Kerala-based non-banking financial company (NBFC) Manappuram Finance Limited (MFL) has strengthened its senior leadership team with four strategic appointments across housing finance, technology, taxation and financial planning functions, as the company looks to bolster governance standards and accelerate its next phase of growth.

The appointments span both Manappuram Finance and its subsidiary, Manappuram Home Finance, and come at a time when NBFCs are increasingly investing in technology, risk controls and diversified lending businesses amid tightening regulatory oversight and rising competition in the financial services sector.

Commenting on the appointments, Manappuram Finance Chairman and Managing Director V P Nandakumar said the hires reflected the group’s focus on strengthening business capabilities, governance frameworks and technology-led growth.

Housing finance business gets a seasoned hand

Manappuram Home Finance has appointed banking veteran Rakesh Sharma as Co-Chief Executive Officer to lead its expanding housing finance operations. Sharma brings more than two decades of experience in the banking and financial services sector, with expertise in affordable housing finance, home loans and loans against property.

Prior to joining Manappuram Home Finance, Sharma served as Managing Director and CEO of Cent Bank Home Finance and also headed Tyger Housing, formerly known as Adani Housing Finance. He has additionally held leadership roles at AAVAS Financiers, IIFL, Citi Financial and ICICI Home Finance.

The company said Sharma’s appointment is expected to strengthen execution capabilities and support the scaling up of its affordable housing finance business while maintaining prudent risk management practices.

Focus sharpens on governance, taxation and financial planning

In another key appointment, Manappuram Finance named Surendra K Nayar as Head – Taxation. A chartered accountant with more than 35 years of experience, Nayar has previously worked with Aditya Birla Finance, DBS Bank and Citibank. He will oversee tax planning, compliance and optimisation initiatives and report to Group Chief Financial Officer Buvanesh Tharashankar.

The company also announced that long-serving taxation head Babu MV will move into a senior tax advisory role after spending over 15 years with the organisation.

Meanwhile, Manish Mohan has joined the company as Head – Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A). Mohan has over 25 years of experience across institutions including JPMorgan, Citibank, Standard Chartered, RBS, ABN AMRO and Axis Bank. He previously led FP&A for retail agri lending at Axis Bank.

Technology-led transformation in focus

To strengthen its technology capabilities, the NBFC appointed Easwaran Narayanan as Group Chief Technology Officer. Narayanan brings over 25 years of experience in banking technology and digital transformation, having worked with Equitas Small Finance Bank, IDFC FIRST Bank, ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank.

At Manappuram, he will lead the group’s technology roadmap and oversee the development of scalable and secure digital platforms as the lender deepens its technology-led transformation initiatives.

 “These strategic leadership appointments reflect our continued commitment to strengthening business capabilities, governance frameworks, financial discipline, and technology-led transformation,” Nandakumar said