Long term business and social value is built only when the customer is at the heart of the business. I work on customer-centric business models and can plan, organise and manage customer research projects, and translate these insights into core business strategy.
I have worked on designing, planning and managing projects and partnerships for CGAP. Details of this work can be found at https://customersguide.cgap.org/
I have also worked with a JICA consultant team in the Balkans on transforming a farmers' cooperative into a customer centric bank.
I work with organisations on strategy design and implementation using a variety of tools like systems thinking, logic model and Theory of Change. Other services offered include:
Depending on client requirements, customised workshops and training programs can be designed. I conduct workshops with financial service providers, regulators and practitioners.
Past workshops include:
Small holder farmers in Albania constitute 30% of the working population, but access less than 2% of the total formal credit available in the economy. The FiAS project looks to address challenges that small holder farmers face in accessing financial services with a view to improving their incomes, and strengthening the Albanian economy in the long run.
Gender related inequalities can exacerbate access and usage of financial services in particular, and create several other life challenges. I am currently engaged in a portfolio of projects with CGAP and CFI to understand various facets of these inequalities.
Photo credit: Images of Empowerment (CC license)
The on-going pandemic has created multiple challenges in the lives of poor customers. On the one hand, low digital abilities, social norms, poor infrastructure amongst other reasons have resulted in excluding segments of customers who lacked access to financial services or digital services in the first place. On the other hand, loss of incomes, increasing healthcare costs and expenses have resulted in increasing demand for financial services especially debt. Supply, when it is available, in such cases can result in over indebtedness due to terms and conditions. Widespread adoption of digital has also resulted in several risks including privacy, data protection with poor recourse channels. My current work with CGAP on the topic focuses on understanding issues faced by vulnerable customers in India.
Photo credit: Images of Empowerment (CC license)
Social security programs can help build resilience when designed and delivered well. I worked with World Bank's G2Px team on the topic.
Displacement- internal/between nations- creates vulnerabilities that can be hard to recover from. As a part of my independent research, I examine how financial services can help during this period of transition.