Paul Thomas Elected Chairperson of Sa-Dhan: A Milestone in Microfinance Leadership
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | K. Paul Thomas |
| Designation | MD & CEO of ESAF Small Finance Bank |
| New Role | Elected as Chairperson of the board of Sa-Dhan |
| Previous Role | Co-Chair of Sa-Dhan |
| Career | Over 32 years in management, including 25+ years in microfinance sector |
| Previous Work | Worked with Indian Farmers Fertilizers Co-operative Ltd (IFFCO) for 18 years |
| Founder | ESAF Group of Social Enterprises, ESAF Microfinance and Investments Pvt Ltd |
| Other Roles | Board member of MFIN, Founder & President of KAMFI |
| About ESAF SFB | Focuses on unbanked/underbanked areas; started as NGO in 1992 |
| Inspiration | Success of Grameen Bank, Bangladesh |
| ESAF Initiatives | Launched Micro Enterprises Development (MED) services in 1995 |
| About Sa-Dhan | RBI appointed Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) for Microfinance Institutions |
| Sa-Dhan Members | 220 members in 33 states/UTs, 600 districts, reaching 44 million clients |
| Loan Outstanding | Over ₹1,27,801 crores |
| Recognition | National Support Organization (NSO) by NRLM |