Manappuram Group announced the appointment of Buvanesh Tharashankar as Group Chief Financial Officer (Group CFO).
He will provide strategic financial leadership across all Manappuram Group companies and work closely with the Board and senior management to strengthen financial governance, capital efficiency, and long-term value creation.
Tharashankar is a Chartered Accountant with over three decades of experience across leading banking and financial services institutions in India and overseas. He is widely recognised for his expertise in financial strategy and planning, capital and balance sheet management, regulatory interface, governance, investor engagement, and business analytics.
Prior to joining Manappuram Group, Tharashankar served as Chief Financial Officer at RBL Bank, where he headed the core finance function, including regulatory reporting, statutory audits, taxation, procurement, and payables. Before that, he was Chief Financial Officer at Jana Small Finance Bank, leading capital planning, investor relations, regulatory reporting, and statutory audits, along with oversight of treasury back-office and governance functions.
Earlier in his career, he held several senior leadership roles at Citibank in India and the Middle East, including Cluster Controller for the India Subcontinent and Lead CFO roles overseas. His work at Citi spanned capital management, ICAAP, balance sheet optimisation, SOX 404 compliance, Basel II implementation, financial planning and analysis, and large-scale re-engineering initiatives that delivered significant cost efficiencies and improved returns on equity.
Throughout his career, Tharashankar has been recognised for his close partnership with business teams to drive disciplined growth, strengthen internal controls, enhance organisational resilience, and align financial strategy with long-term business objectives.
In his role as Group CFO, Tharashankar will oversee the Group’s finance function, including financial strategy, accounting, treasury, taxation, regulatory engagement, and investor relations. He will play a key role in supporting Manappuram Group’s strategic priorities while ensuring robust financial discipline, governance, and compliance standards.
V. P. Nandakumar, Chairman and Managing Director, Manappuram Finance, said, “I am pleased to welcome Mr Buvanesh Tharashankar as our new Group Chief Financial Officer. Buvanesh brings with him deep and diverse experience across leading banking and financial services institutions, along with strong capabilities in financial strategy, capital management, governance, and regulatory engagement. As we progress on our Manappuram 2.0 strategy, his leadership will be critical in strengthening financial governance, enhancing capital efficiency, and enabling sustainable value creation across the Group. I look forward to working closely with him as we pursue our long-term vision.”
