MSME CONCLAVE 2024: EMPOWERING MSMEs

Mr. Ritesh Tiwari

Executive Director, Finance & IT and Chief Financial Officer – Hindustan Unilever Limited & Unilever, South Asia

Ritesh is a global finance leader with a rich experience in leading diverse teams across the UK, India, and other Asian markets. He is a future-focused, high-energy, results-oriented business leader driven by his purpose ‘Reimagine possibilities and bring value with values.’
Before his current role as the CFO of HUL, Ritesh was Vice President, Finance – Global Performance Management for Unilever and CFO for Unilever International based out of London, where he helped bring together the financial and human capital of Unilever to deliver performance with impact. He also played a pivotal role in Unilever’s performance management, leading the strategic scenario planning and response during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ritesh joined Unilever as a management trainee in 1999 and in his career spanning over two decades has held roles across core finance, demand planning and procurement. Driven by his mantra of ‘delivering in the present while building for the future,’ Ritesh is credited with bringing digital transformation, simplification, and leading projects with high business impact throughout his career.

Ritesh is an active member of various industry bodies. He is the President of Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Independent Director on ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) Board and the Chairman of the CFO Council of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry).
By qualification, Ritesh is a Chartered Accountant & Cost and Management Accountant.

Mr. Rajan Raje

FOUNDER & CEO, NICHEM SOLUTIONS
He is a chemistry & management professional with rich industrial experience of 44 years.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, he worked with a UK based company named Willet International as Country Head. His initial industry exposure consisted of diverse areas namely printing inks, coding systems, paints, rust preventives, agriculture, fisheries, water proofing systems etc.

He became an entrepreneur in 1995 by establishing a partnership firm – ADVANCED AGROTECH to work on post-harvest fresh produce preservation solutions. He grew the product portfolio with unique chemical solutions like drinking water purification media, polymer additives, pre- & post-harvest agriculture inputs, home & personal care ingredients & disinfectants. ADVANCED AGROTECH was renamed to NICHEM SOLUTIONS in 2014 & was lead by him along with his partners – Prof VC Malshe & Aniket Malshe.

NICHEM stands for niche chemicals. At NICHEM, he is bullish about creating eco-friendly, non-toxic & sustainable technologies which are beneficial & affordable by the end user or the common people. Today, NICHEM has 100+ products in its basket catering to diverse applications. He looks after the business development, strategy & expansion plans for the organization. Investment in Innovation, Application Development & People Management drives him. He is open to embrace new technologies/softwares to upgrade systems for professional working which is reflected in the culture of NICHEM.

Apart from heading NICHEM, he is on the Board of Directors of Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI). He heads the MSME Committee of BCCI & Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICC). He is also a part of the Agri Committee & Diversity & Inclusion (DNY) Committee of BCCI. As an MSME entrepreneur, he has seen the challenges faced by this sector. Thus, he is instrumental in leveraging the right platform through BCCI so that MSMEs can collaborate with credible service providers to help them progress & sustain in the long run.

He does business for its love & satisfaction rather than only earning profits. He encourages his team to be methodical, thoughtful, practical & professional with financial discipline which is a must for the success & sustainance of MSMEs today.

He is a go-getter & problem solver by nature. He nurtures good & long lasting relations with customers & stakeholders. He is conscious about social & environment obligation & believes in giving back.
His hobbies include Music, Sports & Travel.

Mr. Aniket Malshe

A metallurgical engineer by degree, Aniket has had an interesting journey. From music to metals to software (Infosys, Saba) to a dream to take his father’s technologies and specialty chemical solutions to the world, he joined NICHEM as a partner and CMO.

Believing in the adages of “What got you here will not get you there” and “Organizations can diversify but individuals must focus”, his management lessons came from talking to people and dealing with varied situations. That’s what drives him as he seeks to create impact for NICHEM in far reaching markets.

An adaptive thinker , with robust logical reasoning skills (that we don’t like to challenge often!) when he is not doing all things marketing, he likes to obsess over gadgets and new technologies and making sure everyone he knows, know about them too (Every new joinee gets a crash course in the same, we’re serious!), Playing badminton, reading, watching TV and spending time with his family, he believes in Karma and in being happy, no matter what and spread happiness through his work and deeds.

Mr. Satish Pandey

Satish Pandey holds the esteemed position of Chief Customer Officer at Siemens India, while also serving as Country Head for Siemens Ltd in Sri Lanka and Maldives. With an impressive career spanning over 19 years in the global business arena, Pandey has excelled in various management capacities, including strategy, sales, operations, and project management. With an engineering degree and an MBA from the University of Illinois (USA), Pandey brings extensive expertise in Asian and European markets to his roles. Prior to his tenure at Siemens, he achieved remarkable success at ABB. Pandey’s illustrious career underscores his unwavering dedication to fostering innovation and driving growth in the industrial and infrastructure sectors.

Mr. K.R. Venkatadri

Venkatadri Ranganathan is the Chief Commercial Officer at Tata Chemicals.
Prior to this, he has held various leadership roles as COO of Nutrition Science Business and Chief Innovation and Digital Officer in Tata Chemicals. Before that, he was the Chief Operating Officer at Rallis India. In Rallis, he was instrumental in developing and implementing the precision agriculture services leveraging digital technologies.
Venkatadri began his career with Hindustan Lever Limited in 1991 as a Management Trainee and has worked across many functions over 13 years.
Venkatadri holds a Mechanical Engineering Degree from VJTI (Mumbai University) and has done his PGDM from IIM Lucknow. He is a qualified coach having got certified as Master Certified Coach (MCC) from International Coaching Federation (ICF), the most recognized body in the world.
He is a Governing Council Member of CII Centre for Digital Transformation, a member of the CII National Committee on Technology, Innovation and R&D and a member on the CII Smart Manufacturing Council. He has recently taken up as the Vice-Chairman of the Western Region Chemicals Committee. He also served as a member of the Research Council of CSIR-NCL and CSIR -CECRI for 3 years. He serves on the Governing Board of TIFAC. He is also an Advisory Committee Member of PGDM – Rural Management of Wellingkar College of Management, Mumbai.
He is passionate about Rural, Marketing, digital, agriculture. He loves teaching and mentoring.

Mr. Mandar Parab

Mr. Mandar Parab is an Engineering Graduate with a proven track record spanning over 28 years in “Purchasing” function of direct materials like Component Development & Material Management (CDMM) & Strategic Sourcing for Auto & Farm sectors. He is currently Senior General Manager – strategic Sourcing for Mahindra Farm Equipment Sector & Farm Machinery Handling various commodities including Vehicle proprietary, sheet metal stampings , Trims , Plastics, Rubber & seals etc. He is proponent of “active sourcing” to maximizing value across the entire procurement lifecycle.
His expertise lies in developing and executing innovative procurement strategies, negotiating favourable contracts, and fostering collaborative relationships with suppliers by leveraging market insights and mitigate supply chain risks effectively. He has acquired deeper insights while localization of critical supplier base in countries like south Africa , Egypt to support business needs of Mahindra Local assembly units in those countries

Mr. Bhadresh Pathak

Mr. Bhadresh Pathak is a seasoned business leader and the current Chief Executive at L&T-SuFin. With a wealth of experience of about 29 years in the financial services and B2B E-commerce sector, Mr. Pathak has established himself as a dynamic leader known for his strategic vision and ability to drive business growth.

Mr. Pathak holds an impressive academic background. He is an Electrical Engineer, a Management Graduate, and a Law Graduate.

With over 29 years of experience, Mr. Bhadresh Pathak has played key roles in various financial and B2B-Ecommerce institutions, demonstrating his expertise in SME and commercial lending, Supply Chain Finance, business development, operations management, risk assessment, and strategic planning. Prior to joining L&T-SuFin, he held prominent positions in leading financial organizations like IDBI Bank, Axis Bank, YES Bank & Equitas SFB besides the current assignment at L&T-SuFin.
His vision is to help the MSMEs of the country attain a global size and scale through an efficient supply chain and financing ecosystem made available through digital means.

