Dr. Manju Rai Joins BowerGroupAsia’s India Practice as an Adviser
BowerGroupAsia (BGA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Manju Rai as an adviser to its India practice.
Dr. Rai brings deep regulatory expertise, established institutional relationships and hands-on commercial experience across India’s financial ecosystem, with over two decades of senior leadership experience in financial sector regulation, fintech, payments and government affairs. Her appointment significantly strengthens BGA India’s advisory capabilities in banking, financial services, insurance and fintech and deepens the firm’s presence in Mumbai, India’s financial capital.
Dr. Rai has held senior leadership positions at Wells Fargo, Western Union, American Express and ICICI Bank, developing expertise across the payments ecosystem, fintech regulatory frameworks, global capability centers (GCCs), regulatory risk management, corporate governance and international contract negotiation. She has presided over the boards of multiple companies she worked for and has been a trusted adviser to domestic and international fintech firms navigating India’s regulatory landscape. She currently serves as an independent legal adviser to the National Payments Corporation of India.
Dr. Rai has contributed to innovation in financial risk systems, including patented solutions, and received a government of India award for e-governance initiatives. She was named among India’s Top 100 Women in Finance in 2020. She holds a Bachelor of Law and Master of Business Management from Jamia Millia Islamia University (Delhi, top of class), a doctorate in fintech and payments and an MBA from Boston University.
Her appointment comes as global financial institutions increasingly seek expert guidance to navigate India’s regulatory environment — spanning the Reserve Bank of India, the Securities and Exchange Board of India and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority.
India’s GCC sector, now comprising over 1,700 centers and projected to employ 2.5 million professionals by 2030, generates growing demand for advisory expertise at the intersection of financial services, technology and compliance. Dr. Rai’s presence in Mumbai also strengthens BGA India’s ability to engage clients and stakeholders at the center of India’s financial policy activity.
“Manju’s appointment is a deliberate investment in BGA’s capacity to provide expert guidance on Indian and regional finance and fintech business and regulatory issues,” said BGA President and CEO Ernest Z. Bower. “India’s financial sector is being transformed, from the global expansion of Unified Payments Interface to the regulation of artificial intelligence-driven products and the growth of GCCs. The advisers who add the most value are those who have shaped this transformation from within, not just observed it. Manju is a pro. She is exactly that kind of adviser, and on top of that, she’s got the BGA DNA. This means she relates well at a personal level to our team, our clients and key stakeholders in India and across Asia and Africa.”
“Manju brings deep regulatory expertise combined with real commercial experience across the full spectrum of India’s financial services sector,” said BGA India Managing Director Anuj Gupta. “Her relationships across India’s financial sector regulators and her firsthand GCC experience make her invaluable to clients serious about this market. Her presence in Mumbai further strengthens our ability to serve clients where financial sector decisions are made.”
“India’s financial sector is at an inflection point; the policy frameworks taking shape today around digital payments, fintech regulation, GCC governance and cross-border financial services will define India’s economic architecture for the next decade,” said Dr. Manju Rai. “BGA’s network and deep understanding of the Indo-Pacific, which is the focus of global companies, makes it an ideal platform from which to provide this counsel. I look forward to helping BGA’s clients navigate India’s financial sector with clarity and confidence.”
BGA India is part of BGA, Inc., the premier strategic advisory company covering Asia and Africa. The company is peerless in its presence across Asia with 27 offices and is building a similar network in Africa with six offices established today.
For more information, please contact BGA Director David Mineo at dmineo@bowergroupasia.com.
About BowerGroupAsia
BGA is the premier government affairs firm for companies and capital deployers whose success across the Indo-Pacific and Africa is impacted by how governments design and implement policies and regulations.
With more than 230 professionals embedded in 33 capitals and business hubs across Asia, Africa and Washington, D.C., BGA employs senior teams in every market, under one firm, one standard and one point of accountability.
Our clients are the world’s leading multinational corporations and the private equity, sovereign wealth, pension and infrastructure funds that finance them. For more than two decades, we have delivered policy outcomes and advanced the commercial objectives that turn ambition in these markets into legislation shaped, approvals secured, deals closed, licenses held and growth defended.
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