Chairperson at SKS Microfinance
NationalityIndian
Current locationIndia
Work categoryAccounting and Finance
EducationPhD/Doctorate
Vikram Akula has worked to improve the lives of India's indigent population for much of his life. As the founder and chairman emeritus of SKS Microfinance Ltd., Dr. Akula and his company extended micro-credit to millions of women across India, enabling them to purchase livestock, establish small businesses, and ultimately provide for themselves and their families. Although Dr. Akula launched SKS (Swayam Krishi Sangam or “self-help society”) as a nonprofit group, he developed the organization with the intention of converting it into a for-profit venture, recognizing that a nonprofit model would not allow SKS to grow to the scale necessary to help the tens of millions in India in need of microfinance services.
Vikram Akula established SKS after years of advocating for women in need in India, starting as a community organizer for Deccan Development Society in 1990. He then worked on behalf of the underserved in a more general sense as a researcher at the World Watch Institute.
Vikram Akula's Professional Experience
SKS Microfinance - Chairperson
Vikram Akula is the Founder and Chairperson Emeritus of SKS Microfinance Ltd., which provides financial services to over 5 million poor women for the purpose of enabling them to earn income and improve economic well-being. For his pioneering work to create a market-based model of microfinance, Akula was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world (2006) and was nominated by Forbes for the “India Person in the Year 2009.”
Vikram Akula's Education and Qualifications
PhD/Doctorate - Political Science
University of Chicago
Political Science
PhD/Doctorate - Internalation Relations
Yale University
International Relations Program
Vikram Akula's Additional Information
Links
- My Website - http://www.vikramakula.com
- Behance -- Vikram Akula - http://www.behance.net/vikramakula
- Vikram Akula's Xing Account - http://www.xing.com/profile/Vikram_Akula
Interests
Philanthropy, Educational Development, Community, Family