UGRO Capital Elevates Anuj Pandey To CEO As MSME Lending Surpasses ₹12,000 Crore

UGRO Capital Ltd has appointed Anuj Pandey as its new Chief Executive Officer, marking a pivotal leadership transition as the company scales its MSME lending operations. Pandey, a founding team member and former Chief Risk Officer, will now lead UGRO’s pan-India business, digital platforms, and partner ecosystem.

Leadership Highlights

- Anuj Pandey brings over 25 years of experience across GSK Consumer, ABN AMRO Bank, Barclays Bank, and Religare  
- He has been instrumental in building UGRO’s risk governance framework and credit architecture since inception  
- Pandey holds a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering and is an alumnus of IIM Lucknow  
- He will report to Shachindra Nath, UGRO’s Founder and Managing Director, who will continue to oversee strategic and governance matters  

Strategic Context

- The appointment follows UGRO’s acquisition of Profectus Capital and a large capital raise  
- UGRO has crossed ₹12,000 crore in MSME assets under management and operates over 300 branches nationwide  
- The company aims to deepen its embedded finance offerings and expand its reach across underserved MSME segments  
- Pandey’s elevation is seen as a move to strengthen operational execution while maintaining institutional governance  

Outlook

With a sharpened leadership structure, UGRO is poised to accelerate its mission of solving the MSME credit gap through data-driven lending and scalable digital platforms.

Sources: Economic Times, SMEStreet, StartupTalky, Adda247, BFSI ET.

STORIES YOU MAY LIKE

Clicks, Not Cheques: Payroll Tech Paves the Way for Global Paydays

Key Highlights Kanpur district has kicked off Groundwater Awareness Week, which will last from July 16 through 22, as a collective effort to bring citizens, institutions, and government agencies together for improved water management. The initiative is an immediate response to local apprehensions of dwindling aquifers in the region and seeks to educate, motivate, and involve the community through practical conservation measures and awareness drives. Community-Based Engagement and Educational Activities District Magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh pointed out that all the government departments, local educational institutions, colleges, and schools are involved in the observance. Various activities—workshops, seminars, quiz competitions, and field visits—are being organized to enhance public awareness about groundwater's vital role in daily life. The event's core message, "If water is safe then tomorrow is safe," resonates through school curricula and public exhibitions, with rainwater harvesting, recharge pits, rejuvenation of traditional ponds, and drip/sprinkler irrigation showcased as achievable solutions. Groundwater Conservation Successes and Solutions Kanpur's recent prosperity has its roots in a state-level commitment: over the past seven years, 34 development blocks in Uttar Pradesh have overcome long-standing water scarcity through composite interventions. Some of the key strategies include construction and rejuvenation of ponds for recharging aquifers, constructing check dams, and promoting water-conserving agriculture practices such as drip and sprinkler irrigation. Successful enforcement of the Uttar Pradesh Groundwater (Management and Regulation) Act 2019 has facilitated stricter regulation, monitoring, and sustainable extraction, with every district constituting a special Groundwater Management Council. Success stories like the Noon River revival—the revival of a historically significant 48-km river in Kanpur through a mix of community initiative, satellite mapping, afforestation, and pollution control—underscore the transforming potential of collaborative citizen and government effort. Jal Shakti Abhiyan and Statewide Momentum The Jal Shakti Abhiyan-VI, which was started in March 2025, also continues to complement these initiatives by focusing on people's involvement in water conservation, water body rejuvenation, and rainwater harvesting initiatives. Through years of collaborative efforts, Kanpur endeavors to stimulate behavior change at the grassroots level, guarantee future water security, and serve as a role model for other districts facing similar challenges. Sources: Times of India, Instagram, CGWB

After 18 Days Among the Stars, Shukla’s Back to the One That Outshines Them All — Kamna