Kinara Capital announces appointment of Parthasarathy N. S. to company’s board of directors

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 8: Kinara Capital, a fast-growing fintech driving last-mile MSME financial inclusion, today announced the recent appointment of Parthasarathy N. S. (Partha) as a new Independent Director on the company’s Board of Directors (BoD). Partha is a well-renowned Information Technology (IT) leader with over 35+ years of experience in shaping engineering, organizational development, capacity building and more, for a wide range of organizations. Most notably, he is known as the Co-founder of Mindtree which he took from its startup phase to crossing the $1 billion revenue milestone as a listed company.

In addition to serving as an Independent Director, Partha is the Chair of the IT Strategy Committee for Kinara Capital. Known for emphasizing human-centric design principles and building impact-oriented solutions with technology, Partha’s wide start-up mentorship experience will bring a fresh perspective to Kinara.

Hardika Shah, Founder and CEO, Kinara Capital, said, “The addition of Parthasarathy N. S. (Partha) as an Independent Director marks a strategic milestone for Kinara Capital. Partha’s tactical insights, gleaned from his extensive experience in technology delivery and building fortified leadership will support our growth ambitions.

Particularly, his hands-on experience with the consumerization of digital technology and knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI) will support our innovations as we continue to invest further in tech and expand our in-house development. We are immensely honored to have Partha join our Board of Directors.”

Sunil Gulati, Independent Director and Chairperson of the Board, Kinara Capital, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Parthasarathy N. S. (Partha) to Kinara Capital’s Board of Directors. Partha’s extensive expertise in technology coupled with his remarkable journey in building Mindtree, will be invaluable as Kinara Capital continues to scale and innovate. His commitment to fostering impactful solutions aligns perfectly with Kinara’s mission of driving financial inclusion. We look forward to his input and guidance on our board.”

Parthasarathy N. S. (Partha) on joining the Kinara Capital’s Board of Directors, said, “It is my privilege to join Kinara Capital as an Independent Director. Kinara’s commitment to financial inclusion and tech innovation are commendable, and I look forward to contributing to its continued success. I believe my experience in the technology and IT services sectors, along with my passion for sustainable growth and innovation, aligns perfectly with Kinara’s values. I look forward to collaborating with the board and management team to drive strategic initiatives and create value for all stakeholders.”

Currently, Partha is a Managing Partner at Mela Ventures, an organization dedicated to fostering tech entrepreneurship with a focus on solving real-world problems. Prior to this, he spent over two decades at the helm of Mindtree, a global technology consulting and digital solutions company. He served as the company’s Vice Chairman and COO at different times in Mindtree’s evolution taking it from a startup to a listed company. Prior to that, he worked for Wipro’s R&D team for over 14 years. He also served on the NASSCOM IT Services Council to improve market access for start-ups in India.

Apart from his stellar professional achievements, Partha is well-known for his philanthropic contributions. He is a Founding Director of the WeLive Foundation which supports young orphans transitioning out of childcare institutions. He has previously also served as the Director for the White Swan Foundation for Mental Health.

Parthasarathy N. S. joined as an Independent Director on Kinara Capital’s Board of Directors on April 29, 2024 and as the Chair of the IT Strategy Committee on August 6, 2024. Partha’s addition brings the total to four Independent Directors on Kinara’s BoD.

Kinara Capital’s Board of Directors holds 1/3rd independent directors and 1/3rd women representation with a total of 13 directors: Sunil Gulati, Arvind Kodikal, Arunprakash Srinivasarao Korati, Parthasarathy N. S. (Partha), Stephen Lee, Ravindra Pisharody, Aiswarya Ravi, Hardika Shah, Ranjit Shah, Bhavna Thakur, Rekha Unnithan, Agustin Vitorica, and Geoff “Chester” Woolley.

Since inception, Kinara Capital has cumulatively disbursed more than INR 7,150+ crores across 1,22,900+ collateral-free business loans. The impact of this vast MSME financial inclusion has led to immense job creation and income generation in local economies across 100+ cities in India.

About Kinara Capital

Kinara Capital is a fast-growing fintech company dedicated to the last-mile financial inclusion of small business entrepreneurs in India. Founded in 2011, and headquartered in Bengaluru, Kinara Capital is led by visionary Founder & CEO Hardika Shah with a women-majority management team.

In 2024, Kinara Capital ranked on the FT500 list from Financial Times of ‘Top 500 High-Growth Companies in Asia-Pacific’ for the 5th consecutive year. Qualified as a Systemically Important Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Kinara Capital is also a debt-listed entity on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).