I have over a decade of experience in financial inclusion. I began my journey in inclusive development with grant based programs in health care and education. I then pivoted to enabling access to capital to institutions and customers.
While I believe in the power of good finance, my larger interests lie in addressing inequities and exclusion by examining and re-designing systems to become inclusive.
I am currently Senior Director, Responsible Finance and Consumer Protection at the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion. In this role, I lead research on fintechs, platforms and other DFS providers to understand their incentives, practices, and how/if they serve low-income consumers; contribute to advocacy on consumer protection and other policy priorities for inclusive finance and co-lead the development of influence strategies and campaigns with the communications team. I joined CFI after working for eight years as an independent global consultant to several partners including: CGAP, World Bank, JICA, and ITAD. While I do not work as an independent consultant in my current role, I do work with consultants, or am happy to connect you to opportunities in the sector. So please reach out if you are interested in similar topics.
As a consultant, I worked on customer centric business models, and challenges faced by customers in accessing and using financial services. From 2009 to 2013, I was part of the founding team at IFMR Trust (now Dvara Trust), where I led a mezzanine fund that invested in microfinance institutions in India. I began my career at ICICI Bank.
I am a senior policy fellow at the Leir Institute housed within the Fletcher school of Law and Diplomacy, where I work on challenges faced by vulnerable segments such as migrants/refugees in accessing financial services. In 2014, I was awarded the Chevening fellowship for leadership by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK.
I earned an MA in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, MBA from MDI Gurgaon (India) and a Bachelor’s in Mathematics from Mumbai University, graduating at the top of my class.