Team

Founder and CEO

Anil Kumar SG is the Founder and CEO of Samunnati. His passion to bring resounding impact in the agri ecosystem led to the establishment of India’s largest enterprise, Samunnati. His vision was translated to Samunnati’s mission, which is to create an open agri-network to unlock the Trillion dollar plus potential of Indian agriculture with smallholder farmers at the center of it.

Anil has received awards/recognitions from several forums, including the Best Social Entrepreneur in the Global Social Entrepreneurship Programme 2018; the TiE Impact Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2013; Real Leaders Impact Award 2020 (ranked 83 in top 100) and the ET Social Enterprise Start-up award in 2020. Anil is also on the task force for CII on Agri Start-ups and FICCI on Minimizing Food loss and Wastage.

Anil has close to three decades of experience in the areas of Rural, Retail and Agri Banking. Anil’s professional journey has lent him an understanding of Indian smallholder farmers. Prior to Samunnati, Anil was the Co-Founder & Trustee of IFMR Trust and the CEO of IFMR Rural Channels. Anil holds a Masters in Management from the Asian Institute of Management, Manila. He also holds a Masters in Business Administration from Symbiosis Institute of Management, Pune and a graduate degree in Humanities from Osmania University, Hyderabad.

Executive Director

Gurunath N is the executive director of Samunnati, India’s largest agri-tech enterprise. With over 30 years of experience in the banking and financial services space, Gurunath has also worked at Tamilnadu Mercantile Bank and ICICI Bank. He is responsible for all operational aspects of Samunnati as well as some of the key support functions like Business Performance of Samunnati Financial (Lending). He is also on the Board of Samunnati. As the Executive Director, he engages and builds long-term relationships while ensuring the culture and values of Samunnati are in place.

Director – Samunnati Agro

Pravesh Sharma, has been inferred with the title of “Father of Indian FPOs” and works to create a truly inclusive and viable agri enterprise, leveraging the strength of farmer collectives to create an ecosystem addressing the core needs of farmers for capital, technology, and markets.

Mr. Sharma joined the Board of Samunnati’ Agro in May 2021. He was the founder-CEO of Kamatan, an agri-tech start-up launched in 2018 to create an inclusive supply chain by integrating farmers with markets. Kamatan works with various stakeholders of the agriculture value chain including farmers, FPOs, Mills and Agri-Enterprises. It is now a group company of Samunnati. Praveshji is also the Chair of the Steering Group of the National Association of Farmer Producer Organisations (NAFPO), a platform created to build awareness for issues related to FPOs. He also writes extensively on issues of agriculture, rural development, and rural finance.

He was an alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, Master’s degree in History (1976-1981), and was selected to the Indian Administrative Service in 1982. He served for over 20 years in Madhya Pradesh in projects relating to food and agriculture, rural finance and natural resources management and then went on to serve for 3 years in the Prime Minister’s Office between 1999 and 2001.

Chief Operating Officer

With an extensive career spanning over thirty years in banking, Phani brings a wealth of experience across various domains including Retail and Corporate Banking Operations, Trade Finance, Administration, and Business Operations and has served in several roles at ICICI Bank Ltd prior to joining us. Phani has played a pivotal role in achieving business goals aligning to the overall business objectives of the bank, contributing significantly to business growth, and implementing strategies towards enhancing Customer Experience, Market Penetration, Business Volumes and growth. He comes with proven experience in streamlining workflows and creating a work environment to enhance profitability. Phani started his career with Central Bank of India and working with Axis Bank before joining ICICI Bank. He holds MBA with a focus on Banking and Financial Support Services from the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai.

Chief Business Officer

With a profound passion for building new businesses and creating value, Kiran has a remarkable track record of initiating and scaling up Ag MSME and corporate supply chain ventures, shaping them into sustainable revenue and impact-generating verticals. Prior to joining us, Kiran was associated with IndusInd Bank as Executive Vice President & Business Head- Ag MSME & Corporate Business Group.

In his previous role, Kiran successfully set up and scaled Ag MSME and Corporate value chain businesses, contributing significantly to both asset and profit growth. His extensive experience, coupled with his leadership qualities, will undoubtedly drive our team towards greater success. He has completed his Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Management, Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), Gujarat. With more than two decades of work experience, Kiran has worked with Kotak Mahindra Bank & Axis Bank in the past.

Chief Product & Revenue officer

Anuj Narang is the Chief Product & Revenue officer of Samunnati, India’s largest enterprise. With around 25 years’ experience in P&L management, Business Development, Sales & Marketing, Budgeting and Strategic Planning in the Commodity and Consumer space, Anuj was managing an entrepreneurial venture as a Consultant & Investor based out of Singapore. He was focussed on consulting with leading FMCG companies and offering risk management services for Supply Chain & Procurement. In the past, Anuj has been associated with Engelhart Commodities Singapore, Czarnikow Group and ITC Foods. His expertise lies in managing businesses in both Indian as well as international markets.

Group Head- Risk Management

BV Sudhakar has joined us as Group Head – Risk Management to drive and oversee Enterprise Risk Management. Sudhakar brings over three decades of extensive experience in credit operations, risk management, and fraud risk management, coupled with a proven track record of leadership and strategic decision making.

His last stint was with Poonawalla Fincorp Ltd, where he was responsible for Risk Management. His other stints include with Avanse Financial Services Ltd, L&T Financial Services, TATA Capital Ltd etc. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Nagarjuna University. He will be based out of Chennai.

Chief Human Resources Officer

Sai Prasad Somayajula is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Samunnati, bringing over 35 years of experience in the banking and financial services industry. He has extensive expertise in digital strategy, business innovation, people development, retail sales, service, operations, and channel management. Before transitioning to his current role in July 2024, Sai was the Group Business Head of Farmer Collectives at Samunnati, then transitioned into Chief Business Officer of farmer collectives and agri enterprises segments, before becoming Chief Human Resources Officer.  Sai played a pivotal role in enabling smallholder farmers through innovative market linkages and financing opportunities. Prior to Samunnati, Sai held senior leadership positions at ICICI Bank, where he contributed to branch banking leadership in ICICI Bank India,   product innovation and payments modernization in Canada. He also played a significant role in digital and core banking transformations presales consulting during his tenure at Infosys Finacle. In his current role, Sai focuses on fostering a high-performance culture and driving operational excellence through the development of Samunnati’s people function.