About Us
We have a clear focus to build a capital efficient mSME lending business through an asset light strategy.
Our vision is to be a trusted financial partner to the micro and small enterprises in their growth journey to success. We, at ECL Finance, are deeply committed to these enterprises, and over the years, we are honoured to have been a part of celebratory growth stories of thousands of mSMEs across the country! Our commitment to offer innovative and flexible lending solutions and thus bolster their growth continues unwaveringly.
Our comprehensive understanding built through a combination of factors including data analysis, technology adoption, relationship building and extensive industry knowledge have helped us well position ourselves to participate in the Government’s vision to make an Atmanirbhar Bharat whilst contributing and supporting the micro and small enterprises achieve their dreams and prosper.
Rashesh Shah
Rashesh Shah is Chairman of the Edelweiss Group, one of India’s leading diversified financial services conglomerates. With more than 30 years of experience in financial services, Rashesh is particularly enthused about the transformational role that financial services can play in translating India’s vast savings into investments. A regular commentator on macroeconomic policies, development matters, and financial markets in the mainstream and financial media, he serves on the Boards of various companies and public institutions. He has served as the President of FICCI, which is India’s apex industry association and is also on the Board of Directors for the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) as well as the Executive Committee of IPF (Indian Police Foundation). Rashesh has also been a member of several government and regulatory committees including the Insolvency Law Committee on IBC.
An MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Rashesh also holds a Diploma in International Trade from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi
Aalok Gupta
Aalok Gupta possesses over three decades of banking experience, with a particular focus on retail and SME businesses. He has held positions in foreign banks such as Bank of America and HSBC, as well as private Indian banks including HDFC Bank and YES Bank. Aalok Gupta’s notable assignment was as MD & CEO of MUDRA, the nodal agency for the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, which refinances banks, NBFCs, and MFIs. Currently, he serves as a mentor with GDC-IIT, Madras, promoting entrepreneurial thinking in STEM institutions across India.
Aalok graduated from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad after his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering.
Atul Pande
Atul Pande has a varied industry experience spanning more than 25 years. In the initial two decades of his professional career, Atul worked across sectors such as FMCG, BPO, Financial Services and Television. Atul is an avid traveller and passionate about outdoor sports. Some of Atul’s key professional assignments have been Business Director – GE Capital, MD Citicorp – Maruti, MD Cholamandalam Investment and CEO – Ten Sports.
An MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Atul is also an Engineering Graduate.
Kashmira Mathew
Ms. Kashmira Mathew, Senior Executive Vice President at Edelweiss, is a qualified Company Secretary with over 27 years’ experience in the Banking & Financial Services industry spanning across Compliance, Legal and Company Secretarial functions including expertise in Regulatory & Financial Crime Compliance.
Before joining Edelweiss over 8 and a half years ago, she worked for 19 years across various entities and businesses of the HSBC Group including Wholesale and Retail Capital Markets, NBFC, Insurance, Asset Management, Private Banking, Retail Banking and Wealth Management.
Phanindranath Kakarla
Phanindranath Kakarla has spent over two decades in the financial services industry has been an integral part of the Edelweiss team for over eight years. Throughout his tenure, he has held various roles, including Head of Corporate Services Group, Head of Human Resources for the Group, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Finance Officer for ECL Finance Limited. Phanindranath brings comprehensive experience in banking, asset management, and driving organisational transformation encompassing people, processes, and technology. His previous engagements include leading roles at prominent banks such as HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, and Deutsche Bank, among others.
An MBA graduate from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, Phanindranath also holds an Engineering Degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
Sameer Kaji
Sameer Kaji’s has over three decades of experience that spans industries and geographies. His key focus areas have been growth strategy, mergers & acquisitions, operational improvement, and transformation, to name a few. He has played a significant part in assisting companies in their business development by providing out of box solutions, while bringing resolutions to complex management, manufacturing, or financial issues. In his experience, he has acted as an advisor to many companies such as Adani Group and McKinsey. He has been associated with a gold mine owned by Rio Tinto in Reno, Nevada as a Director, and also led the disinvestment and management transition programmes. He was also the Chairman & Managing Director, RAS Propack Lamipack, which was founded by him and led a 500+ FTE company to a successful IPO (40x over-subscribed).
Sameer is a Management Graduate from Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business.
Shiva Kumar
Shiva Kumar served as Managing Director at the State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur, which has now merged with the State Bank of India. His tenure at the State Bank of India included the role of Deputy Managing Director and various other positions. Shiva Kumar played a pivotal role in a business process re-engineering project in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, transforming India’s largest bank. He led their credit card project and set up the metal gold business for the bank. Additionally, he represented the Associate Banks on the Managing Committee of the Indian Banks’ Association. In recognition of his contributions, Shiva Kumar received the ‘Business Leadership Award’ from the Institute of Public Enterprises in 2013.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Patna University and is an associate member of the Indian Institute of Bankers.
