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Management Team

Arjun Muralidharan

Founder, MD & CEO

Arjun Muralidharan is the Founder, Managing Director and CEO of GrowXCD Finance Private Limited. He comes with 20+years of professional work experience with core expertise in rural retail lending including Microfinance, Small Business Loans, Secured MSME loans, Affordable housing, Two-Wheeler loans and Consumer Durable loans.

Arjun Muralidharan

Meet the Team

Select a profile to read the full biography.

Arjun Muralidharan

Founder, MD & CEO

  • Arjun Muralidharan is the Founder, Managing Director and CEO of GrowXCD Finance Private Limited. He comes with 20+years of professional work experience with core expertise in rural retail lending including Microfinance, Small Business Loans, Secured MSME loans, Affordable housing, Two-Wheeler loans and Consumer Durable loans.
  • Arjun was the CEO of Grama Vidiyal and instrumental in transforming the business into a regulated NBFC (Grama Vidyal Micro Finance). He enabled its growth from 20 branches & Rs. 20 Cr AUM to 350 branches in 6 states, 1.2 million customers and Rs. 1500 Cr AUM through organic growth. He raised capital from reputed impact investors and forged many new banking partnerships enabling the balance sheet growth.
  • He spearheaded the acquisition of Grama Vidyal Micro Finance by IDFC Bank and was later appointed as the MD & CEO of IDFC FIRST Bharat (erstwhile Grama Vidiyal Micro Finance). In IDFC FIRST Bharat, he expanded the operations to cater to over 2 million customers while managing over Rs. 6700 Cr AUM across multiple products and pan-India operations.
  • Arjun is an active support of startups and entrepreneurs and is a mentor at IIT Madras Incubation cell and provided inputs towards their strategy and growth. He is also part of the guiding team of Paripoorna Software, which is a software development company working on cutting edge mobile and web application development for customers in India and Abroad.
  • Arjun is a B.Tech from IIT Madras and a MS (Industrial Engineering and Operations Research) from University of California, Berkeley.

Sathishkumar Vijayan

Co-founder & COO

  • Sathish Kumar Vijayan proudly wears multiple hats as the Co-founder and COO of GrowXCD. His journey in the IT world spans over two decades, during which he has masterminded large-scale IT solutions, especially for sectors like Banking, Retail, and Insurance on a global scale.
  • Alongside his pivotal role at GrowXCD, he also leads as the CTO of Paripoorna Software, a trailblazing firm specializing in state-of-the-art app modernization, mobile, web, cloud-native applications catering to global customers.
  • One of Sathish's standout achievements is architecting robust financial platforms for microfinance institutions, seamlessly managing the financial needs of over 20 million customers, from loan initiation to account settlements.
  • He's also built a strong professional rapport by collaborating with global powerhouses, including CIBC of Canada and Australia's Medibank. His tenures with Tech Mahindra and Kumaran Systems underscore his deep expertise in system development and execution.
  • Holding an Azure Architect certification, Sathish is indisputably an authority in the IT arena. His academic laurels hail from the renowned Madras University and IIM Lucknow.

K. Ramesh

Head - Credit & Underwriting

  • Mr. K. Ramesh, Head of Credit & Underwriting at Grow XCD, brings over two decades of extensive experience in credit underwriting and risk management. He has a strong track record of building and scaling credit functions across diverse lending segments.
  • Prior to joining Grow XCD, he served as National Credit Head for the Affordable Housing segment at Vastu Housing Finance Ltd., where he played a pivotal role in establishing the Micro Housing and MSME business across the South market.
  • Earlier, he was associated with Aptus Housing Finance Ltd. as Vice President - Credit and was part of the organization's early team since 2015, contributing significantly to its growth and credit framework.
  • Over the course of his career, Mr. Ramesh has developed deep expertise across multiple lending products, including home loans and mortgages, commercial vehicle financing and personal loans. He has also held key positions at reputed financial institutions such as Cholamandalam Investment, Barclays Bank, and ICICI Bank.
  • He holds an MBA from the University of Madras.

Ramesh

Head - Finance & Compliance

  • Ramesh's career in banking and financial services spans more than two decades, showcasing a robust journey through esteemed organizations like Veritas, Equitas Small Finance Bank, Northern Arc, RR Donnelly, and CAMS.
  • His roles have been diverse, encompassing financial management, accounting, auditing, compliance, and management information systems (MIS). This extensive experience has equipped him with a comprehensive understanding of the industry's intricacies and challenges.
  • Academically, he holds a postgraduate degree in Commerce, complemented by an MBA with a specialization in Finance. Furthermore, he has enriched his knowledge through a postgraduate program in Business Management at Great Lakes Institute.
  • At GrowXCD, Ramesh brings a wealth of expertise to his current role, leveraging his deep-rooted knowledge to drive financial strategies and operational efficiencies. His multifaceted background and strong educational foundation position him as a valuable asset in steering organizational growth and achieving sustainable success in the dynamic realm of banking and financial services.

Antony Jeyakumar Irudayaraj

Head - Legal & Recoveries

  • Antony Jeyakumar brings over 15 years of experience in the legal profession, including 11 years in the Banking and NBFC sectors with leading institutions such as Tamilnad Mercantile Bank, RBL Bank, Hinduja Housing Finance, and Piramal Finance.
  • He has led legal functions across litigation, regulatory compliance, vendor management, and policy development, with strong expertise in lending under consortium and multiple banking arrangements, retail products (CC/OD, MSME, HL, BG, LC), and recovery frameworks including SARFAESI, DRT, NCLT, and arbitration.
  • He has successfully managed pan-India legal operations across the West and South zones, driving compliance with RBI, NHB, internal and concurrent audits while formulating robust SOPs for litigation, collateral management, and document governance.
  • He holds a B.Com degree from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University and an LL.B and LL.M (Criminal Law) from Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai.