Eko hires industry experts for Head of Lending and Head of Data Science positions
New Delhi: Eko, one of India’s fastest growing fintech platforms that enables small businesses recently forayed into the lending ecosystem by creating the ‘first time credit’ module for ambitious sellers. The brand is witnessing its heydays as it continues to strengthen its leadership team across various verticals. The new-age fintech platform recently announced the appointments of Kapish Kaushal and Armish Sonkar as its Head of Lending and Head of Data Science respectively.
Having joined Eko in 2021, Kapish will be responsible for building the entire loan management system of the company based on the interest rates, suppliers’ data, the number of partners involved, and the user journey with regards to the lending perspective. He will also oversee the collection from operations, streamline the customer service, scale up the lending business, and effectively manage the company’s credit system/daily repayment process. Armish, on the other hand, will take charge of constructing AI systems and advanced analytics solutions for lending, underwriting, and growth forecasting. He will also supervise the activities of three data science divisions- credit intelligence (lending & underwriting modeling piece), data engineering (repository of Eko comprehensive databases, and business analytics (supporting different departments like marketing, product, etc.).
Addressing the announcement, Mr Abhishek Sinha, Co-Founder, Eko said, “We wish to offer credit services that are inlined with daily drawdown and repayments. Given Kapish’s & Armish’s previous experiences that have primarily been focused on financial and technological services, we are confident that their efforts will be instrumental in building and strengthening our digital lending model for small and medium businesses around the country”.
An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Kapish Kaushal has had a prolific career, starting with Goldman Sachs in their investment banking division. Kapish has also worked as a management consultant with Deloitte and Mastercard before joining Indifi where as a director, he was responsible for the supply side of the marketplace engaging with banks and NBFCs to deploy capital. Kapish’s business development, partnership management and strategic thinking skills with deep experience of working in financial services space across projects and geographies uniquely positions him to lead Lending at Eko.
“I’m delighted to join the ranks of Eko at the pivotal stage of its growth journey. The company is focused on introducing cutting-edge fintech solutions to propel the earnings of MSMEs in the country. I see my appointment as an opportunity to be a part of this novel initiative and drive Eko towards greater heights”, added Kapish Kaushal.
Armish Sonkar brings 12+ years of industry-rich experience in machine learning, data science, model development, and more. He has donned multiple leadership & advisory roles in prestigious organizations, including Mckinsey & Company, FICO, and Equifax. Owing to his organizational & technical leadership expertise, Armish built and ran consumer internet startups to drive social change within society. His in-depth knowledge of credit, corporate banking risk, insurance risk modeling, SAAS platforms, and tech stack will elevate Eko’s backend technical operations.
“Eko is on a mission to provide more income and access to formal capital to micro-SMEs & SMEs in the country. I wish to fulfill its dream by building AI models and quality data systems that leverage historical data and operate according to a 360-degree view of the financial health system in India”, added Armish Sonkar.
Since its inception in 2007, Eko has logged its highest turnover of INR 200 Cr in FY 20 and onboarded 35 million end customers and 2,50,000 merchants to date. By automating its process and using deep-tech analytics in its risk-underwriting models, the company intends to attract 1 million sellers to its platform and build a loan book of US$200M in the next 3-5 years.