Dr. Leena Raje

Director – Administration and HR
NICHEM SOLUTIONS

Ph.D. in Food Science and Nutrition. (SNDT Women’s University)
Partner in NICHEM SOLUTIONS – A Specialty Chemicals Manufacturing Company, Joined in December 2022 as the Director – Administration and HR.
Some of her remarkable initiatives at NICHEM are:
Reformation of Employee Appraisal Process and the Recruitment Process.
Introduction of Leadership development training programs using the expertise of Strategic Consultants.
Retired in November 2022 as the Principal from Smt. Maniben M. P. Shah Women’s College of Arts and Commerce, Matunga, Mumbai.
35 years of academic and administrative experience in a higher education institution.
25 years of varied research experience in the area of Food Science and Nutrition.
16 International Paper Publications, 2 International Research Paper Presentations and various Presentations at National level.
Lifetime Member of Home Science Association of India, Indian Dietetic Association and Nutrition Society of India.
Member of Association of Food Scientists and Technologists, Board of Studies and Home Science, Academic Council of SNDT Women’s University and Principals Forum of SNDT Women’s University.
Participated in designing M.Sc. course in Nutraceuticals by University of Mumbai.
Selected as an Independent member on the Board of Directors of Astec Lifesciences, a division of Godrej Agrovet, Mumbai. (2015-2021)
Proven track record of successfully organizing and convening state and national level collaborative events like seminars and conferences.
Worked as a Consultant Nutritionist at Advanced Orthopedic Centre – Physiotherapy Clinic in Thane and Fitness Trends – Gymnasium in Versova.
As a Nutrionist, she is very passionate about her health and well-being of community. Desires to contribute in the area of Nutrition and Health.
Excellent Communication Skills with an ability to constructively communicate with peers, cross-functional teams and top management.
Presently handling NICHEM SOLUTIONS with empathy, collaboration and effective people management skills.
Initiated the formation of Women Development Cell ‘ASMITA’ in NICHEM SOLUTIONS with a perspective of giving direction to Women Force to establish work-life balance.

Dr. Deven Shah

Dr. Deven Shah is a Professor working as the Principal of Shree.L.R.Tiwari College of Engineering.He is a techie having 25 years of experience in corporate as well as academia. Dr. Deven Shah has served as Principal during previous tenure and has the honorary position of Chairman, Board of Studies (Information Technology) in University of Mumbai. He is also Associate Dean, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Mumbai. His research work is commendable and he has filed five Indian patents. Also, he has filed five Australian Innovation patents. During his tenure in industry, he has served as All India Technical Head of the MNC, handling various clients in networking domain. His work in industry was accorded with Best Employment Award. He completed Ph.D. from National Institute of Technology, Surat in 2010. His passion is to adopt new and latest technology and customize it to solve real-world problems. In 2006, research work on SOA bagged him IBM Best Faculty Award. His excellence in teaching is appreciated by one and all and acknowledged through IBM Drona Award in 2007. Dr. Deven Shah has been interacting with Government body and was invited for Indo-UK Security & Identity Round Table Conference in 2009. He has also been part of Cloud Computing Research Work, sponsored by DoS, Government of India. Information Week Magazine recognized his work on Cloud Computing and honoured him with Silver EDGE CIO Award in 2010. Being pioneer in his field, he has provided Technical Consultancy services for numerous corporates in different countries, prominently in UK, in the year 2012. He has been privileged to take training for Indian Naval Officials at INS Hamla. With the zest to transform business by providing valuable insights, right now he is doing consultancy on Blockchain technology. Dr. Deven Shah has designed and delivered Corporate Training to various business streams on LINUX, Network Security, Cloud Computing and Blockchain Technology. He craves to take research challenges and participate in technical competitions. He has participated twice in Smart India Hackathon promoted by Government of India. His project was selected and accolade with Deloitte Innovation Award. Dr. Deven Shah also had the privilege of being Principal Investigator for an Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) project. His proficiency in developing precise and powerful content on latest technology reflects through numerous technical books he has authored, course content developed for various institutions and organizations

Dr. Smita Shukla

Dr. Nitin Joshi

Dr. Nitin Joshi has been the Director at Dr. V. N. Bedekar Institute of Management Studies since 2015. He has a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering Management from SGSITS, Indore and Ph.D. in Management from DAVV, Indore. Dr. Joshi has more than twenty-five years of rich and varied experience in Sales and Marketing with Industry leaders. He has also served as a Professor in Operations at Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai. He has been an assessor for Business Excellence for the European Foundation Quality Management Assessment Certification Program since 2016. He has been offering consulting services to both domestic and international organizations in the areas of Business Process Improvement and Sales Force Management. Dr. Joshi has authored many articles and research papers. He has to his credit a book entitled ‘Service Operations Management: Towards Excellence’.

