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Vodafone encourages eco-friendly ‘visarjan’
MUMBAI: Vodafone India HAS unveiled its unique initiative ‘Vodafone Eco-Ponds’ on the occasion of 125th anniversary of Ganeshotsav celebrations in Pune. Vodafone’s Maharashtra & Goa circle has partnered with Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) in an attempt to help citizens across the city celebrate and immerse Ganesh idols in an environment friendly manner.
Vodafone has set up ‘Vodafone Eco-Ponds’, a temporary water tank setup equipped with a promoter and a life guard at eight Vodafone stores. Punekars can visit any of the stores with their Ganesh idols, where they will be assisted to carry out the Visarjan.
Vodafone stores located at JM Road, Hirabaug, Wakdewadi, Aundh, Karve Road, NIBM Road, Kalyaninagar and Kharadi will be equipped with Vodafone Eco-Ponds (See Annexure). Further to this, devotees can also dial 7391000000 to locate all the Vodafone Eco-Ponds.
Vodafone India business head – Maharashtra & Goa Circle Ashish Chandra said, “As much as we feel part of this festive buzz, we are aware of the impact, festival leaves on the environment. PMC along with NCL have been in the forefront in encouraging people to undertake immersion at home in order to keep water bodies from polluting.”
CSIR National Chemical Laboratory senior Scientist, catalysis division Shubhangi B Umbarkar said, “Last year, many people responded positively and around 25000-30000 people implemented it at home. I would appeal all to either use clay idols or for pop idols use Eco-friendly Ganesh Visarjan process developed by CSIR-NCL.”
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Muthoot FinCorp names Arun Kumar COO & Harjit Singh Takkar chief distribution officer
Leadership hires to boost operations and widen pan-India reach
THIRUVANANTHPURAM: Muthoot FinCorp has strengthened its top deck with the appointment of Arun Kumar B as chief operating officer and Harjit Singh Takkar as chief distribution officer, sharpening its focus on scale, speed and service as it pushes into its next phase of growth.
The flagship financial services arm of the 138-year-old Muthoot Pappachan Group, popularly known as Muthoot Blue, is expanding both muscle and mindset. With more than 3,750 branches nationwide and its digital platform, the Muthoot FinCorp ONE app, the company is betting on tighter execution and wider reach to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive lending market.
Arun Kumar B steps in with nearly two decades of experience cutting across financial services, technology transformation and customer analytics. He previously worked with CreditAccess Grameen, where he led enterprise-wide technology and data strategy initiatives and played a pivotal role during a major merger in the microfinance space. His work spanned integrating operations and products while scaling lending and non-credit offerings such as insurance and pensions.
At Muthoot FinCorp, Arun will steer operational excellence and strategic growth initiatives, aligning teams and processes to deliver sharper efficiency across the business. A gold medallist from Anna University and a postgraduate from IIM Indore, he also holds certifications in design thinking, Blue Ocean Strategy and business analytics.
Harjit Singh Takkar takes on the newly created role of chief distribution officer, reporting directly to the chief executive officer. The position is designed to energise the company’s distribution engine and bring greater governance and agility across its branch network.
Takkar brings over 28 years of retail banking experience, having held senior leadership roles at IndusInd Bank, Bandhan Bank, Yes Bank and ICICI Bank. Known for scaling branch networks and building high-performing teams, he combines distribution expertise with governance depth as a qualified company secretary with a master’s degree in finance and control.
In his new role, Takkar will oversee branch business and distribution channels, with a clear brief to expand reach, lift productivity and reinforce the company’s pan-India presence.
Commenting on the appointments, Muthoot FinCorp Ltd. chief executive officer Shaji Varghese, said the company continues to invest in leadership as it scales. “Our purpose is to improve the financial well-being of the common man. As we grow, strengthening leadership across key functions is important to ensure consistency in execution and customer experience,” he said.
With complementary strengths in operations and distribution now in place, Muthoot FinCorp appears set to move from steady expansion to sharper acceleration, backed by people, process and technology working in concert.
