Manoj Kumar Narayan Nambiar is the Managing Director of Arohan. He has been a Director since October 2012, when he was appointed as the Managing Director of Arohan with effect from October 3, 2012. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from VJTI and a Master’s degree in Management Studies from JBIMS, University of Bombay, and has tertiary qualifications in Insurance from the Insurance Institute of India. He has also completed the ‘Strategic Leadership in Microfinance’ course from Harvard Business School, USA, “Strategy meets Leadership” course from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France, “Leading for Impact” from IMD Lausanne, Switzerland, and “Enabling Strategic Impact in the Boardroom” at London Business School, London in February 2024. He has worked with various companies in the fields of business development, consumer banking & finance and microfinance across India and the Middle East. His previous employers include Modi Xerox India Limited, Countrywide Consumer Financial Services Limited, ANZ Grindlays Bank, ABN Amro Bank N.V., National Bank of Oman, Alhamrani Company for Investment in Trade & Ahli Bank. He is the Vice Chairperson of the Group Executive Council at Aavishkaar, the holding company. He has served on the governing board of MFIN, the microfinance sector SRO recognised by the RBI for 7 years from 2013 including as its President from July 2015 to June 2016 and then as Chairman twice from July 2019 to June 2021. He is currently the Chairperson of the Governing Board of MFIN from July 2024, on the Board of Trustees AMFI WB and is also the Lead of the Steering Committee of the 37 MFI lenders in Assam liaising with the state government on the AMFIRS’21, the microfinance incentive & relief scheme 2021.

Mr. Kartick Biswas is the Director of Uttrayan Financial Services Pvt. Ltd. and has been associated with microfinance and capacity development-related activities for the last 24 years. He is an expert in SHGs, JLGs, rural appraisal, finance, funds, operations, and project monitoring. He understands & well manages the business plan. He was part of the core team, which set up and built Uttrayan from inception. As the Head of Uttrayan, his role included building and growing the company’s portfolio in these sectors. He has good leadership qualities and can lead and represent the organization in all areas. He has enriched his knowledge by attending different programmes and seminars in this field organized by different leading institutions for institutional development. Training imparted from RMK, NMDFC – New Delhi, Planet Finance, EDA, and Care India. He was recently selected to participate in the Harvard Business School-Accion Program on “Strategic Leadership on Inclusive Finance,” Boston, USA. He is a certified participant in the IIM-A SIDBI Programme on Challenges of Managing Inclusive Finance in India held at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, during November 2017. He is also a board member of AMFI-WB.

Mr. Alok Biswas is a leader with strategic vision and experience of over 30 years in business. He started his career in 1989 with Canara Bank Subsequently joined Indian Bank as Probationary Officer in June 1993 and worked there till 2001 to join UTI Bank/Axis Bank. In the year 2010 he moved into the microfinance sector and set up Jagaran Microfin Private Limited. He steered the growth of the company for five years and thereafter quit in order to promote Janakalyan Financial Service Private Ltd. He is a Commerce Honours graduate, holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar and has qualified in the Associate examination of the Indian Institute of Bankers (CAIIB). In addition, he has completed Diploma in Microfinance from IIBF, Mumbai.

Mr. Modak has had more than 21 years of hands-on experience in microfinance activities both in India and Bangladesh. His deep understanding of the subject has been the foundation for a good start-up of SMGBK and has led SMGBK to the present position. He is the founder Secretary of SMGBK and MD of Srija Chemo Pvt. Ltd. He is also holding dual resposibilities as Chairman of NGO Association of Microfinance (NAM) and Member of Sa-Dhan. He has been awarded “Indira Gandhi Sadbhavana Award- 2015 by International Business Council and “Jewel of India-2016” by International Institute of Education & Management. He has also been recognised as an outstanding performer in the field of Microfinance in West Bengal by Association for Microfinance

Mr. Rakshit serves as the CEO of Sarala Welfare Society and MD of Sarala Development & Microfinance Pvt. Ltd. He has done his Masters in Commerce and associated at different corporates while handling the roles in Finance and Accounts before establishing the institution. With his keen interest and inclination towards the access to finance sector, he promoted Sarala to fulfill his dreams of serving the communities who lack access toformal financial sources. Mr. Rakshit has served at the Board of Sa-Dhan, one of the RBI appointed SROs for the microfinance sector. He is an active contributor in the state Association of Microfinance Institution of West Bengal (AMFI-WB), and holds the position of Vice President at the Association.

Diksha Shah serves as the Managing Director and CEO of Sarwadi Finance, where she orchestrates the organization’s strategic direction and operational execution with clarity, conviction, and compassion. A dynamic force in the microfinance sector, she is at the helm of day-to-day operations—overseeing governance, credit systems, digital integration, and field outreach—ensuring that Sarwadi remains agile, efficient, and impact-driven. With two postgraduate degrees in Business Administration and a bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Videography, Ms. Shah combines analytical depth with emotional intelligence. Her leadership is both visionary and grounded—balancing innovation with accountability, and scale with empathy. Under her stewardship, Sarwadi Finance has sharpened its focus on financial inclusion, expanding its footprint among underserved communities, particularly rural women and first-generation entrepreneurs.

Mr. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh has been one of India’s foremost proponents of financial inclusion. He has more than three decades of experience in microfinance, banking and development terrain. He has also built numerous institutions that aim at creating large scale impact on ground for the empowerment of communities at large. ‘Bandhan’ is the name of the not-for-profit entity that Mr. Ghosh had set up in April 2001, with the objective of changing the lives of the underprivileged by giving them small loans and handholding them in their entrepreneurial journey. The entity transformed from an NGO to an NBFC in April 2006, and finally into a universal bank in August 2015. This is the first instance of a microfinance institution transforming into a universal bank in India. The ethos of empowering people with financial inclusion drives Mr. Ghosh. The banking licence recognises his seminal work in financial inclusion in India. Under Mr. Ghosh’s leadership, the Bank, with a pan-India presence, catered to 3.44 crore customers with more than 76,000 employees on its payroll as of June 2024. On July 9, 2024, Mr. Ghosh retired from the services of Bandhan Bank, leaving behind a legacy of impact creation and purpose led financial empowerment.

Experienced professional with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. Skilled in Business Strategy, Process Development, Business Planning and Governance. Focused on exceeding ROI expectations. Believes in people and their ability to deliver when they are given the responsibility. Collaborative leader who is willing to listen and eager to respond.

He is handling the crucial task of human resource planning and capacity building. He is facilitating the workers to construe the fundamental intuitional policy and in encrypting the standardized operational intricacies. To be precise he has adopted the role of a pivotal fulcrum around which the entire operational activities are continually revolving in a methodical, systematic and disciplined pattern.

Abhijit Bera, the MD and CEO of Sampurna, is a dynamic and dedicated individual with a profound commitment to bridging the gap between financial services and social impact. With over 12 years of leadership at Sampurna, he has steered the organisation with passion and vision. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field, Mr. Bera achieved the remarkable distinction of being awarded the title of the youngest leader in microfinance by AMFI-WB in 2018. His innovative approach and sustained dedication underscore his role as a key figure in shaping the landscape of microfinance, reflecting a blend of financial acumen and a genuine commitment to social change.