Dr. S. K. Ukarande

Dr. S. K. Ukarande, Principal of K. J. Somaiya College of Engineering, Mumbai, and the Dean – Faculty of Engineering & Technology at SVU holds an M. Tech and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from IIT Bombay. With 37 years in higher education leadership, he has been serving as the Principal, Former Dean – Faculty of Science & Technology at the University of Mumbai, actively contributing to various statutory bodies during the past 20 years. He is the National Executive Council Member of ISTE, New Delhi, and has authored 4 Books & 50+ papers. Recipient of Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan National Award, Dr. Ukarande is recognized with accolades for transformative educational initiatives

Mr. R. Srinivasan

R. Srinivasan is the Director of AIRA Consulting. He founded AIRA Consulting in the year 2007 to provide consulting services exclusively to SMEs.

Having held senior roles in sales, marketing, HR and Business Head across wide range of sectors including FMCG, Pharma, Education, Internet and Technology businesses, Srinivasan brings in rich experience to the table.

At AIRA Consulting, Srinivasan straddles two worlds of business delivery and people processes seamlessly. He currently works with owner teams in clients across Trading, technology, consumer and engineering businesses bringing in clarity of purpose and linkage of business strategy to people systems.

Srinivasan leads the business development for AIRA Consulting. Srinivasan is a B.Sc. (Chemistry) with MBA from NMIMS.

Mr. Satyam Kumar

Satyam spearheads Business, Liabilities and Relationship initiatives at LoanTap, in addition to guiding a highly talented team to common objectives. Satyam is a banking industry veteran with enriched experience of more than 20 years. Before founding LoanTap, he was National Head – Mortgages, at IndusInd Bank. His constant drive & team management skills resulted in a loan book of more than Rs. 5,000 crores in LAP in his last assignment.

Prior to that he held multiple positions in Product, Business and Credit at ICICI Bank, including Regional Head – Mortgage in ICICI Bank. Satyam was pivotal to launching the Sanction Guarantee Scheme in the Indian Lending ecosystem, the earliest experiment to this effect was run for Corporate Channel Customers at ICICI Bank, Pune and since then extended across Indian and also accepted by competition as means of service differentiation. Satyam built the initial innings of his career at ICI India Ltd and spent a short stint with Deutsche PostBank Home Finance.

Satyam also guides an NGO, Purn-Kuti, for setting up an e-school and women livelihood support initiatives in rural areas. Apart from work, he can also be seen engaging himself in Adventure Sports and has successfully completed certification courses in paragliding, rafting, and skiing.

Mr. Abhiraj Jalota

Abhiraj Jalota began his professional journey in the insurance sector, serving as a Development Officer at a prestigious government-owned insurance company. With a background in commerce and holding an Associate title from the Insurance Institute of India (A.I.I.I.), he transitioned into the world of financial services in 1996, equipped with hands-on experience in corporate operations.

Most recently, Abhiraj has been investing along with a trusted group of investors (UHNWI category). He focuses on raising equity funds for SMEs and large corporates to take them to greater heights.

Over the years, Abhiraj has adeptly syndicated loans for both small and large corporates through PSU, private, and cooperative banks. His association with numerous corporate is marked by his significant contributions in securing vital funds during pivotal moments.

Mr. Jay Kumar Gupta

Shri Jay Kumar Gupta is a Deputy General Manager in SIDBI and heads Thane Branch Office.
He has distinguished career span of more than 2 decades having worked in the fields of MSME credit, Micro Finance and Venture Capital.
He is an MBA finance and a Certified Associate of IIB&F.
He believes in credit plus approach and loves to handhold MSMEs in their growth trajectory.

Mrs. Gita Tripathi

Smt. Gita Tripathi is a seasoned banker, with a rich experience of more than 35 years in various capacities in State Bank of India. She has held leadership role across multiple assignments over the last 3 decades. Experience includes MSME Credit, Retail & Agri Credit with expertise in Business operations and new business initiatives.
In her previous assignments she has led business development, operations, and control functions at Regional, Zonal and Network Level.
She presently leads the Policy & Product Development, Credit monitoring, SME Business Planning, and operations team at SME Business unit at SBI, Corporate Centre.

