Thirunavukkarasu R (Thiru R)

Thirunavukkarasu R (Thiru R) is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of fintech Kinara Capital where he oversees Sales, Credit, Legal & Collections, Business Operations & Customer Care for the fast-growing company. Thiru has been instrumental in Kinara’s growth since the company’s inception in 2011.

He has led the transition from the first loan disbursement to growing the company to deliver INR 3500+ crores in disbursements in the last decade. He continues to lead the company’s expansion into new regions. In the last decade, he has helmed the company’s operations with a customer-first approach and grown it to 133 branches serving MSMEs in 100+ cities in India. A natural born people leader, Thiru guides over 1,000 employees of Team Kinara across multiple departments and geographies.

With more than 22 years of experience in the financial services industry, his experience has been instrumental in customizing Kinara’s solutions for the MSME segment by taking into account the on-the-ground realities of the small business entrepreneurs. Thiru has led company growth expanding from Manufacturing to Trading and Services sectors, and disbursing over 1,22,900+ loans. His track record in operationalizing for scale has led to a highly adaptive team who deliver personalized customer service in vernacular languages.

Prior to joining Kinara Capital, Thiru has traveled the length and breadth of India promoting micro- and MSME- financing in rural and urban areas across multiple states. He has worked with DHAN Foundation, Mimo Finance and was brought on as a special consultant for business planning and capacity building by the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Center for Microfinance, and Intellecap.

Thiru earned his B.E. (Agriculture) from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) in Coimbatore. He completed the Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator program in 2013 at the exclusive Global Social Benefit Institute (GSBI) program hosted by the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University, California, USA. Recognized among the most prominent leaders in the industry, Thiru earned the BFSI Excellence Awards and the NBFC Trailblazer Award by ELETS in 2021.