Abhay Bhutada Founder & Chairman - Abhay Bhutada Foundation, Strategic Advisor - Cyrus Poonawalla Group, Trustee - Maharshi Vedvyas Pratishthan

Abhay Bhutada is an accomplished and visionary leader, and startup specialist recognized for leading digital transformation in financial services. With over 15 years of experience in commercial and retail lending, Abhay is a qualified Chartered Accountant, passionate about using technology to enhance customer experience, and has been instrumental in setting up the lending business for the Poonawalla Group.

His vision of leveraging technology to enhance financial services has led to the growth and success of the companies he has been a part of. He has successfully built and scaled three digital lending NBFCs – Poonawalla Fincorp, Poonawalla Finance, and TAB Capital.

Abhay Bhutada hails from Latur, Maharashtra, India, and started his professional journey in 2010 as an SME Finance Professional with the Bank of India. Given his deep level of understanding of the finance industry and zeal for path-breaking innovations, he has been a serial entrepreneur since then and also earned multiple awards and laurels. In 2016, Abhay founded TAB Capital Limited, a digital-lending NBFC focused on retail loans, including MSME and consumer lending.

In 2019, Abhay co-founded and joined Poonawalla Finance Private Limited as Managing Director and CEO, where he developed a digital-focused approach to lending. Under his leadership, the company reported profits in its very first year of operations and received an external credit rating of “AA+” from CARE Ratings Limited.

In 2021, Abhay spearheaded the acquisition of a 3-decade old financial services conglomerate. He successfully integrated the acquisition and transition process with his digital-first approach, and the company was later renamed Poonawalla Fincorp Limited.

Under his leadership, Poonawalla Fincorp was completely transformed and its external credit rating was upgraded by multiple notches to ‘AAA’ by CRISIL Ratings Limited and CARE Ratings Limited. He consistently demonstrated team building and leadership development skills, with a strong focus on improving overall culture, systems, and processes to build a profitable franchise with good asset quality and corporate governance practices.

In 2023, Abhay Bhutada also founded a not-for-profit organisation called Abhay Bhutada Foundation. The organisation works towards the upliftment, education and growth of underprivileged sections of the society.

Given his leadership, execution skills, and business acumen, in 2024, Abhay Bhutada has been elevated to the group level and will be taking up a strategic & larger role at the Cyrus Poonawalla Group for managing its strategy and investments.

Abhay is actively associated with renowned industry forums and has also contributed towards Corporate Social Responsibility in healthcare, education, and many more.

He has been recognized for his contributions to the industry, earning accolades such as the “Young Entrepreneur of India 2017,” “Promising Entrepreneur of India 2019,” and “40 under 40 Most Influential Leader for 2020-21.” In his personal life, Abhay believes in mindfulness in the workplace and enjoys gardening, practicing yoga, and regular exercise.

Abhay firmly believes “Every day is a new opportunity, every failure is a stepping-stone, and every milestone is a chance to introspect and improve.”