Skoll World Forum Emerging Leaders Interview: Video with Buvaneswari Duraisamy

Buvana has 12 years of working experience with in Indian and Bangladesh microfinance industry. She started her career in DHAN Foundation, a leading not for profit in India that focuses on community banking program. She supported 8000 affected families by Tsunami to restore the lives and livelihood of poor communities through Microcredit. Later, She joined in a leading Microfinance Institution (which is a small finance bank) where she built and managed microcredit portfolio of INR 50 million. In 2009, She worked as a microfinance consultant for an urban Not-for-profit based at Dhaka, Bangladesh to set up savings and credit program supported by Development Innovations Group (DIG). While supporting Dhaka project, Buvana has set up the micro-housing pilot project of DIG in Chennai, India. Buvana has been with Water.org for 4+ years bringing changes in the lives of household by creating access to water and sanitation facility. Buvana joined as a Program Manager and got elevated to Senior Program Manager last year. She leads a team of program managers who manages the smart subsidy program implemented by Microfinance Institutions, Banks and WASH supply chain institutions across India. She guides and supports the programs team on the program technical aspects and budget management. Buvana has been instrumental in organizing annual events for Water.org partners and other stakeholders. She holds Masters in Agriculture from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India and also a certificate course on Certified Microfinance Expert from the Frankfurt school of management and Finance, Germany.