Ananya Birla

About

At the core of Ananya Birla’s essence lies the resilience of her father, Kumar Mangalam Birla. She also finds inspiration in the lives of her friends and the everyday struggles and triumphs of the common people. “There can be so many things that inspire me—sometimes in the smallest moments,” she says. A graduate in economics and management from Oxford University, Birla fulfills multiple roles in professional life. Svatantra Microfin, which provides micro-loans to women entrepreneurs in rural India, became the second largest player in the NBFC-MFI space with the acquisition of Chaitanya India Fin Credit in a ₹1,479-crore deal in November last year. Svatantra has 4 million customers and assets under management of ₹13,885 crore. And in one of the largest financing deals in India’s microfinance space, U.S. PE fund Advent International and Multiples invested ₹1,930 crore in Svatantra in March 2025. In February, she announced a beauty and personal care venture and launched Contraband, a perfume line. She is also a passionate musician. “My philosophy in life is simple—work smart, stay on the sunny side, and show up no matter what. Whatever you do, do it dil se (with heart),” she says.