Ms. Praseeda Kunam
Ms. Praseeda Kunam is the founder and CEO of Arriba Inclusive Finance Pvt. Ltd. She has over 25 years of experience across the financial and social inclusion space in India, with her work in microfinance, financial literacy, and advising small and micro enterprises. She is also the Founder/CEO of Samhita Community Development Services, a not-for-profit Section-25 (now Section 8) company founded in 2007, providing financial and social services to women of poor households in 36 districts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. She holds an MBA and Masters in Information Management from Washington University, St. Louis, along with a BA in Economics from St. Ann’s College, Hyderabad.
Ms. Lakshmi Viswanathan
Ms. Lakshmi Viswanathan is a seasoned professional with over 10 years of experience in international development and impact investing, having worked in Sub Saharan Africa, Latin America, and India. Currently, Ms. Lakshmi Viswanathan is an investment specialist at the UNCDF BUILD Fund and supports DFIs and leading NGOs on strategic topics. Previously, Ms. Lakshmi Viswanathan was the MD and COO at Yunus Social Business Funds gGmbH in Germany, overseeing the Fund’s portfolio across Latin America, East Africa, and India. Ms. Lakshmi Viswanathan was also for several years the Vice President (Strategy & Operational Excellence) at Sodexo SA. Further, Ms. Lakshmi Viswanathan was also for several years a strategy consultant and an independent advisor, at McKinsey.
Mr. Luca Torre
Mr. Luca Torre is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Gawa Capital and spent most of his career investing in and advising microfinance and financial institutions. Mr. Luca Torre worked at Credit Suisse Investment Banking in New York advising many microfinance institutions in accessing capital markets, including Banco Compartamos IPO.
Mr. Ramesh Kumar
Mr. Ramesh Kumar has worked for over 19 years in the field of accounting, and has extensive experience with funds management, compliance, taxation, reporting to internal and external stakeholders, finalization of books of accounts, business planning and budgeting, and overseeing various specialized transactions including foreign exchange and related hedging coverage. He has served as Manager, Accounts at Samhita Community Development Services since 2007, prior to which he managed external audits with the CA firm of M. Jaiswal & Associates, Varanasi. He holds an M.Com degree from Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi.