for the technology and digital business transition for the manufacturing businesses of the Kirloskar group.
Mridul is a veteran in the BFSI sector with 25+ years of experience in business process design and optimization with the use of digital technologies. In the past, Mridul has worked in leadership positions for banks like IndusInd Bank, Dresdner Bank, Barclays Bank, ABN Amro Bank and Bank of America.
Having completed his MBA from Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, he pursued a leadership program on ‘Organizational Leadership’ from Asian Institute of Management, founded by Harvard Business School in 1968. He serves as a Director on the board of Centre for Industry 4.0 (C4i4) Lab to provide stewardship in design and dissemination of Industry 4.0 technologies in the manufacturing industry.
NACHIKET NAIK
HEAD - CORPORATE LENDING
Nachiket is one of the founding members of Arka Fincap and heads the Corporate Lending wing at Arka Fincap Limited. Nachiket has over 25 years of experience in the credit and debt markets and has worked in leadership positions with well-known financial companies such as IREP Credit Capital, UBS and ABM AMRO and Infrastructure Leasing & Finance (IL&FS).
Nachiket started IREP in 2012 and ran it successfully for 6 years, creating a diversified portfolio across several marquee transactions. Prior to IREP, he was with UBS for two years as an Executive Director here he set up and led the Debt Capital Markets and Financing franchisee along with origination, structuring, execution and distribution of all onshore and offshore transactions. Prior to UBS, he was with ABM AMRO for 6 years and led several landmark and first time transactions including acquisition financings of Tata Steel - Corus, Hindalco - Novelis, Suzlon - RE Power, first time offshore borrowings for several mid-market Indian companies and also developed first of their kind structured funding for infrastructure companies in India. During Nachiket’s tenure at ABN AMRO, it was voted as the India Debt House of the Year three years in a row by several international publications. Prior to joining ABN AMRO, Nachiket was with Infrastructure Leasing & Finance (IL&FS) as part of their Investment Banking Division handling the Asset & Structured Finance business. Nachiket has also worked with Credit Analysis & Research (CARE), where he handled financial sector and structured finance ratings.
Nachiket is an engineer and MBA by education.
SONIT SINGH
HEAD - ADVISORY & REAL ESTATE
Sonit, one of the founding members at Arka Fincap Limited, heads the Advisory & Real Estate arm at Arka Fincap Limited. Further, he is responsible for spearheading new strategic initiatives of the group in the financial sector foray.
Sonit has set up Real Estate & Urban Infra Business grounds up into a diversified pan-India profitable business and grown it into a meaningful size maintaining impeccable asset quality. He further looks after the Syndications business, started in 2021, to develop it into a more value added non fund based business and enable Arka to manage its risk at a portfolio level.
Sonit has close to 20 years of experience in the Capital Markets, Investment Banking with specific focus on the Real Estate and Infrastructure sectors, and has worked with notable companies in the past like JLL, Standard Chartered Bank, Deutsche Bank, and JP Morgan Chase & Co.
In his previous roles across Standard Chartered, Deutsche Bank and JPM spanning over 15 years cumulatively, he effectively managed a $2 Bn asset book, with impeccable track record on asset quality, ensuring robust growth and profitability. He has worked across the entire product spectrum, including financing, M&A advisory, private equity, mezzanine and capital markets. He was also responsible for managing the execution, credit structuring and trading desk, has led credit analysis, legal and financial due diligence, structuring & legal documentation, and post-closing monitoring on debt/ equity transactions in private financing and syndication space.
Sonit has done an Executive Program in Private Equity from the Indian School of Business and a PGDM in Finance from Symbiosis Institute of International Business. Sonit is passionate about travelling, sports across genres and keen follower of art and music.
NAVIN SAINI
HEAD - RETAIL, MICRO & SME
Navin is the Business Head for the Retail, SME & MSME segment at Arka Fincap Limited and is currently involved in building the Retail Franchise from grounds up. He is focussed on setting up the right distribution (Digital as well as Branches), policy framework and underwriting models (Scorecard-backed and Analytics-driven) to onboard the best customers thereby creating quality portfolios for the retail business.
A veteran in the BFSI sector with more than 25 years of experience, Navin’s core strength is in the MSME & SME financing. In the past, he has worked in leadership roles with the Aditya Birla Group, Standard Chartered Bank, Barclay’s Bank, ICICI Bank and Clix Capital, among others. He is known for creating teams and quality portfolios and has an experience of working for a start-up as well as established brands and scaling up the Business and take it to the next level.
Navin has a distinguished pedigree and has pursued courses from Harvard Business School, Executive Education and from Indian School of Business. He has done his MBA in Finance from the Institute of Management Studies, Indore. Navin has also participated in several Design Thinking workshops that have helped him to bring in that Customer focus in his approach towards Business and also combine his knowledge of people and systems with his desire for problem-solving.
