Avanse Financial Services (Avanse), an education-focused non-banking financial company (NBFC) in India, has appointed Anila Rajneesh as its Chief People Officer, effective October 2026. Anila brings over 25 years of experience in HR, with a strong background in the BFSI sector, and will also oversee the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) framework.
Her expertise spans HR transformation, organisational development and cultural strategy, along with talent development, DEI, ESG and workforce analytics, which she has embedded into core HR frameworks. She has also built high-performing teams and talent pipelines.
Based at Avanse’s Mumbai head office, Anila will lead the Human Resources function, focusing on employee-centric policies and industry best practices. In addition, she will develop CSR initiatives aligned with the organisation’s environmental and sustainability commitments.
Prior to joining Avanse, Anila spent nearly eight years at Fedbank Financial Services Ltd. (Fedfina). Her earlier senior leadership roles include stints at Fino Payments Bank, CIMB and HDFC Securities.
Commenting on the appointment, Amit Gainda, Managing Director & CEO, Avanse Financial Services, said, “We are delighted to welcome Anila to our leadership team. Her extensive experience across leading financial institutions positions her to drive business transformation through people, culture, and technology. At Avanse, people-centricity remains at the core of our strategy. As an organisation, we will always focus on fostering a symbiotic environment for our employees that enhances their learning curve, resulting in ‘Return on Intelligence’ while enabling ‘Return on Capital’ for stakeholders. We are confident that Anila’s leadership will empower us to bring innovative perspectives and strategies to boost our HR function with a focus on growth, diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
