It’s not every day that a woman secures a top position in the finance business; Tina Muthoot is among those handful who have invested blood, bone, and sweat to reach where she is today.
Tina Muthoot is an inspiring businesswoman. She holds the title of ‘Dynamic Business Leader of 2022 ‘ and is the leading lady, at the helm of the #RestartIndia movement (as the Impact Director), an initiative of Muthoot FinCorp in collaboration with INKtalks. #Restartindia was conceptualised to create an ecosystem for small and nano businesses in India to help them find solutions to come out of their current business challenges, by enabling them with the knowledge and tools necessary to reach a market and adapt to efficient ways of doing business.
Tina stepped into the business as an Associate Vice President with the Group’s only listed entity, Muthoot Capital Services Ltd. (MCSL), where she led MCSL’s Corporate Lending as well as CSR Functions, for about two years. Thereafter, she advanced into the resource planning division, to streamline the treasury activities of the Group.
Before taking a lead role in the Group’s star performer, MCSL being one of the leading NBFCs in the country, Tina forged her skills and built her professional foundation through a challenging 5+ year stint with various Indian & Global Financial Services & Consulting majors, viz., Deloitte, Haskins & Sells; S R Batliboi & Co. (part of E&Y) and B S R & Co. Here, Tina was hands-on across various aspects of the financial space like, amongst others: Audit, International Tax Consulting, Corporate Law, Data Analysis, Regulatory & Compliance Aspects and Operational aspects of Taxation.
Tina is a Chartered Accountant, having completed Level 1 of the CFA on the back of her Bachelor of Commerce degree with high scores. She has always been earnest in her education, excelling at School & College level as well as being a district-level topper across varied parameters. A former Toastmaster, Tina has spoken at various business and entrepreneurial forums organized by CII, FICCI Flo, HerMoneyTalks, and Dhanam Business Magazine; she was even recognised in India’s Top 100 Women in Finance in the ‘Promising’ category by AIWMI in 2019.
SIMPLIFYING SMALL BUSINESS LIVES: #RESTARTINDIA’S AREA OF EXPERTISE
RestartIndia, as a means to help and empower small businesses, aims to create a common advisory ecosystem for nano, small and medium businesses across the country, wherein they are given free access to resources and opportunities to that will help them build / rebuild their businesses.
The core of the initiative currently is its website restartindia.in which is open for anyone to visit and seek out answers to their questions or find solutions for their challenges. There are six primary ways in which the movement is making an impact for small businesses:
Shop Small Days (Expo events):
Providing avenues for small businesses to reach their market, sell their products / services and build networks with other complementary businesses in their locality. #Restartindia has held such events in Kochi and Trivandrum and plans to conduct further events across south India, thereafter expanding to other parts of the country.
The Small Business Digital Makeover:
Training resources for small businesses on how they can go digital, whether it be in helping them learn to effectively use tools like WhatsApp for their business or helping them promote their products in a digital marketplace. Additionally, providing them with useful skills to run their business more efficiently.
SkillUP Series:
Empowering small businesses to upskill and rebuild their capabilities in addition to their current area of expertise, thus making them and their work relevant in the market. Training is provided by experts in the respective field of business to a handful of small businesses at a time, in the vernacular language.
Q&A Library:
Upon receiving more than 1000 questions from various categories such as financial services, scheme related queries, marketing, tax, education, #RestartIndia has responded to them by either publishing on our Q&A library or as an FAQ. These questions and more have been addressed during the Live events.
The formidable:
#RestartIndia Mentor Panel Continuous collaboration with close to 30 industry stalwarts with expert knowledge in sectors such as healthcare, education, retail, agriculture, marketing, tax, HR, and so on who advise small businesses on the direction they need to take for growth and success.
Live Events:
Engaging with the small business community through live events held every month. These events are streamed on #RestartIndia’s social media channels and website.
THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE INITIATION & JOURNEY AHEAD
Tina continually approaches the #Restartindia movement with a combination of creativity and organization – the desire to make an impact by trying something new, experimenting on things not done before, and seeing it come to fruition, with the support of Muthoot FinCorp.
Since its inception, Muthoot FinCorp has been building itself on transforming and empowering people from various segments across the country and will continue to do so. With the help of initiatives like #RestartIndia, it continues to build products, activities, and campaigns that will reach the people and help them in their hour of need.
OVERCOMING THE HICCUPS
One of the major hurdles of this journey has been keeping abreast of the changes and the many ways that small businesses work! The motivation comes from seeing the results that the services have brought to small businesses – their increase in market reach, the desire to get their business up and running, or even help struggling businesses overcome their obstacles.
Talking about Muthoot FinCorp’s roller-coaster ride, Tina Muthoot further apprised – “I’m thrilled about the work that #RestartIndia does because of the connect it has with the small business community with whom we interact so closely, both in terms of providing financial solutions from our flagship company, Muthoot FinCorp Limited, and empowering them via #RestartIndia”.
TINA’S TAKE ON THE CURRENT MARKET LANDSCAPE
The past few years have seen uncertainty shudder across many industries and communities in India. As one of the largest NBFCs in the country, Muthoot FinCorp’s (MFL) first step was that of empathy and action. With its 3600+ strong branch presence across the country, the company actively listened to its customers, understood their needs, and built curated products under the #RestartIndia banner that would help them get back on their feet.
Ashwas Dinam Gold Loan was introduced exclusively to help the Small Business Sector, and witnessed a disbursement count of 39,000 with a funding value of Rs 300 Cr.
Interest-Free Gold Loan was designed to help customers who resort to local pawnbrokers for their daily business function where they pay very high-interest rates.
Aatmanirbhar Mahila Gold Loan and Pradhan Gold Loan were created to support high-value borrowers at much-discounted interest rates. The Mahila Gold Loan was specially curated to cater to the women of India.
Vidya Dhan Gold Loan:
The education sector was also deeply impacted due to the lockdowns, with reports citing nearly 247 million children enrolled in elementary & secondary schools being impacted. With classrooms eventually moving online, many parents were not in a position to afford to buy additional smartphones or tabs for daily classes. Muthoot FinCorp introduced the Vidya Dhan product on RestartIndia’s 1 year anniversary, with a 90-day interest-free feature, to the delight of 60,000 parents/ students across the country.
FROM TINA’S DESK
I think my biggest moments of vulnerability have been the most triumphant for me. When I’ve realised that there are areas of learning, something new I haven’t tried, initially it feels like a mountain to climb and this feeling of what can be accomplished. But just pushing myself far out of my comfort zone has resulted in the most rewarding experiences for me. I’ve discovered my strengths and vulnerabilities and how I can add value and purpose to my work and those around me.
WORDS OF WISDOM
There’s plenty to learn every day. Staying grounded helps you learn from the easy days and the hard days.
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