Suryoday Small Finance Bank – The beginning of a new era in ‘Inclusive Banking’

Baskar Babu Ramachandran is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of our Bank. He has several years of experience in the banking and finance sector. Prior to co-founding Suryoday Micro Finance Private Limited, he was associated with various companies including GE Capital Transportation Financial Services Limited as
the vice-president - quality and operations and HDFC Bank Limited as assistant vice president. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Madras and a master’s degree in business administration from the Pondicherry University. He has participated in the management development programme for strategic management for corporate leadership conducted by Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

He has several years of experience in banking and finance. Previously, he was associated with Wipro Limited (Consumer Care and Lighting) as the vice-chairman and executive officer and the Murugappa Corporate Board (advisory board) as the executive chairman. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from University of Mysore and a post graduate diploma in industrial engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

He has several years of experience in electrical engineering industry. Previously, he was associated with Indian Transformer Manufacturers Associations as one of the founders and headed the organisation and Indo Tech Transformers Limited as executive director. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering (industrial production) from Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal.

He has several years of experience in financial services. He is currently associated with Old Bridge Capital Management Private Limited as a Director. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Cochin.

Mr. Krishna Prasad Nair is an Independent Director of the bank. He is a B.Com from Madras University and MBA from Cochin University of Science & Technology. He is a career banker and has been with Indian Overseas Bank and IDBI, both as a DFI and a universal bank. He has attended various trainings with IIM- Ahmedabad, Centre for Advanced Financial Research & Learning (CAFRAL), RBI (at Mumbai and Sydney) and Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University, Chicago. He was appointed as Deputy Managing Director in IDBI Bank in September 2016 and was entrusted with the overall charge of the Retail Banking portfolio in addition to Human Resources, Information Technology and Administration & Facilities Management. From December 2017 till his retirement in May 2019 from IDBI Bank, he was in charge of Corporate Banking and NPA Management during which period he was Chair and a Member of Credit and ALCO Committees as also other Board Committees. He is a veteran in the Financial Services sector having been associated with Indian overseas Bank as probationary officer for 6 years and the IDBI for 17 years in Project Finance and various other departrnents. He was appointed as CGM- Human Resources at IDBI Bank in June 2005 and held the position for about 6 years before getting into Retail banking and a mixed portfolio comprising Human Resources, Information Technology, Administration & Facilities Management.

Mr. Mrutunjay Sahoo is an Independent Director of the Bank. He is a retired Indian Administrative Services Officer and has several years of experience in public administration. Previously, he was a special chief secretary to the Government of Andhra Pradesh and has been associated with several Maharatna and Miniratna public sector undertakings as a nominee director of the Government of India for Maharatna companies and non-official independent director of Government of India for a Miniratna company. His last post was as special chief secretary to government of Andhra Pradesh (energy department) and associated with Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Limited, Andhra Pradesh Power Finance Corporation Limited and The Singareni Collieries Company Limited.

Mr. Jyotin Kantilal Mehta is an Independent Director of the Bank. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and is a gold Medallist from the University of Mumbai and obtained first class with honours, is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and obtained third rank in the final examination, a fellow member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and a fellow member of the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of India. He has over 40 years of experience in corporate laws. Previously, he was associated with ICICI Bank Limited as a General Manager and Company Secretary, 3i Infotech Limited as Senior General Manager, Voltas Limited as Vice-President & the Chief Internal Auditor, Bharat Shell Limited as the Vice-president of Finance and Company Secretary, and NOCIL Limited as the Head of project finance.

Mr. John Arunkumar Diaz is an Independent Director of the Bank. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Science (Mathematics) from University of Madras and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from Xavier Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur. He has over 28 years of experience in Standard Chartered Bank, based in India and overseas, where he was head of programme & change management and was also certified as a credit professional by Standard Chartered Bank. Additionally, he has over 18 years of experience as a Consultant in banking services for several international institutions, including in Indonesia, Thailand and Mauritius by way of his association with Quest OntheFRONTIER Pte. Ltd., Bain & Company SE Asia Inc. and iCube Consortium Pte Limited respectively. He has also assisted our Bank and Equitas Finance Private Limited (now known as, Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited), two microfinance companies in their transition to small finance banks. Further, he has also been on the boards of companies in the venture capital, horticulture and agriculture sectors,an automated teller machine manufacturer and in two companies in the primary and secondary healthcare sector which he had promoted.