Mr. Sagar Parikh

Mr. Sagar, an anchor volunteer for the OCEN platform, brings a wealth of experience to the table. He runs a software company based out of Mumbai with the name Osian. Having successfully managed multiple projects, he possesses a deep understanding of various industries, particularly in the domains of lending and insurance. Mr. Sagar’s expertise lies in crafting robust systems that meet the unique demands of these sectors. Notably, his role as the Architect for a leading global bank underscored his ability to design architectural frameworks that underpin reliable and resilient systems. His proficiency extends beyond architecture, as he consistently identifies, evaluates, and champions the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and tools to support the broader product vision. With a track record of delivering excellence and tailored solutions, Mr. Sagar is a trusted leader in the realm of technology and digital growth.

Mr. Viraj Kulkarni

Viraj is the founder of Asia’s leading Consulting firm (PIVOT) in Securities Services space, advising Institutions Custodian assets over $550 Billion of Assets. He is also Director of PIVOT Consultants (Cyprus) Ltd. Besides he is an independent Director of a leading Asset Management Company in India. Viraj’s rich work experience spanned across 3 of the top 5 Global Custodians for over 12 years as Country Head of Securities Services with Citi Bank (India and Switzerland), JP Morgan Chase and BNP Paribas.

He was on the ASPAC Management Board of BNP Paribas Securities Services. He has over 30 years of in-depth and diverse exposure to emerging and advanced capital markets including as operations head at Morgan Stanley Securities Services, India. Viraj is the first ever Indian and only Indian to be recognized for leadership in India, by Global Custodian in 2013, through APAC industry nomination. This recognition reflects his contributions to development in $ 160 Trillion Securities Services Industry. In May 2019, Viraj Kulkarni recognized by Global Custodian, to amongst the Global 30 Securities Services Experts.

Viraj, is also the CEO of TSSAG, UK, the largest Association of Consulting firms worldwide in $160 Trillion Securities Services space. He is featured as an expert on the NSE Knowledge Hub. He is also Ex-CO (Executive Committee) member of Invest Tech and Capital Markets Group of South Asia Chapter of Global impact Fintech (GIFT) Forum.

Since July 2021, he is also an Accelerator Mentor in PROJECT PROFIT- hosted by BCCI for Asian Development Bank. This besides being a Committee Member of the Private Equity, Venture Capital and Capital Markets of Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry since July 2015.

Viraj has been on Industry committees in India and Switzerland. He is a Member of the Steering Committee of “NSE Lecture Series on Securities Law and Practices”; He has been featured/ participated in Global/Local Capital Markets events, Electronic Media and writes on Ease of doing business. He is Fellow member of Institute of Company Secretaries of India. He Qualified as Independent Director, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (MCA, GOI).

Mr. David Pasquin

David Pasquini has been with the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service since April 2022. He has been a Commercial Officer in Mumbai, India since August 2022.

Prior to the Commercial Service, David served as the UK Consul based in San Diego, California, since October 2016. In this role, he was responsible for the UK’s political and economic relationship with San Diego County.

Prior to this position, he worked as a Vice-Consul for the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT), developing, and delivering the UK’s investment and trade promotion strategy for the USA in the aerospace, space, and defense sectors.

David holds a BA in International Affairs and a Minor in Immigration Studies from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and worked in the international aftermarket auto parts industry prior to joining the UK’s Department for International Trade.

He is fluent in Italian, Spanish, and speaks enough Portuguese to get by. His hobbies include reading, surfing, and vintage motorcycles.

H.E Mr. Ahmad Zuwairi Yusoff

Mr. Ahmad Zuwairi Yusoff began his career as Administrative and Diplomatic Officer with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia in 2005 and has served in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. His experience with the Malaysian Foreign Ministry among others working as Assistant Director of ASEAN- Malaysia Department, Principal Assistant Secretary of Multilateral Economics and Environment Division, and Director of Policy Planning and Coordination Department. He assumed his post as the Consul General of Malaysia in Mumbai in October 2022.

Mrs. ShiraniAriyarathne

Mrs. Shirani Ariyarathne has served in the Sri Lanka Missions in Egypt, China and Belgium. She is presently holding a diplomatic rank, Minister – Commercial of the Sri Lanka Consulate in Mumbai. Prior to this Posting she was the Chairperson of the Rules of Origin Committee and the Head of the Rules of Origin Division of the Department of Commerce of Sri Lanka.