In his leisure time, Navin likes to read, travel and explore new places. He also likes to share his lending experience with entrepreneurs and help them grow.
MANISH NAGARSEKAR
HEAD - OPERATIONS & BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
Manish is the Head - Operations, Digital Business & BSG at Arka Fincap Limited. His role and responsibility is to manage mid-office risk.
Manish has close to 25 years of experience in Operations, Risk Management, Digital Banking, Payments, IT Application Delivery across Assets, Liabilities and Wealth. Prior to joining Arka Fincap Limited, Manish headed the Solutions Delivery Group at IndusInd Bank and led the digital transformation for the Bank. His enterprising attitude and a high focus on delivery has helped him successfully implement large-sized strategic projects and automate business goals & objectives with a collaborative mindset and teamwork.
He has worked in leadership positions with well-known financial companies such as IndusInd Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, YES Bank, ABM AMRO, among others.
Manish is a CA and has done his Post Graduate Diploma in FX and Risk Management from World Trade Institute.
In his leisure time, Manish likes reading, writing.
AMIT GUPTA
GROUP CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Amit is the Group Chief Financial Officer at Arka Fincap Limited and is responsible for raising funds, managing overall cost of borrowed funds, deployment of treasury funds, budgeting, financial analysis, accounting, compliances and other ancillary activities.
Amit, a veteran in the financial industry with 20+ years of experience, has worked with various financial companies like Erstwhile Magma Fincorp Limited, ICICI Bank, IndoStar Capital Finance Ltd. among others. He has always been working in the BFSI segment and has a proven track record across his stint in various organisations. He has rich experience on the business side as well and handled the SME portfolio during his stint in ICICI Bank. His core expertise includes Treasury, Corporate Finance, IPO, Budgeting, Financial Analysis, Taxation, Accounting, Portfolio management etc.
Amit is a certified Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and also a Company Secretary from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. A Commerce Graduate from St. Xaviers College - Kolkata, Amit went on to pursue a Corporate Finance course from IIM-Ahmedabad.
In his leisure time, Amit likes to listen to soft music and play lawn tennis.
ATIT SHAH
HEAD - RISK (SME / MSME)
Atit is the Head - Risk for SME & Retail Asset Department at Arka Fincap Limited. He is responsible for managing enterprise risks covering credit, market & operation risks for SME & retail assets. Atit’s core responsibilities includes portfolio management, setting up early warning signal, policy and process management.
Atit has close to 20 years of experience in areas like risk administration, business development, client servicing, product & policy drafting in the BFSI sector. This would cover the gambit of retail asset products like ousing & Mortgages, SME lending, NBFC Funding, Invoice Discounting, Two Wheelers, Consumer Durables, and Personal Loans.
He has worked with companies like Barclays Bank, Indiabulls, Standard Chartered Bank, Citibank, JM Financial, among others.
Atit is a CA and CS with an MBA in Finance from Welingkar’s Institute of Management Studies. Atit’s hobbies include playing cricket & listening to music.
SACHIN AGARWAL
CHIEF CREDIT & ENTERPRISE RISK OFFICER
Sachin is the Chief Credit & Enterprise Risk Officer at Arka Fincap Limited. He established the Enterprise Risk Management Framework at Arka and is responsible for managing credit risk for the wholesale business and he leads operational risk for the enterprise also.
Sachin is a seasoned finance professional with 18+ years of comprehensive experience in credit risk management across industries, financial modelling, solutions structuring and relationship management, Sachin has worked at Standard Chartered and Citibank in leadership roles in the past.
Sachin is an alumni of XLRI – Jamshedpur and is also a Chartered Accountant. In his leisure time, Sachin likes to teach & swim.
Suman Saurav
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
Suman is the Chief Technology Officer at Arka Fincap Limited. His responsibility includes defining and implementing technology strategy to achieve the enterprise goals. He has successfully set up the IT function for the NBFC startup and has built a highly agile, cloud native digital landscape with minimal capex budget.
Suman has close to two decades of experience in technology in the BFSI sector with an aptitude for innovative solutions, analytical intelligence & motivational leadership. In the past, he has held executive roles in technology, program delivery, and digital projects at IndusInd Bank and Wipro.
Suman has done a PG in Actuarial Science from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) and Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Delhi University.
Rashmi Warange
VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
Rashmi, a business focused HR leader, is responsible for developing Arka’s HR strategies, overseeing operations, ensuring compliance, and implementing the organization's mission and talent strategy.
A veteran with over 19 years of experience in talent strategies and automation, Rashmi has worked with institutions like Oberoi Realty, Shapoorji Pallonji Real Estate, ITC Hotels and Lodha Group to name a few. Rashmi was nominated for the Economic Times Young Leaders Award and has been consulting C-suites on Executive Presence for over 5 years now.
An alumnus of INSEAD Business School, France, Rashmi has also completed her post-graduation in Human Resources Management.