Mr. Deepak Sharma is a results-driven digital business leader with a nearly three-decade proven track record in building successful ventures within the banking, telecom, and service sectors. He has spent 20+ years in Banking in different leadership positions. His dedication lies in driving transformative businesses by amalgamating strategy, technology, innovation, and cultural dynamics. Globally connected in tech. and innovation, he's a preeminent figure in fintech and digital leadership.
Deepak has worked with Kotak Mahindra Bank for over 15 years (till October 2023), where he was involved in building Priority/HNI Banking, NRI Banking & Forex business. He was instrumental in starting & scaling Digital Initiatives at Kotak for over a decade and served as the Bank’s first President & Chief Digital Officer for over 5 years. He played a pivotal role in propelling the Bank as a digital leader, leaving a multifaceted and transformative impact. Under his strategic vision, different departments achieved remarkable success. His role extended to developing Digital Platforms, Product Engineering, Design, Mobile apps, Digital Bank-811, digital transformation, India stacks like UPI, CBDC, ONDC, AA, OCEN, Open API connecting the banking Platform with 250+ partners, AI, and Blockchain, Fintech partnership etc. Overall, Deepak drove innovation, strategic partnerships, and digital maximization, contributing to enhanced productivity, growth, and cost efficiency at Kotak.
Before this, at Standard Chartered Bank (2003-2008), Deepak served as Business Head for Smart Pay, achieving significant growth in corporate payroll deposits. His tenure began as a founding member of the Corporate Liability & Wealth Business, rising to National Business Head.
Preceding Standard Chartered Bank, he was at Hutchison Max and held pivotal roles in Corporate & New Initiatives, overseeing diverse aspects of telecom operations.
Deepak works as a Tech Entrepreneur & CXO Advisor with several large, growth stage global and Indian firms. He is also a pivotal member of Airtel's Customer Advisory Board, contributing significantly to enterprise strategy and product innovation in financial services within the 5G technology sphere. Furthermore, he extends his expertise globally, mentoring fintech and startup enterprises across various domains, including product design, revenue acceleration, and ecosystem establishment.
He has been closely associated with various Indian and global policy-making think tanks and venture capital firms on the future of financial services in the tech era. During his stint at Kotak, he was an active member of the CII Digital Transformation Committee, FICCI National Committee on Fintech, and several Startup-Industry Forums. Additionally, he engaged in numerous trade and Government initiatives concerning the Digital India Roadmap and provided ongoing mentorship to fintech and startup ecosystems.
Deepak completed a Technology Leadership Program at MIT Cambridge and a Program for Development of Strategy at IIM Kolkata. He also holds LEAD Certification in Corporate Innovation from Stanford GSB

Ms. Swati Datye has over 37 years of experience in the field of Human Resources across organisations like RBL Bank, First Data, ICICI Bank and Indian Hotels. She is a Post-graduate in management with specialization in HR from Mumbai University and is also certified on multiple assessment tools.
• She was with RBL Bank from October 2018 to June 2022, as Executive Vice President and Head Employee Experience, Talent Acquisition & Management, Diversity & Inclusion.
• She was with First Data (now Fiserv) for 6 years, as Head HR, APAC and was instrumental in setting up the HR policies and processes for the India team and lead the HR function for the APAC region.
• She has spent 21 years at ICICI Bank working across various roles in HR including business partner, talent acquisition, talent assessment, Leadership Mentoring Programs, HR Admin & Operations, POSH, Leadership Awards.
• She started her career with Indian Hotels (Taj Group) fresh out of campus and led the HR function at the Taj Air Caterers for 3 years.
• She pursued her BA (Economics) from D G Ruparel College, Mumbai University and her MBA (HR) from NMIMS. An active HR professional, she was the General Secretary of the Mumbai Chapter of National HRD Network in 2009-2011.

Mr. Ranjit Jayant Shah is an Investor Director of the Bank. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and a Master’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan.He has several years of experience in sectors including private equity and financial services.He also Co-founded and is currently a managing partner at Gaja Advisors Private Limited, which goes by the trade name Gaja Capital.

Mr. Baskar Babu Ramachandran is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank. He promoted Suryoday Micro Finance Pvt Ltd. in 2008 and was the Managing Director of the Company which got converted into the Bank in January 2017. He has been the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank w.e.f. January 23, 2017. He was re-appointed for period of three years from January 23, 2020 with the approval of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the members of the Bank vide Special Resolution passed at the Extra Ordinary General Meeting held on July 27, 2020. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Madras and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Pondicherry University. He has participated in the management development programme for strategic management for corporate leadership conducted by Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. He has several years of experience in the banking and finance sector. Prior to co-founding Suryoday Micro Finance Private Limited, he was associated with various companies including GE Capital Transportation Financial Services Limited as the Vice-President- Quality and Operations and HDFC Bank Limited as Assistant Vice President.

Mr. Hemant Premchand Shah is a seasoned banker with over 35 years of experience in banking & financial companies, of which he has the last 28 years of exceptional experience with Kotak Bank. In his career, he has administered Banking Operations, Risk Portfolio, Business Solutions Group and Governance Functions.
He has a proven track record of demonstrating the ability to formulate and execute strategic support service functions aligned with the organisation's vision and mission. In his last stint with Kotak Bank, he handled Retail Operations, Compliance, Data Management, Risk Management, Business Solutions for Retail Banking System, and Large Project Management (including integration with ING VYSYA Bank). Before Kotak Bank, he served in various roles with TATA Motors Finance and Gruh Finance.
By qualification, he has a Bachelor of Commerce and completed various Executive Education programmes from ISB Hyderabad & IIM Ahmedabad.