· Kalpanaa Sankar, MD, Belstar Microfinance
· Sanjay Agarwal, MD & CEO, Ambit Finvest
· Vivek Tiwari, MD, SATYA MicroCapital
· Anilkumar SG, CEO, Samunnati
· Kamlesh Gandhi, Chairman & MD, MAS Financial Services
Smriti Pandey: What do you see in yourself as your 3 key hard skills and 3 key soft skills? Do people in your circle emphasize anything apart from these?
Kalpanaa Sankar: Over the years, I have honed 3 key hard skills that are essential to my role: (i) administrative and financial control, (ii) a keen eye for detail and productivity, and (iii) a constant focus on benchmarking against industry peers to drive growth and efficiency. At the same time, my leadership is supported by 3 key soft skills: (i) staying updated on technology trends, particularly AI and data-driven client screening, (ii) leading new product development, and (iii) integrating ESG principles into business strategy. Those who work closely with me often highlight my adaptability and strategic thinking, particularly in navigating the evolving financial landscape.
Sanjay Agarwal: Reflecting on my career spanning 3 decades, the 3 hard skills that have shaped my journey the most are (i) financial acumen, (ii) credit assessment, and (iii) strategic planning. As a Chartered Accountant and Cost Accountant, I have always believed in grounding decisions in numbers – be it optimizing capital efficiency or shaping strategic policies that drive sustainable growth. Credit assessment, in my view, goes far beyond just number crunching – it’s about connecting the dots across a diverse set of subjective and objective parameters. The ability to assess credit risk and structure deals has been instrumental to my success. Strategic thinking has also been a constant thread – something I’ve honed both as a professional and, interestingly, as a chess enthusiast. Building a sustainable and profitable lending business demands sharp strategic planning, disciplined execution, and a deep understanding of key processes, performance levers, and regulatory compliance.
On the soft skill side, (i) compassionate leadership, (ii) pragmatism and (iii) nurturing relationships have been invaluable throughout my journey. They have helped me navigate crises and build large teams, aligning them to a common mission. I’ve always believed that relationship capital is just as vital as financial capital when it comes to building formidable institutions. My long-standing associations – whether with customers, peers, channel partners, or team members – are deeply rooted in trust, mutual respect, and a shared vision for long-term value creation.
If there’s one quality people often highlight, it’s the ability to stay grounded in the details while keeping sight of the larger vision – and that’s something I’ve always tried to hold on to.
Vivek Tiwari: I consider my 3 key hard skills to be: (i) strategic planning and lending expertise, (ii) digital transformation in financial services, and (iii) microfinance operations with risk management. These have been instrumental in introducing industry-first practices like 100% cashless disbursement into bank accounts and digital collections – initiatives SATYA pioneered, which are now widely adopted across the sector. I also focus on process discipline and client-centric models that bring long-term impact.
My 3 core soft skills include (i) visionary leadership, (ii) empathetic communication, and (iii) exceptional team-building capacity. I strongly believe in nurturing motivation across all levels of the organization and maintaining a direct connection with field teams, which keeps the leadership grounded and responsive.
Peers often highlight my dynamism, macro-vision paired with on-ground insight, and my ability to expedite decisions with a calm, coordinated approach. They also value my role in driving institutional innovation and shaping industry practices. These skills, together, form the bedrock of SATYA’s evolution into a role model within the microfinance ecosystem.
Anil Kumar SG: My three key hard skills are (i) agri financing, (ii) institution building and (iii) policy design & ecosystem engagement.
Agri Financing: My core expertise lies in designing and implementing inclusive financial models that enable market access and credit for smallholder farmers. Over 25 years in rural banking and agri-finance, I’ve built structures that not only provide capital but also mitigate risk through ecosystem approaches. Currently, our efforts are focused on positioning Farmer Producer Companies (FPOs) as a sustainable and scalable asset class by strengthening their access to finance, enabling affordable credit and risk mitigation, and enhancing their market access along with capacity building and value chain development. This was derived from my time at IFMR Trust, where I co-conceptualized and led the implementation of the KGFS (Kshetriya Gramin Financial Services) model – a locally-rooted, high-touch financial services delivery framework for remote rural communities.
