Summary

Work experience

• Head of Payments, Cards & Lending

  Al Fardan Exchange

  2025.07-Current

  (a year)

  Spearheaded the cross-border payments, cards, digital wallet, universal account and lending business. ◦ Led a cross-functional team across product development, fintech partnerships, customer experience, regulatory compliance, risk management, customer service, operations, and technology. Led the growth in revenue through new products, partnerships, and strategic initiatives. Led key initiatives from the Central Bank of UAE related to Universal Account, CBDC and Open Finance. Spearheaded the launch of UAE’s first micro-lending product for salary advance with Abhi Fintech. ◦ Led the launch of Send Now Pay Later (SNPL) - fixed-rate personal loan product for cross-border payments. Led the launch and growth of Jaywan prepaid card for payroll customers and a multi-currency prepaid card for travelers through VISA membership. Led the incubation of digital prepaid wallet for remittances, payroll solutions, and merchant payments. ◦ Led the evaluation and selection of a technology partner for the development of digital wallet solution. Led the launch of stablecoin-based cross-border payments that are faster, cheaper and more transparent. ◦ Led the co-creation of transaction and settlement flows with crypto providers that are registered in UAE.
• Chief Operating Officer

  REEUDO

  2022.09-2024.08

  (2 years)

  Spearhead the cross-border payments and multi-currency cards for international students and travelers. ◦ Founded a team of 30 people across sales & marketing, product, UI/UX design, operations, and technology. Led the launch and growth of consumer journeys for cross-border payments and cards from $0 to $2B GMV.
• Vice President - Head of Payments, Credit Cards & Lending

  Zomato

  2021.03-2022.08

  (a year)

  Spearheaded the incubation and growth of payments, credit cards, prepaid wallet, and lending businesses. ◦ Recruited and managed a team across products, marketing, operations, and technology. Led all aspects of operations, including financial performance, risk & compliance, product, and technology. ◦ Cultivated strong relationships with key stakeholders, including board members, regulators, and partners. Built and fostered the payments ecosystem through partnerships with payment networks and aggregators. Spearheaded the launch and growth of Zomato - RBL Bank co-brand credit card. Led the launch and growth of buy now pay later (BNPL) micro-loans for consumers. Led the growth in SME credit for restaurants to buy equipment, raw material, and ads.
• Vice President - Head of Credit Cards

  Mashreq

  2018.12-2021.02

  (2 years)

  Spearheaded the digital transformation and growth of the credit cards and payments business. ◦ Recruited, cultivated and managed a global multi-cultural team across direct sales, telesales, products, digital marketing, credit risk, regulatory compliance, operations, and technology. Provided visionary leadership and strategic direction to drive the bank's growth in revenue and profitability. ◦ Managed strategic initiatives across payments and credit cards with ownership of products and revenue. Spearheaded the development and launch of UAE’s first digital application journey for credit card users. ◦ Led the growth in monthly sales of credit cards by +110% within the first quarter of launch. Implemented process improvements through automation of operational workflows to reduce costs. ◦ Led digital transformation initiatives that resulted in 80% cost savings. ◦ Enhanced the STP rate from 0% to 40% by optimizing customer onboarding and credit underwriting process. Led the reduction in drop-off rates from 80% to 5% through analytics and optimization of customer journey. ◦ Conceptualized and managed partnerships with digital marketing platforms and media agencies.
• Director - Head of Digital Payments

  Mastercard

  2014.10-2018.11

  (4 years)

  Spearheaded the incubation and growth of digital payments and cards business within India and South Asia. ◦ Fostered a cross-functional team across sales, products, marketing, and technology. Led the growth of digital payments products for banks, payment aggregators, and online merchants. Spearheaded the launch of card tokenization solution in partnership with Samsung Pay and top 10 banks. ◦ Led the growth in share of tokenized card transactions through joint marketing campaigns. Spearheaded the growth in market share through partnerships with top 20 digital merchants. ◦ Led the co-creation of product features with Uber to increase the share of card payments. ◦ Led the implementation of Masterpass to enable quick and secure card payments at online merchants.
• Head of Digital Banking, Cards & Payments

  Airtel Payments Bank

  2008.05-2014.10

  (6 years)

  Spearheaded the launch and growth of country’s first digital bank account and prepaid wallet products. ◦ Led the growth of digital banking, co-brand credit cards and payments business for Airtel Payments Bank. ◦ Managed a cross-functional team across sales, products, operations, and technology. Led all aspects of operations, including financial performance, risk & compliance, and customer service. ◦ Provided strategic direction to drive the growth, profitability, and market expansion for the digital bank. ◦ Cultivated strong relationships with key stakeholders, including board members, regulators, and partners. Orchestrated the development and launch of digital bank accounts and cards in partnership with Axis Bank. ◦ Led the growth in issuance of bank accounts through marketing, cross-sell, and retail sales.
• Head of Digital Payments

  Airtel Payments Bank

  2002.05-2008.04

  (6 years)

  Spearheaded the development and launch of Airtel Money digital wallet for payments and remittances. ◦ Led the growth in customer acquisitions through Airtel Money retail stores and marketing campaigns. Spearheaded the growth of mChek on Airtel, India’s first mobile payments solution.
• Telecom Engineer

  HFCL Limited

  1999.08-2000.03

  (8 months)

  ▪ Led the development and implementation of technology architecture and solution for telecom networks.

Educational experience

• Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

  Master of Business Administration - MBA Business Administration and Management, General
• Delhi College of Engineering

  Bachelor of Engineering - BE Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering

Languages