Brands
Manappuram names Buvanesh Tharashankar group chief financial officer
KERALA: Manappuram Group has pulled off a seasoned hire, appointing Buvanesh Tharashankar as group chief financial officer, a move that tightens the financial muscle behind its Manappuram 2.0 growth push.
Tharashankar will steer financial strategy across all group companies, working with the board and senior leadership to lift capital efficiency, strengthen governance and sharpen long-term value creation. The mandate is clear. Keep growth ambitious but disciplined.
A chartered accountant with more than three decades in banking and financial services, Tharashankar arrives with a reputation for cool-headed balance-sheet management and regulator-ready governance. Most recently, he was cfo at RBL Bank, running the core finance engine, including regulatory reporting, statutory audits, taxation, procurement and payables, during a demanding phase for the sector.
Before that came a stint as cfo at Jana Small Finance Bank, where he led capital planning, investor relations and regulatory reporting, while overseeing treasury back-office and governance functions. Earlier still, he spent a long stretch at Citibank in India and the Middle East, rising to cluster controller for the India subcontinent and taking on lead cfo roles overseas. His Citi years covered the hard yards. ICAAP, Basel II, SOX 404, balance-sheet optimisation and large re-engineering programmes that cut costs and lifted returns on equity.
Throughout, Tharashankar has been known as a finance leader who partners the business rather than polices it, using data, controls and capital discipline to enable growth without courting risk.
At Manappuram, he will oversee finance end to end, spanning accounting, treasury, taxation, regulatory engagement and investor relations. The brief is to underpin expansion with rigour, keep the group agile in a shifting regulatory climate and ensure capital is worked hard.
V. P. Nandakumar, chairman and managing director of Manappuram Finance, said the appointment strengthens the group’s leadership bench at a pivotal moment.
Tharashankar’s depth in capital management, governance and regulatory engagement, he said, will be vital as Manappuram scales its next phase.
The message from Valapad is unmistakable. Growth is back on the agenda, with the spreadsheets sharpened, the controls tightened and the balance sheet ready to run.
Brands
33 per cent of women believe the salary scale is rigged: Naukri report
Voices @ Work study finds rising calls for equal pay audits and lingering bias
MUMBAI: Progress may be visible in India’s workplaces, but many women still feel the need to tread carefully. A new report by Naukri reveals that one in two women hesitate to disclose marriage or maternity plans during job interviews, worried that such information could influence hiring decisions.
The findings come from the second edition of Naukri’s annual Voices @ Work International Women’s Day report, titled “What Women Professionals Want.” Drawing insights from more than 50,000 women across over 50 industries, the survey sheds light on evolving workplace aspirations alongside the biases that continue to hold women back.
One of the report’s most striking insights is the growing demand for equal pay audits. The share of women calling for regular pay parity checks has climbed to 27 per cent this year, up from 19 per cent a year ago. The demand now stands alongside menstrual leave as the most sought after workplace policy.
Interestingly, the call for pay transparency grows louder higher up the income ladder. Nearly half of women earning between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore annually say equal pay audits are a priority, suggesting that pay gaps become more visible as women move up the career ladder.
At the same time, confidence and ambition appear to be rising. About 83 per cent of women say they feel encouraged to pursue leadership roles, a significant jump from 66 per cent last year. Cities in southern India appear particularly supportive, with Hyderabad leading the way as 86 per cent of respondents there reported encouragement to step into leadership positions. The education sector recorded the highest sense of encouragement at 87 per cent.
Yet the report also highlights a growing trust deficit around pay equity. Nearly one in three women, or 33 per cent, say they do not believe men and women are paid equally at their workplace. That figure has risen from 25 per cent last year, pointing to widening perceptions of disparity as careers progress.
Bias in hiring and promotions continues to be the biggest hurdle. About 42 per cent of respondents say workplace bias is the main challenge for women from diverse backgrounds. The concern is consistent across major metros, with Chennai and Delhi NCR reporting similar levels.
Reluctance to discuss personal milestones during hiring processes is also widespread. While 34 per cent overall said they hesitate to share marriage or maternity plans in interviews, the anxiety increases with experience. Among professionals with 10 to 15 years of work experience, the figure rises to 40 per cent.
Info Edge group CMO Sumeet Singh, said the data reflects both progress and unfinished work. “Behind every data point in this report is a woman who is ambitious. The fact that 83 per cent feel encouraged to lead is something to celebrate. However, the fact that one in two still hide their marriage or maternity plans in interviews tells us the work is far from done. As India’s leading career platform, it felt not just important but necessary for us to shine a light on these gaps through the second edition of our report,” he said.
The report suggests that while ambition among women professionals is growing, structural changes around pay transparency, fair hiring and supportive policies will be key if workplaces hope to keep pace.
