Advisor
ajay.tannirkulam@ifmr.ac.in
Ajay’s interest in the livelihoods of small farmers made him spend significant time in the field identifying issues in agriculture that have resulted in low growth rates. Ajay co-founded Magasool in 2012, a not-for-profit initiative aimed at improving the lives of small and marginal farmers in Tamil Nadu. Magasool focuses on providing specialized agriculture inputs that improve yield or decrease input costs. In addition, Ajay has been an Advisor to IFMR LEAD since February 2013.
Ajay got his PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2008. He joined IFMR LEAD’s Centre for Microfinance (CMF) as the Head of the Analytics Unit in January 2009. Between 2011 and 2013 he kept additional charge as the Centre’s Interim Executive Director.
Head, Training
amulyakrishna.champatiray@ifmr.ac.in
Amulya heads the training and workshops vertical at IFMR LEAD. For over two years, Amulya worked with the Capacity Building Team in Sa-Dhan, focusing primarily on programs around Financial and Information Systems Management for small and medium NGO-MFIs. He also has six years of grassroots experience in implementing community-based microfinance projects during his association with Agragamee in Orissa and Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS) in Gujarat. Amulya has a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI), Ahmedabad and a bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar.
Research Manager
ankur.gautam@ifmr.ac.in
Ankur is a Research Manager at the MSME and Entrepreneurship vertical at IFMR LEAD. He has worked as a researcher in the WASH sector for two and a half years and is currently interested in digital finance. Prior to working at IFMR, Ankur was working with the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) on their sanitation portfolio. Ankur holds a PGDM in Development Finance from the Institute for Financial Management Research (IFMR), Chennai and and an honors degree in Economics from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara.
Project Manager
anoushaka.chandrashekar@ifmr.ac.in
Anoushaka Chandrashekar works as a Project Manager with the Financial Inclusion team at IFMR LEAD on a study evaluating the impact of day care centers on the health and economic well-being of women in rural Rajasthan. Her research interests include women and child development, women’s empowerment, and international comparisons of development issues. Anoushaka holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from The University of Texas at Austin, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University.
Senior Research Associate
divya.mary@ifmr.ac.in
Divya Mary is a Senior Research Associate in the Infrastructure and Governance (I&G) vertical at IFMR LEAD. Her current research engagements include the themes of agriculture, livelihoods, and access to finance. She is working on an evaluation of an app-based insurance product in Gujarat, an assessment of the national crop insurance scheme(NAIS) and a NABARD study on enhancing farmer incomes in Tamil Nadu. She is also working on a long-term randomized evaluation of a formal financial access model for low-income, rural households in Tamil Nadu. Divya holds an Integrated Master’s in Development Studies from IIT Madras. She has previously interned with the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai as a part of their Alleviating Poverty and Malnutrition project in collaboration with the University of Alberta, Canada. Her research interests lie at the intersection of small farmers and their livelihoods, health and refugee rights.
Head – Financial Inclusion
fabrizio.valenti@ifmr.ac.in
An economist and development professional, Fabrizio is currently the Head of LEAD’s Financial Inclusion team, overseeing the organization’s research portfolio on this topic. Fabrizio’s international work experience is vast. Prior to joining LEAD, he has worked as a Senior Consultant for KSAR, a Canadian strategic management consulting firm; as a Policy and Information Management Analyst for Save the Children in Sierra Leone; as a Technical Advisor on Sustainable Development for UNDP in Indonesia; and as a Researcher for the University of Rome Tor Vergata, for which he has lead projects in both Italy and Bangladesh.
Fabrizio is known for his analytical and research skills and for being an adaptable and dynamic professional who is passionate about bringing tangible and lasting impact through rigorous research and evidence.
Fabrizio obtained a PhD in Economics from the University of Rome Tor Vergata in 2014 and has joined LEAD in October 2019.In his free time, Fabrizio enjoys cooking and scuba diving.
