Valapad: Manappuram Group has announced the appointment of Buvanesh Tharashankar as its Group Chief Financial Officer (Group CFO). In his new role, he will provide strategic financial leadership across all Manappuram Group companies, working closely with the Board and senior management to strengthen financial governance, improve capital efficiency, and drive long-term value creation.
The appointment reflects Manappuram Group’s continued focus on building a future-ready leadership team to support its Manappuram 2.0 strategy and sustained growth ambitions.
A Chartered Accountant with over three decades of experience, Tharashankar brings deep expertise across banking and financial services in India and overseas. He is widely recognised for his capabilities in financial strategy and planning, capital and balance sheet management, regulatory engagement, governance, investor relations, and business analytics.
Prior to joining Manappuram Group, Tharashankar served as Chief Financial Officer at RBL Bank Ltd, where he led the core finance function encompassing regulatory reporting, statutory audits, taxation, procurement, and payables. Before that, he was CFO at Jana Small Finance Bank, overseeing capital planning, investor relations, regulatory reporting, statutory audits, and treasury back-office and governance functions.
Earlier in his career, he held multiple senior leadership roles at Citibank in India and the Middle East, including Cluster Controller for the India Subcontinent and Lead CFO roles overseas. His tenure at Citi involved capital management, ICAAP, balance sheet optimisation, SOX 404 compliance, Basel II implementation, financial planning and analysis, and large-scale re-engineering initiatives that delivered cost efficiencies and improved returns on equity.
Across his career, Tharashankar has been known for partnering closely with business teams to support disciplined growth, strengthen internal controls, enhance organisational resilience, and align financial strategy with long-term business objectives.
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.
Commenting on the appointment, V. P. Nandakumar, Chairman and Managing Director, Manappuram Finance Ltd, 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.”
