Designation : Consultant in PQMG (Process and Quality Management Group)

I had an opportunity to be part of Long term Finance – Lease and Hire Purchase products in the formative years at Pyramid Finance Ltd under the leadership of Mr Vijay Hede for more than 3 years. Mr. Hede is a well renowned personality in the Finance circles in Goa having a crystal clear understanding of Financing domain and rich experience in EDC. Being a small company, I could get hands-on experience in all aspects of Long term finance, Equity Investments and Project finance consultancy, right from marketing to operations and servicing of clients. Also, I could develop business contacts with many industrialists and key business personnel in Goa, which also helped me in developing business during my tenure at KPMG.

When we started in the mid nineties as a small size NBFC, Pyramid Finance created a niche in Corporate Finance in Goa by offering innovative structured Lease finance products to meet the individual client’s finance requirements, with due consideration to the Tax Holiday and other aspects. The structured Lease products were well appreciated even by big companies such as Hindustan Lever (then Brooke Bond Lipton India) and provided distinct competitive advantage to Pyramid against competitors offering similar products.

Some of the values nurtured at Pyramid Finance as a stable NBFC, despite turbulence in the Finance Business environment:

· Focus on the bottom-line: Net Profit, rather than the quantum of funds disbursed. This was very important, in the era where size of Lease/HP portfolio of a NBFC was an Industry standard. Today the NBFCs focusing on sheer size of portfolio have lost ground.

· Understand Clients: Thorough appraisal of clients, beyond the financial statements, more focused on willingness to pay apart from ability, growth aspects and then building a stable long term relationship with them, so that they partner with Pyramid for their growth plans on ongoing basis. I have seen many small to medium sized companies having long term business relationship with Pyramid.

· Beware of risks: As Credit interest rates start rising for clients, beware!!! The default risk also rises. There are instances, where Pyramid curtailed exposure on some clients, despite lucrative interest rates offered and the same was appreciated in the market, as these clients defaulted on their loans.

· Focus on High Quality service: There are times when we have sanctioned new Lease finance deals within 2 hours. I remember one occasion when the Company Chairman Mr. Salgaoncar had intervened to give us the go- ahead with one of the deals without any delay, when Mr Hede was on vacation.

Apart from office, we also enjoyed a personal life, be it an annual overnight outing to a beach resort or participating in Treasure Hunt Rally organized by Rotary Club of Panaji Midtown. Mr. Hede has also been considerate to provide Guest House accommodation in Panaji to resolve daily commuting problems, especially during the monsoons.

I wish Pyramid Finance all the best in the years to come.

b) Nitin Madkaikar -

I joined Pyramid straight from B-school and my 3 years there, besides giving me an opportunity to apply knowledge gained at B-School, prepared me for challenges not only in the Indian context but the global scenario. I currently work in London for a top International Financial Institution covering emerging economies of Central East Europe, Middle East and Africa and believe that my 3 years at PFL have been of great help in achieving what I have achieved till date. "

c)Marie-dale Pais -

SSCPL was simply a pleasure to work for. With every member of its staff confident in his/her area of expertise, it is no wonder that the company has risen to such heights. The company is packed with self-motivated employees that enjoy taking on the challenge of a job well done.

The most striking feature of SSCPL was its culture. Its all-encompassing culture allowed for individuality to be a collective effort. Employees were not required to "fit" into the company's culture nor molded into the culture. Instead, every individual was encouraged to be himself/herself and contribute towards the culture of the organisation.

There was never a dull moment during my term in SSCPL and I will always cherish the days I spent there.

Regards

Marie-dale Pais