Former chairman of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Dr Harsh Kumar Bhanwala, has joined Omnivore, an agritech venture capital firm, a Senior Advisor from Tuesday.
As a Senior Advisor, Bhanwala will mentor Omnivore’s portfolio companies, advise on new investments, and help develop the fund’s rural fintech investment strategy.
Bhanwala was NABARD chairman from 2013 to 2020. As head of NABARD, the Indian government’s apex development bank, he oversaw all aspects of agricultural credit and the supervision of regional rural banks and cooperative banks.
Before that, he was the chairman and managing director of the India Infrastructure Finance Company (IIFCL), senior vice-president at IL&FS Water, and the managing director of the Delhi State Cooperative Bank. Bhanwala began his career at NABARD and worked there for almost three decades.
After leaving NABARD, he served as the executive chairman of Capital India Finance Limited, an NBFC. In addition, he is on the Board of Governors of IIM Rohtak and serves as an Independent Director on the board of Bayer Crop Science India. He is also an Independent Director on the board of MFIN (Microfinance Institutions Network).
Omnivore funds entrepreneurs building the future of agriculture and food systems. It has backed over 25 agritech startups since 2011.