Institution Building: From conceptualizing Samunnati in 2014 to operationalizing it and embedding it within the agri-ecosystem – expanding across 28 states and 100+ value chains – my strength lies in building scalable institutions grounded in strong governance, a purpose-driven culture, and a mission on making markets work for smallholder farmers.
Policy Design & Ecosystem Engagement: I’ve worked closely with national bodies such as Ministry of Agriculture, FICCI, TIE-Chennai and CII on formulating policies for FPOs and farmers, the agri stack, and inclusive agri-finance. I also chair the Agrifinance Taskforce under FICCI, aimed to enhance agricultural finance in India through policy advocacy, knowledge sharing, and stakeholder engagement. Being at the intersection of practice and policy has enabled me to bring field-based insights into system-level thinking.
My three key soft skills are (i) empathy and active listening, (ii) vision communication, and (iii) resilience & adaptability.
Empathy & Active Listening: Whether it’s a farmer, FPO leader, field officer, or policymaker, I make it a priority to listen with genuine intent to understand their challenges, aspirations, and context before offering solutions. This not only helps build deep trust but also ensures that our interventions are relevant, respectful, and rooted in real needs, an essential foundation for lasting partnerships and impact.
Vision Communication: My role has often involved helping diverse stakeholders – internal teams, investors, and partners see the bigger picture. Communicating a compelling vision and aligning people to a shared purpose has been critical in Samunnati’s journey.
Resilience & Adaptability: Building an impact-driven enterprise in a complex and constantly evolving sector like agriculture requires unwavering perseverance, agility, and the ability to navigate uncertainty with clarity. From a time when FPOs were virtually unheard of to now actively shaping the agri-policy landscape, these qualities have been instrumental in enabling both personal transitions and the evolution of an organization that continuously adapts in harmony with its environment.
Kamlesh Gandhi: My key hard skills are (i) financial management and strategy, (ii) risk management and asset quality control and (iii) business development and market expansion.
Financial Management & Strategy: I have been managing MAS Financial Services since 3 decades. The company manages more than Rs12,000 crore in AUM, specializing in MSME financing and mortgage loans. We achieved a consistent financial performance, with a reported >25% growth in AUM and profitability over a sustained period of 30 years, and thus laid a strong foundation for the future growth of the company. This achievement bears testimony of the prudent and proven financial management skills, and that too across cycles.
Risk Management and Asset Quality Control: The ability and the capability of ‘Extending Credit Where it is Due’ has remained the corner stone of the growth at MAS. A lender is and should be ideally judged not only by the size of its balance sheet but also the quality of the assets thereby contributing to all the stake holders. Having maintained a very good quality of assets across cycles is like actions speaking lounder than words in terms of risk management and asset quality control.
Business Development and Market Expansion: Having expanded MAS Financial Services across 9 states, including Delhi NCR, with a focus on deeper market penetration, from a very humble beginning of just one center to currently more than 10,000 centers and from Rs2 crore AUM to currently more than Rs12,000 crore in AUM reflects the expansion and the development of the company over these 3 decades while maintaining robust quality and profitability. Very strong enablers have been created for the next leg of growth taking company to a formidable size.
My key soft skills are (i) vision, (ii) effective articulation and (iii) determined to succeed and resilience.
Vision: I could lay down the clear vision and the road map for MAS Financial Services, guiding it from its inception in 1995 to a public company with a market capitalization of Rs5000 crore. The ability to set ambitious goals, like achieving Rs20,000 crore AUM within next 4 years, and focus on long-term growth while maintaining fundamentals reflect strategic foresight and leadership.
Effective articulation: The ability to articulate the company’s performance and growth plans with Team MAS and engaging with various stake holders including media, underscores my effectiveness in building trust and maintaining relationships with stakeholders. I am also an effective public speaker on finance-related issues, indicating strong communication skills.
Determined to Succeed and Resilience: I believe that an entrepreneur is recognized by not what he is but what he intends to become. Leading an NBFC through turbulent periods, such as the liquidity challenges faced by the sector post-pandemic in 2020, the above traits were very distinctly demonstrated.