Shri. K. Paul Thomas is a visionary social entrepreneur from India and the founder of ESAF
Group of Social Enterprises, including ESAF Small Finance Bank, where he currently serves as
the Managing Director & CEO.
In 1992, Shri. Thomas established ESAF as a non-profit society, focusing on organising
neighbourhood women into Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to promote socio-economic
transformation in some of India's most backward regions.
Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD & CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank, participated as a special invitee in the Christmas celebration organised by the Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence in Delhi. During the event, Shri. K. Paul Thomas presented the Honourable PM with a special Christmas hamper, curated by CEDAR Retail as a gesture of goodwill.
Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank, met Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister for Finance at Credit Outreach Programme, Attingal, Thiruvananthapuram on 25th November 2023. A cheque worth Rs. 120. 76 lakh from SIDBI was handed over to the Minister during the event by Shri. K. Paul Thomas.
Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank, was a panellist in FIBAC 2023, Winning in Uncertain Times, jointly organised by Boston Consulting Group, FICCI and Indian Bank’s Association on 22nd and 23rd November 2023 at Hotel Trident, Nariman Point, Mumbai. The panel included several eminent personalities from the banking sector. Shri. K. Paul Thomas shared valuable insights on the topic ‘How Indian banking needs to upskill, reskill and retain employees’.
ESAF Small Finance Bank listed its shares on the BSE and NSE on 10th November 2023. The listing took place in a grand event held at the BSE. The event began with the lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries present and the ceremonial striking of the gong was jointly performed by Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank and Shri. P. R. Ravimohan, Chairman, ESAF Small Finance Bank. Later, Smt. Mereena Paul, Executive Director, ESAF Foundation and other senior dignitaries joined the gong-striking ritual. Shri. Girish Joshi, Chief, Listing and Trading Development, BSE, welcomed the gathering. Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank, was greeted with a resounding applause. “This milestone signifies a significant achievement, and as we look ahead, we remain dedicated to delivering long-term value not only to our shareholders but also to our valued customers,†he said during his address. He expressed his joy by adding that perhaps, ESAF SFB could be the first organisation to be listed in the BSE, after commencing its operations as a non-profit NGO. The event witnessed an august gathering including officials like Smt. Saleena George, Director, ESAF Holdings, Smt. Arpitha Pal Agrawal, MD and CEO, Dia Vikas Capital, Shri. Dharmesh Mehta, MD and CEO, DAM Capital, Shri. Rajiv Varma, MD and CEO, Coverage, Shri. Ashish Kumar Shrivastava, MD, PNB Metlife, Shri. Sampath Reddy, Chief Investment Officer, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, Shri. G. K. Subramaniam, Auditor, DHS, Director Board members, ESAF SFB, Chartered Accountants, and representatives from investor organisations, media partners, agencies and other senior officials from ESAF SFB and other entities of ESAF Group.
Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank, received the Best Local Management Award for the 2022-23 season in category 3 on behalf of Thrissur Management Association (TMA) at the AIMA 50th National Management Convention held in New Delhi on 27th September 2023. The award was handed over by Shri. S. Somnath, Chairman, ISRO.
ESAF Small Finance Bank entered into a corporate tie-up with Kotak Life for customer life insurance. The formalisation of the collaboration took place during a ceremony held at the Mumbai Head Office of Kotak Mahindra Bank on 4th August 2023. The tie-up is an extension of the 14-year-long association of ESAF with Kotak, as a Group Insurance Partner and aims to provide the Bank’s customers with a diverse range of tailor-made life insurance products. Shri. Uday Kotak, CEO, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Shri. Mahesh Balasubramanian, MD, Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company, Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank and other officials from both organisations were present during the event.
ESAF Small Finance Bank underwent an ESG grading process by Care Edge Research. The Bank secured a commendable score of 71%, against the industry average of 59%. The Bank scored 62% for the environment pillar, 68% for the social pillar and 76% for the governance pillar. The Bank’s excellent performance in the grading process is a result of its green protocol, green branch practices, healthy labour management practices, employee engagement and gender-inclusive workforce (one in every three employees is a woman), CSR contribution of 5%, exceeding the government mandate, community transformation through innovative products and its board governance and disclosure. ESAF SFB was also judged the industry best in five categories namely green finance, health and safety, product safety and quality, communities and opportunities for product/inclusion.
Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank, bagged the Excellence Award- APY Big Believers for significant enrolment of APY and Circle of Excellence Award by PFRDA. The awards were presented by Dr. Deepak Mohanty, Chairperson, PFRDA, on 16th June 2023 during the Atal Pension Yojana felicitation programme and strategy review meeting (south zone) in Chennai.
ESAF Small Finance Bank opened its new regional office in Nagpur. The newly inaugurated regional office will serve as a vital hub for the Bank’s operations across Maharashtra and Central India, enabling support and service delivery to customers in the region. The office was inaugurated by Smt. Sangeeta Lalwani, Regional Director, Reserve Bank of India. Shri. Ravimohan P. R., Chairman, ESAF SFB, inaugurated the ATM. Shri. Balkrishna Bhartia, National President, Confederation of All India Traders, Shri. George K. John, Executive Vice President – IT and Operations, ESAF SFB, Shri. Hemant Kumar Tamta, Executive Vice President, Network 2, ESAF SFB, Shri. Sreekanth C. K., Head, Marketing and PR, ESAF SFB, Shri. Sanjeev Kumar Hotta, Regional Head, Nagpur Region ESAF SFB, and Shri. Sunil Jadhav, Zonal Head, ESAF Multi-State Agro Co-operative, also spoke during the occasion.
Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank has been elected to the Board of Sa-Dhan, an association of Microfinance and Impact Finance Institutions, as Co-Chairman. He secured a majority of 60 votes out of 62 votes cast. Shri. K. Paul Thomas commented that the victory was in recognition of ESAF’s contributions to promoting financial inclusion.
ESAF Small Finance Bank inaugurated its new Zonal Office at West Patel Nagar, New Delhi on 29th May 2023. The inauguration was done virtually by Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Honourable Minister of State, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was jointly carried out by Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank, and Smt. Mereena Paul, Executive Director, ESAF Foundation, along with Shri. C.B. Samuel, Former CEO, EFICOR, and Smt. Girija Subramanian, CMD, Agricultural Insurance Company of India. Many officials including Shri. Scott Walters, CEO, Opportunity International, Australia, Shri. S. N. Sharma, GM, RBI, Smt. Chitra Datar, GM, Bank of Maharashtra, Shri. Amit Meena IAS, Ministry of Finance, Shri. Ramesh Babu, Secretary, EFICOR, Shri. George Thomas, Executive Vice President, ESAF Small Finance Bank, Shri. Hemant Tamta, Executive Vice President, Network 2, ESAF Small Finance Bank, Shri. Christudas K. V., CEO, ESAF Co-operative and Shri. Sreekanth C.K., Head, Marketing and PR, ESAF Small Finance Bank, were present during the occasion.
Shri. K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank met Shri. Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home Affairs and Co-operation, during his visit to Thrissur on 12th March 2023.