Rajiv Kaul is the Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of CMS Info Systems Ltd.
CMS is India’s largest Cash Management and Payment Solutions firm and the world’s fifth largest ATM cash management company. Its network covers more than 100,000 ATMs and retail points in India.
Prior to CMS, he was a Partner at Actis Capital in their London office. Before joining Actis, Rajiv spent a decade with Microsoft Corporation, in various leadership roles in India and the U.S., including Country Manager and Managing Director, India (2001 – 2005) and Senior Director of Emerging Markets including BRIC (2006 – 2008).
Over the last five years, Rajiv has led a radical restructuring and transformation of CMS Info Systems into a payments solutions company that in FY17 alone processed & managed more than $100 Bn in cash, across its network. It is the stated mission of the company to maximise velocity of cash in the Indian economy, making it reach the furthest corners of the country at the lowest cost possible.
Under his watch, the company has expanded its service network to cover more than 98% of all the districts in India, reaching remote rural corners and border towns. The company today employs more than 21000 people as employees or associates, earning it the recognition of being one of the most productive employment generators among emerging companies. In 2015, he led the process of sale of the company to Baring Private Equity Asia for an estimated valuation of Rs. 2000 Cr, making it one of the few successful PE exits in this size.
His stint in Microsoft India coincided with an industry-defining period for the Indian IT industry. During his leadership, the India business grew three fold, and his strategic push led to the company investing an unprecedented $400M in India in 2001, including setting up of the Microsoft Research Center and the Product Support Centers in India. He was also the architect of Microsoft’s largest philanthropic effort in India: Project Shiksha, in which the company invested Rs 100 Cr towards capacity building in thousands of government schools across India.
Rajiv serves on RBI’s Committee for Currency Movement, which was constituted post Demonetisation to review the movement of currency in India. He is also a member of the General Council of Birla Institute of Technology and a member of the Management Committee of Confederation of ATM Industry (CATMI). Rajiv has also served NASSCOM as an elected member to the Executive Council and as a member of the National Council of CII.
He continues his passion for improving education in India, and is the Founder & Trustee at The Art1st Foundation, which is driving a fresh pedagogy in Indian education, promoting creativity and innovation in leading private and municipal schools across India.
Rajiv has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from XLRI, Jamshedpur, with a Gold Medal in Marketing. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Computer Science) from the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra.
